How to Use the Sourdough Home

If you’re tired of guessing the best way to care for your sourdough starter or dealing with fluctuating kitchen temperatures, the Sourdough Home is here to help. Designed to simplify sourdough maintenance, it takes the hassle out of feeding routines and temperature control.With just a few taps, you can create the perfect environment for your starter—whether you bake daily or just on weekends. No more makeshift heating solutions or worrying about your starter’s consistency.

Sourdough Home with a jar of starter

How to Use the Sourdough Home

Sourdough Home with a jar of starter

If you’re tired of guessing the best way to care for your sourdough starter or dealing with fluctuating kitchen temperatures, the Sourdough Home is here to help. Designed to simplify sourdough maintenance, it takes the hassle out of feeding routines and temperature control.With just a few taps, you can create the perfect environment for your starter—whether you bake daily or just on weekends. No more makeshift heating solutions or worrying about your starter’s consistency.

Why Temperature Matters

Your starter is a living culture of wild yeast and bacteria. These microbes thrive when it’s warm and slow down when it’s cool. Room temperatures can change dramatically with the seasons or even throughout the day, making it hard to maintain a consistent, predictable starter.

The Sourdough Home eliminates that unpredictability by maintaining a stable temperature—warm to speed things up, or cool to slow things down. This cozy, controlled environment helps you avoid common problems like overproofing, sluggish growth, or the need for constant feeding.

Whether you’re feeding your starter daily or just once a week, you can set the temperature to fit your schedule. The Sourdough Home adapts to your routine, keeping your starter active and ready for baking whenever you are.

Who It’s For

  • Weekend bakers who want to cut back on daily feeding
  • Daily bakers who want more consistent results
  • Anyone with fluctuating kitchen temperatures
  • Bakers who want to reduce waste and simplify starter care
  • Anyone struggling with their starter

Why the Sourdough Home Makes Life Easier

Maintaining a healthy sourdough starter is essential for great bread. Starters thrive when they’re well-fed and kept in the right environment. The Sourdough Home makes it easy to maintain a strong, reliable starter—without daily feeding or makeshift warm spots.

The Sourdough Home makes life easier by:

  • Feeding less often — Lower the temperature to slow fermentation, allowing up to 5 days between feedings—perfect for busy bakers.
  • Maintaining a stable temperature year-round — No more seasonal fluctuations or makeshift setups.
  • Reducing discard — Save flour and minimize waste.
  • Creating a consistent, healthy starter — Better bread every time.
  • Adapting to your schedule — Adjust the temperature to fit your routine.
  • Eliminating DIY fixes — No more finicky heating pads or unreliable solutions.

Fridge vs. Sourdough Home

A common question we hear: Why not just use the fridge? Here’s the difference:

Fridge:
Slows fermentation too much, often sending your starter into dormancy. This means your starter needs extra feedings and time to revive before baking. The cold temperature can also weaken the yeast, leading to inconsistent results.

Sourdough Home:
Gently slows fermentation just enough to keep your starter active and healthy. This means fewer feedings, less waste, and more predictable baking. Your starter stays closer to baking-ready, even if you go several days between feedings.

How to Use the Sourdough Home: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Set the Temperature

  • Plug in the unit and tap the power button.
  • Use the + and – buttons to set your desired temperature. 
    (To switch between °F and °C, hold both buttons for 2 seconds.)
Changing the Sourdough Home temperature, showing 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2: Feed Your Starter and Place It Inside

  • Feed your starter with your usual amount of flour and water.
  • Place the jar inside the Sourdough Home.
Placing a jar of sourdough starter into the Sourdough Home.

Step 3: Take It Out When You Need It

  • When you’re ready to feed or bake, simply take the jar out—no need to constantly move it in and out.
  • Your starter can live in the Sourdough Home 24/7, staying active and ready whenever you are.
  • Adjust the temperature up or down as needed, depending on your feeding routine or baking schedule.
Taking out a jar of sourdough starter from the Sourdough Home.

Note: The unit fits most wide-mouth 1-quart (1L) jars. For the best fit, we recommend our Sourdough Starter Jar, designed specifically to pair with the Sourdough Home.

