This Sleek Device Keeps Your Sourdough Bread Starter at the Perfect Temperature for Fermentation

Making homemade bread was one of the go-to hobbies for countless people during the early months of the pandemic, and sourdough bread, in particular, quickly found itself as the new loaf in vogue. But for as tasty as sourdough is, it also takes a lot of know-how and patience to get it right. So if you're still struggling to nail the perfect, bacteria-rich sourdough starter, there's a new product on Kickstarter that's here to guide you through the process.

Goldie is the brainchild of home bakers Erik Fabian and Jennifer Yoko Olson, and it's designed to keep your sourdough starter in the “goldilocks zone,” where the temperature isn't too hot or too cold. Typically, a sourdough starter needs to be kept at the optimal temperature for fermentation, which is around 75℉ to 82℉. That's hotter than most people want to keep their homes, and many DIY methods— like moving the starter to a sunny window or in a turned-off oven—lead to inconsistent results. Goldie takes care of all that.

To use Goldie, you just have to place your sourdough starter in a jar inside the device, underneath the 6.7-inch-tall durable borosilicate glass cloche. You can then turn on the auto-warming switch to get your starter to become more active, or turn it off if you want it at room temperature. There’s a light on the front of the device that tracks the temperature inside Goldie. It turns blue, gold, or red to tell you if it’s too cool, just right, or too hot, respectively. There's also a freezer-ready cooling puck that you can place on top of your starter jar during the summer months if it gets too hot in your home. Once your starter is ready, it can be used with your preferred sourdough bread recipe as usual.

This Kickstarter campaign has already raised over $57,000 from 614 backers, exceeding its goal of $25,000. After surpassing $50,000, Sourhouse released an update saying they wanted to increase the funding target to $75,000. So, if you want to show your support for this gadget, there's still time to contribute to one of the project’s tiers. Each level lets you get a Goldie and a cooling puck. Some higher tiers give you pint- and quart-sized starter jars. You can also add on extra starter jars, cooling pucks, and more if you’d like.

The first tier gets you a Goldie and a cooling puck if you contribute $99 or more. The second tier gives you a Goldie, a cooling puck, and a pint-sized starter jar and band if you contribute $106 or more. Finally, the last tier gets you a Goldie, a cooling puck, a pint-sized starter jar, and a quart-sized starter jar with bands. At each tier, you’ll be able to save up to 24 percent off the standard retail price. Shipments are expected to go out in October 2022.

Check out Goldie on Kickstarter before the campaign ends on Tuesday, May 3.