Sourdough Sidekick

I’m returning to baking sourdough after life got in the way. The sidekick caught my interest to automate the sourdough starter preparation. I resurrected my dried starter and did the fresh start process. The result was promising, a frothy starter full of activity. I used the discard to make some mini loaves and they rose beautifully. Right now I’m on day 2 of stage 2, I plan to use the discard again and set auto to make about 200 grams of starter in 3 days. What I like most is that there is no waste and the machine never forgets to feed or mix.

I make about one loaf every 4-5 days. Admittedly, I have the time to do daily feedings, but it’s not something I particularly enjoy. For health reasons, I use mostly fresh milled flour, and only eat home made bread. The sidekick has been a fantastic addition! While I still have a lot to learn about sourdough, my results with the product have been great so far. It is a perfect fit for my situation.

I started a new starter in the Sidekick. I felt a little lazy getting it but with a busy life I enjoy being able to set the amount and time of starter I need and not having to set alarms and be home at the right time. The hardest part about sour dough is planning it in your schedule. This solved that problem. It works great. For the curious, my starter is fresh milled rye. I usually us rye for my starters it activates well and doesn't seem to matter what other flour I use for whatever I am making. I almost always mill my own flour. I do add a small amount of yeast on my first couple of bakes while I am letting the starter get stronger.