Brod & Taylor Sourdough Home

I’ve been maintaining my own sourdough starter for about a year and this thing is a life saver! It has totally transformed my ability to maintain a healthy starter without worrying about temperature variability. I can speed up or slow down fermentation so easily depending on when I want to bake with my starter. I also love that I can turn the temperature down for when I go on vacation and much prefer that than putting it in the fridge. If you have a sourdough starter, this is TOTALLY worth the price!

I've been using the Brød & Taylor Sourdough Home for almost two months, and I'm very pleased with its performance. Some reviewers have complained that it is noisy, but at my unit is very quiet. My sourdough starter has been very happy living in this, and is essentially always ready for use, on my baking schedule. This along with the Brød & Taylor folding dough proofer have been 'game changers' for me, allowing for precise control of temperatures, and much improved consistency. For recipes that I've worked out, I get excellent and predictable results each time now, where I struggled a bit with consistency before. As a number of baking experts have stated, time & temperature are important 'ingredients' in sourdough (and yeast) baked goods. My reason for purchasing was that I typically only bake 1-2 times a week, and did not want to maintain a starter at room temperature because of the inconvenience and waste from all the required feedings. And, to store my starter in the refrigerator, after feeding I'd let it expand at room temperature to about 1.5x, and then refrigerate. Problem was that starter from these cold conditions (~34degF) was sluggish, and needed at least one feeding at room temp to 'revive' it. Using the starter maintenance guidelines from the instructions & 'The Fresh Loaf' blog site, I keep the starter at 45degF, and feed it every 5-6 days with a 1:4:4 (SD starter:water:flour) ratio, never bothering to ever warm it to room temperature. This fits my baking schedule, but higher temperatures can be used if one wants to bake more often. At 45degF, I see good fermentation activity and bubbles by about 24-hours post feeding, and I've had excellent results using this to inoculate a levain from 24 hours to 6 days post feeding. I'll incubate the levain (typically 40% starter + flour & water for a 75-100% hydration levain) at 78degF in the Brød & Taylor Folding Proofer (also an excellent unit) and get doubling to tripling of levain volume in 3.5-4.5 hours. Thus, starter feeding is simplified, my starter is essentially always ready for use, and I think the consistent regime of starter feeding & maintenance has been beneficial for starter health. I keep just small amounts of starter (~180g) in a pint mason jar that works well for me, and minimizes generation of the useful 'sourdough discard'. Unit also holds quart jars if your starter needs are greater. I most often employ a levain, so my active starter needs are modest. Higher temperatures can also be dialed in to adjust to how frequent you want to feed, and your baking schedule. Unit is a bit pricey, but for a serious sourdough bread baker who can manage it, well worth the price in my opinion.

The bomb! This is quiet and controlled temp. Sourdough dies what it needs to

I have only had this for about 2 days, but already impressed! Well built and sturdy, compact but roomy enough for my needs, lovely simple design that blends into our kitchen nicely while still looking modern and attractive. Set up was easy (plug and play basically). Interior can fit my 32 oz wide mouth Ball jar easily with a bit of room to spare around it. I love that it comes with a chart that tells you exactly what temp to use depending on the interval you want to feed your starter (ie one week vs one day vs every 12 hours). I typically bake on Sun/Mon/Tues, so I can drop the temp during the week and just feed once and be sure my starter will remain healthy and happy :) I was planning to bake the next day, so I set it to 70F and fed my starter the evening before, and I'll be damned but my starter came out looking healthier than it has ever looked before! It's wild! I am sold on this thing solely for that. It really works well to keep your starter at it's healthiest! If I had to say one negative thing about this unit, it would be that there is a seam between the front and back half that runs on the bottom of the interior, and I could foresee that being a pain to clean if your starter ever overflowed. But if you are careful and don't overfeed it, you shouldn't have to worry about that too much! Honestly, for how well this thing works, the quality of build, and the lovely design....I'm really surprised at the price-point. It is far more economical than I realized. Don't hesitate! UPDATE: It's been over a month now and I stand by everything I said. This gadget is amazing, especially going into winter when it's difficult for me to control temp in my home.

This is a great little machine. This is the second one that I have purchase. The first one I ordered was for me. It worked so well I ordered a second one for my grandson. He is a great cook.