What Happens at Different Temperatures

Cooler temperatures vs. Warmer settings

With the Sourdough Home, you have the flexibility to fine-tune your starter’s environment. Adjust the temperature to match your baking frequency and lifestyle. Experiment with different settings to find what works best for your routine. Cooler temperatures gently slow fermentation, giving you more flexibility in your schedule. Warmer settings encourage more activity, helping your starter rise quickly and stay bake-ready.

If you’re creating a starter from scratch, you will need to follow specific feeding and temperature instructions. Follow our Starter Creation Guide.

Once your starter is active and consistent, you can begin adjusting the temperature to slow fermentation, reduce feedings, and fit your schedule. Learn more about specific feeding schedules here.

Maintaining your sourdough starter doesn't have to be complicated. The Sourdough Home offers a simple way to keep your starter active, healthy, and ready for baking—whenever you are. Whether you bake every day or just on weekends, your starter will always have the ideal environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some common questions about the Sourdough Home and how it works. For more tips on starter care using the Sourdough Home, check out our Starter Maintenance Guide.

Why should I keep my starter in the Sourdough Home?

The Sourdough Home maintains your starter at a consistent temperature so you can reduce feedings, minimize discard, and bake on your own schedule. It eliminates temperature fluctuations, simplifies maintenance, and gives you flexibility with feeding frequency.

How do I operate the Sourdough Home?

Operating the Sourdough Home is simple:
1. Power ON/OFF: Lightly touch the power button.
2. Adjust Temperature: Use the + or – buttons to set your desired temperature.

That’s it! Once set, the Sourdough Home will maintain your chosen temperature—whether you need to warm up a sluggish starter or cool things down to extend the time between feedings.

How do I switch the Sourdough Home from Fahrenheit to Celsius?

Press and hold both the “+” and “–” buttons for 2 seconds.

What size jars fit inside?

The Sourdough Home fits most 1-quart (1L) wide-mouth jars. The interior space measures approximately 7.5” H × 5.1” W × 5.5” D (19 × 13 × 14 cm).

For the best fit, we recommend our Sourdough Starter Jar, which was designed specifically for the Sourdough Home.

Do I need to cover my starter?

Yes—just like you would at room temperature. Use a non-airtight lid, silicone cover, or cloth to keep dust out while letting gases escape.

Do I still need to feed my starter every day?

Nope! That’s one of the best things about the Sourdough Home. By lowering the temperature, you can slow fermentation and feed your starter every 2, 3, or even 5 days. No need to stick to a rigid schedule or waste flour. It’s sourdough—on your terms.

Is this the same as putting my starter in the fridge?

No. The fridge often slows fermentation too much. The Sourdough Home slows it just enough, so your starter stays healthy, active, and ready to use. Plus, it gives you a wider range of temperature options compared to just the fridge or room temperature.

Can I use my starter directly from the Sourdough Home?

A starter can be used directly from the Sourdough Home, even if it has been kept at a cool temperature. We have taken sourdough starter straight from the Sourdough Home and mixed it directly into our dough with excellent results. However, if you have not refreshed your starter for more than five days, it's best to feed it first to activate the yeast and ensure the best results in your bread.

How much power does it use?

Very little! It uses 20W max for heating and 38W max for cooling—less than a standard light bulb.

Can I leave the Sourdough Home on 24/7?

Yes! It's designed to run continuously and safely maintain your desired temperature around the clock.

Ready to Simplify Your Sourdough Routine?

The Sourdough Home makes it easy to maintain a healthy, active starter—without the guesswork. Say goodbye to temperature fluctuations and unpredictable fermentation.

Take control of your sourdough journey today!

Get Your Sourdough Home Now!
The Sourdough Home and a loaf of sourdough bread side by side.

Why the Sourdough Home Makes Life Easier

Maintaining a healthy sourdough starter is essential for great bread. Starters thrive when they’re well-fed and kept in the right environment. The Sourdough Home makes it easy to maintain a strong, reliable starter—without daily feeding or makeshift warm spots.

