LOUISVILLE, KY, May 1, 2026 – Sourdough Sidekick, a collaboration between FirstBuild, the cocreation innovation hub of GE Appliances, a Haier company, and King Arthur Baking Company, America’s most trusted baking company, is now available for purchase. Designed to solve one of home baking’s most persistent challenges: keeping a sourdough starter alive, healthy, and ready to bake,  Sourdough Sidekick is available today at SourdoughSidekick.com and KingArthurBaking.com with an MSRP of $179.99.

When the Sourdough Sidekick concept launched on Indiegogo in March 2025, it hit its funding goal in just 12 minutes and was hailed as an answer to some of the most common challenges to sourdough baking. Developed alongside FirstBuild’s community of real bakers and sourdough enthusiasts, Sourdough Sidekick has now shipped to thousands of its Indiegogo backers and is available for purchase nationwide.

"At FirstBuild, we’ve always believed that the best products come from building alongside the people who will actually use them, and the Sourdough Sidekick is proof of that," said FirstBuild President André Zdanow. "Our baking community helped shape this from the ground up, and partnering with King Arthur Baking Company gave us the confidence to get every detail right. We couldn't be more excited to see Sourdough Sidekick in kitchens across the country."

Consumer appetite for sourdough shows no signs of slowing down. At King Arthur Baking Company, the Fresh Sourdough Starter remains a top-performing product, with sales up 40% year over year, while its “Sourdough for Beginners” class ranks as the brand’s best-selling on-demand offering. This momentum reflects a broader cultural shift, as Google Trends data shows searches for “sourdough” have climbed past their pandemic peak and hit a new high in early 2026, underscoring sourdough’s evolution from a fleeting trend into an enduring baking staple.

"At King Arthur Baking Company, we’re always looking for ways to empower bakers with tools that build confidence in the kitchen," said John Henry Siedlecki, Vice President of Brand and Product at King Arthur Baking Company. " The Sourdough Sidekick was designed to honor the craft of sourdough while solving real challenges bakers face every day. Our partnership with FirstBuild allowed us to combine deep baking expertise with innovative design to create a solution we truly believe will transform the home baking experience and fit seamlessly in the modern kitchen."

How It Works:

No more forgotten feedings, no more discard guilt, no more starter anxiety. Sourdough Sidekick handles the hard part so bakers can focus on what they love most: baking and sharing delicious sourdough bread and baked goods.

Sourdough Sidekick offers three modes designed for bakers at every level:

  • Auto Mode lets you simply tell the Sidekick how much starter you need and when, down to the day and hour. Fill the flour and water hoppers, add just a tablespoon of existing starter, and let it run. The device reads your kitchen’s ambient temperature and adjusts its feedings automatically, using a “microfeeding” approach to build your starter gradually, with no discard required for up to a week.
  • Ratio Mode feeds your starter at regular intervals using traditional ratios. Ratio mode is a good fit for bakers who want automation while maintaining traditional feeding rhythms.
  • Custom Mode is for experienced bakers who want precise control over flour amounts, water amounts, and timing.

The Sidekick comes with the essentials to keep a healthy, active starter in prime condition: the device, a removable water tank, flour hopper assembly, a King Arthur Baking Company-branded glass crock and crock lid assembly, a mixing paddle, and a power supply.

Sourdough Sidekick is available now at SourdoughSidekick.com and King Arthur Baking Company.

About FirstBuild

FirstBuild invents what's next for the home. Rapidly taking product concepts from mind to market, FirstBuild's cocreation mission enables anyone to submit appliance product ideas or contribute to the ideas of others and participate in its hands-on process with its in-house team of world-class engineers and design experts. FirstBuild strives to launch a dozen new products or features each year, with the ultimate goal of launching them at scale — often with their parent company, GE Appliances, a Haier company. Whatever you're passionate about, come make it here. For more information on how to get involved, visit FirstBuild.com.

About King Arthur Baking Company

King Arthur Baking Company has been sharing the joy of baking since 1790. A 100% employee-owned benefit corporation, King Arthur Baking is a trusted resource for bakers, offering the highest quality ingredients, expert guidance, and a vibrant baking community. Find recipes, ingredients, tools, and classes at KingArthurBaking.com —and discover how we’re helping build a more just and sustainable food system. Follow @KingArthurBaking on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.