I handed over the reins of my sourdough starter to a smart machine, and it was… an experience.
Setting up the automated starter keeper seemed simple enough: fill the water and flour compartments, input the current time and your desired readiness date (up to seven days out), add a bit of existing starter, and hit "Auto Mode." The machine immediately got to work, dispensing flour and mixing it with the starter. A quick tip from the manufacturer: keep some starter in the fridge as a backup – definitely a good call.
The initial mix, however, resulted in a dry, crumbly ball, as no water was dispensed. For a few days, it just sat there, getting drier. I eventually had to manually add water, only to notice the water reservoir was still full. It turns out, a firmware update was needed via the accompanying app. After the update, water dispensing started working, but I realized I'd skipped a crucial step: calibrating the machine using a scale as outlined in the main instruction manual.
That calibration process is admittedly tedious, but it’s a one-time setup. My next attempt, using the backup starter from the fridge, was much smoother. The machine correctly dispensed equal amounts of water and flour (30 grams each) daily and stirred the mixture every two hours. Be warned: the stirring cycle starts with a loud beep followed by a noisy mechanical whir, which can be quite startling, especially if you're nearby.
While you can disable the automatic stirring, I kept it enabled to ensure the starter's volume was managed and all ingredients were incorporated. The updated paddle design seems to do a decent job of mixing everything. It’s worth noting that the starter in the machine might not look as traditionally puffy or bubbly as you're used to, partly due to the regular mixing and lack of discard in Auto Mode. However, the scent should still be tangy and fermented. As many users online suggest, "Trust the process." Some tried adding rye flour to boost growth, but I didn't observe a significant difference in appearance or performance.
