Navigation Drawer
close
Search
Light System Dark
-
Tech
-
Reviews
-
Science
-
Entertainment
-
AI
-
Policy
-
Gadgets
-
Verge Shopping
-
Gaming
-
Streaming
-
Transportation
-
Verge Video
-
Podcasts
The Sourdough Sidekick automates the boring bit of baking
Comments Drawer
Comments
- Tech Tech Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Follow See All Tech
- Reviews Reviews Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Follow See All Reviews
- Smart Home Smart Home Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Follow See All Smart Home
The Sourdough Sidekick automates the boring bit of baking
But I’d only recommend it if you bake at least a loaf a week, and ideally more.
If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.
by Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
News Editor
Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Follow See All by Dominic Preston
Jul 5, 2026, 2:00 PM UTC
If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.
The Sourdough Sidekick was codeveloped with King Arthur Baking Company.
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Follow See All by Dominic Preston
is a news editor with over a decade’s experience in journalism. He previously worked at Android Police and Tech Advisor.
Baking sourdough bread is inherently old-fashioned, relying on natural fermentation and wild yeast instead of the simple, predictable commercial stuff. So it might sound anathema to bring a gadget into the mix.
The trick to the Sourdough Sidekick — backed and branded by King Arthur flour — is that it promises to automate the boring bit of sourdough baking: starter management. It feeds your starter flour and water on a set schedule, ready for exactly when you want to bake, leaving you to focus on kneading, shaping, and the actual baking.
Like any single-purpose kitchen gadget, you’ll have to be confident you’ll get enough use to justify both the cost and the counter space. That’s doubly true here thanks to a few design quirks that make the Sourdough Sidekick frustrating to use if you don’t bake multiple times a week.
6
Verge Score
Sourdough Sidekick
$180
$180
The Good
- Set it and forget it starter feeding
- Works with most flour types
- Flexible Custom mode
The Bad
- Works best if you bake twice a week
- Core parts aren’t dishwasher-safe
- Noisy
- Yet another single-purpose kitchen gadget
$180 at Sourdough Sidekick$180 at King Arthur Baking Company
How we rate and review products
The Sourdough Sidekick is a joint project by FirstBuild — the GE Appliances “innovation hub” responsible for the viral Opal ice maker — and King Arthur Baking Company, which is why you’ll see the latter’s logo on the front. It launched with a crowdfunding campaign in March 2025, but it’s now available to buy directly from King Arthur for $179.99 — though it’s US-only.
The basic operation is pretty simple. You drop a small amount of existing starter into the crock — 15g, or a tablespoon’s worth — and fill the two dispensers with flour and water.
Subscribe to The Vergeto continue reading.
Most Popular
Most Popular
- Vizio accidentally made the best dumb TV on the market
- Xbox is a disaster
- White House deletes thousands of web pages about energy conservation as heatwave slams US
- The Sourdough Sidekick automates the boring bit of baking
- NASA launched an emergency mission to stop the Swift Observatory from crashing to Earth
The Verge Daily
A free daily digest of the news that matters most.
Email (required)
Sign Up
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Advertiser Content From This is the title for the native ad
More in Tech
Infuriating Google commercial imagines the founding fathers embracing AI
How Keurig saved—and ruined —your coffee
Vizio accidentally made the best dumb TV on the market
Matic’s robot vacuum is getting a $250 price hike in September
7
Verge Score
Hey number pad lovers, this is a keyboard we can finally agree on
Infuriating Google commercial imagines the founding fathers embracing AI
Terrence O'Brien Jul 529
How Keurig saved—and ruined —your coffee
David Pierce Jul 516
Vizio accidentally made the best dumb TV on the market
John Higgins Jul 529
Andrew Webster Jul 5114
Matic’s robot vacuum is getting a $250 price hike in September
Sheena Vasani Jul 44
Hey number pad lovers, this is a keyboard we can finally agree on
Antonio G. Di Benedetto Jul 430
Advertiser Content From This is the title for the native ad
Top Stories
Jul 5
Jul 5
Mr. Lif’s Emergency Rations EP is post-9/11 hip hop at its most daring
Jul 5
Vizio accidentally made the best dumb TV on the market
Jul 5
How Keurig saved—and ruined —your coffee
-
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Data
© 2026 Vox Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved
Notifications Drawer
Sign in to see your notifications or create an account to join the conversation.
Continue reading with a Verge subscription Unlock unlimited access to The Verge for just $1.
START YOUR TRIAL
Already a subscriber?Sign inBack toThe Verge Homepage
Privacy Center
When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.
Cookie Policy Vendor List
Allow All
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Essential
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
-
Functional Cookies
Essential
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
View Vendor Details
Allow the Sale or Sharing/Targeted Advertising
- Allow the Sale or Sharing/Targeted Advertising
As a valued user, we are providing you the ability to opt-out from the sharing of your personal information to advertisers and social media companies at any time across business platform, services, businesses and devices. You can opt-out of the sharing of your personal information by using this toggle switch. For more information on your rights and options see our privacy notice.
-
Performance Cookies
- Switch Label
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
-
Social Media & Embedded Content
- Switch Label
Content embedded on our sites (e.g. social media posts, video clips, polls and games) originates from third party sources such as social media platforms, video sharing sites, or other third party websites. When this content loads on pages you visit, any cookies or similar tracking technologies set by the third party source in connection with that content may also load. Vox Media doesn't set these cookies and doesn't control them. These cookies may be capable of tracking your browser across sites and/or building a profile of your interests. Not allowing these cookies will impact what content you can see and engage with on our sites.
-
Targeting Cookies
- Switch Label
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
View Vendor Details
Vendors List
Clear
-
- checkbox label label
Apply Cancel
Consent Leg.Interest
-
checkbox label label
-
checkbox label label
-
checkbox label label
Reject All Confirm My Choices