The Sourdough Home makes life easier by:

  • Feeding less often — Lower the temperature to slow fermentation, allowing up to 5 days between feedings—perfect for busy bakers.
  • Maintaining a stable temperature year-round — No more seasonal fluctuations or makeshift setups.
  • Reducing discard — Save flour and minimize waste.
  • Creating a consistent, healthy starter — Better bread every time.
  • Adapting to your schedule — Adjust the temperature to fit your routine.
  • Eliminating DIY fixes — No more finicky heating pads or unreliable solutions.

The Importance of Temperature for Sourdough Starter

If you maintain a sourdough starter, you are familiar with the issues that can come with a starter's maintenance. Daily feedings can become a chore and sometimes forgotten altogether. Discard is wasted or builds up in the refrigerator. Fermentation activity can be unpredictable, especially in fluctuating temperatures. The Sourdough Home allows you to keep your starter at a constant temperature year-round, regardless of season or ambient temperature.

In addition to keeping it at one specific temperature, with the Sourdough Home, you can keep your starter at different temperatures to adjust your feeding schedule. Lower temperatures will slow fermentation, allowing you to go days between feedings.

Adjust Your Feeding Schedule

Precise control over a wide range of temperatures allows you to manage the fermentation rate of your starter and helps you control when your starter peaks. Weekend bakers may only want to feed their starter occasionally. Daily feeding is unnecessary and wastes a lot of flour. Often, bakers store their starter in the refrigerator as an alternative to feeding daily. However, refrigerator temperatures hover around 38°F (3°C), too cold for the microbes to stay active. When it comes time to bake, the starter may need multiple feedings to get it up to full strength and ready for baking. Using the Sourdough Home to store your starter is the perfect solution. By keeping your starter cool but not cold, you can slow down fermentation without bringing it to a complete halt. Your starter will stay healthy and ready to use when you're ready to bake.

We ran a side-by-side comparison of starters kept at different cool temperatures. We kept one starter in a refrigerator at 38°F (3°C), and we kept the other in the Sourdough Home set to 50°F (10°C). We wanted three days to pass without feeding our starter- a common situation if you are away for the weekend. The seed ratio, hydration level, flour type, and beginning temperature were identical for each starter. The starter kept in the Sourdough Home experienced much more fermentation activity than the one held in the refrigerator. After 72 hours at 50°F (10°C), it was fully ripe, while the refrigerator starter was sluggish and showed little signs of activity.

Next, we used a portion of each starter to seed a levain. The levains were identical other than the starter used. Once mixed, the levains were kept at the same temperature (78°F / 25°C) to ripen.

After 6 hours, the results showed a clear difference. The levain seeded with the Sourdough Home starter had considerably more fermentation activity- tripling in size by the time the other levain had barely risen.

side-by-side comparison of starters

Left: starter held in a 38°F (3°C) refrigerator for 72 hours.
Right: starter held at 50°F (10°C) in the SD Home for 72 hours.

side-by-side comparison of levain

Left: levain seeded with a starter stored in the refrigerator for 72 hours.
Right: levain seeded with a starter stored in the SD Home for 72 hours.
Both levains were left to ripen at 78°F (25°C) for 6 hours.

Feeding Schedule Guideline

With the Sourdough Home, you can create a starter feeding schedule that works for you. Feed your starter once a day, every three days, or even once a week. Time to peak at various temperatures will depend on seed ratio, hydration level, and type of flour used. Experiment with your own starter to get desired results.

Using a constant feed ratio (the amount of starter: flour: water) and continuous temperature gives you great control over when your starter peaks. We have some guidelines below based on our experiments, but your results may vary depending on your starter.

Feeding Schedule by Temperature*

TemperatureTime to FeedSeed Ratioᐩ
7°C / 45°F5 Days / 120 Hours1:4:4
10°C / 50°F3 days / 72 hours1:4:4
12°C / 54°F2 days / 48 hours1:4:4
20°C / 68°F1 day / 24 hours1:4:4

*Note: Your starter may vary from these results depending on the flour used and the specifics of your culture. These guidelines are based on a 100% hydration starter fed with all-purpose flour.

ᐩSeed Ratio: This is the ratio of active culture to fresh flour and water. The more active culture used, the faster your starter grows and peaks.