If you're a home Sourdough baker, the Brod & Taylor Sourdough Home is a game-changer. I’ve been using it regularly, and it’s nothing short of amazing. It maintains a consistent temperature even in a cold house which is essential for reliable fermentation and proofing. The design is sleek and compact. Setup is intuitive, and the controls are simple to navigate. It keeps your sourdough starter at the ideal warm, humid environment that yeast and wild cultures thrive in. For sourdough enthusiasts, it’s especially perfect. No more worrying about fluctuating room temps or makeshift setups. My starter has never been happier, and my loaves are consistently well-risen and flavorful.

Love this little guy, wish I’d bought it sooner. I also wish I could buy another right away but it is sold out at the moment. I will be getting another soon hopefully when it is back in stock. For size reference it is perfect for the larger knead ace starter jar or the weck jars, I’ve never tried the tiny shelves (just haven’t had a need). The temp does what it says, the starter itself is the correct consistent temp. I’m in Kentucky and the weather is all over the place all year round. I also keep my home at a not-helpful-for-starter temp at about 68 degrees and it fluctuates like crazy depending on the weather. So, I actually could not get the “oven light method” to work on baking days when it has to be warmer and consistent. I’ve also not had luck starting or maintaining by leaving it on the counter in various places looking for stable temperatures. I tried for weeks to get a viable starter, but it wasn’t until I got this little dude that the magic happened. I keep it on 71 when not baking, feeding the starter daily. On the days I make a batch for a loaf I will mix it and then set it on 75 for 250-300ml volume of starter and it doubles, and then some, by about 3.5-4hrs. I want a second one for two reasons. First, to store the starter I make as a backup “original” starter when I plan to split it for a batch to bake with that day. My original is a whole wheat flour base that works better for a healthy and consistent fermentation. But I like to bake with starter that is 1:1:1 with bread flour mixed in on baking day due to taste preference. I don’t like keeping the original on the counter though, PTSD from bringing it to life the first time! The Second box would also be great to maintain two different normal starters. I’m trying to get a “bread flour” starter without much whole wheat flour and my original whole wheat starter going at the same time, but not having great luck with the bread flour based starter sitting out day and night. I won’t keep the original out of the box, and on the counter, for more than the time it takes to make my baking day starter rise. Again, just paranoid of killing it. Day and night I normally keep the original in a stable temp like I mentioned at 71 (hence the box). Anyway, with two I could store both and bake with both in the same day (doing what I am doing now) with two boxes since I am nearly certain the bread flour based starter just isn’t thriving in the variety of temps of my house. As a side note, on baking days, when I have it set to 75, I have my starter in a jar with the breathable fabric covers, but it probably doesn’t need the cover at all since the box keeps the moisture level where it has to be and has a seal along the inside of the door for that purpose. Otherwise I still use the weck jars with the loose glass top if I am storing in the box and/or when I have to put it on the counter for a bit. I Just have the lids in the box storage, out of habit more than anything though, when it isn’t a baking day. Anyway, I debated and debated due to the price of these, but in the end I would 100% recommend this product. I would not be able to make sourdough bread in my house otherwise. Side note the pictures have the knead ace large jar shown for size. (Don’t mind the counter mess, took the picture right after I’d dropped a bunch measuring out for my dough. Facepalm)

Excellent sourdough tool. I’ve used this sourdough home for a while now. I use it when I need to “speed things up” with my starter.

Vivo en el norte de México, donde la temperatura media es muy por arriba de la ideal para cultivar masa madre. El refrigerador esta bien pero no ideal para el crecimiento óptimo de la masa. Lastimosamente mi cultivo principal no sobrevivió el calor, pero guardé descarte con el cuál pude revivir mi cultivo. Es una chulada, tal cuál una incubadora, para mi caso donde vivo en climas extremos, esta es la mejor opción para tener un cultivo saludable.

This is an excellent appliance. I made sourdough starter for the first time in my life and it worked first time perfectly. Set to 23C I was able to get a nice reactive sourdough starter in 5 days and was making pizza and naan bread with the discard after this time. After 7 days feeding and fermenting the starter, I made my first sourdough bread (using a Brod and Taylor folding proofing oven to proof the dough) and it was perfect and delicious. I use milled whole grain spelt for the starter and for the bread. After baking I put my left over starter in the fridge (top shelf at 4 degrees C) and revive it (feed/ferment) weekly for 24 hours with the "sourdough house" before baking bread. This really is how bread should be, it's just flour, water and some salt and tastes better than the commercial bread you buy in the supermarket. My stomach can't really tolerate the commercial breads but this home-made pure sourdough bread is no problem for me to eat.

What's not to love! Perfect for my starter and always at the right temperature!

Great for sourdough in colder months.

Amazing, it brings your sourdough making process to another level