Best Temperature for Your Sourdough: Sourhouse Goldie
Are you struggling to keep your sourdough starter at the optimal temperature? Read this review to see if the Sourhouse Goldie is for you!
If you have been baking with sourdough for a while you might know that sometimes it can be a struggle to keep your starter happy. To bake great bread you need an active starter. The right temperature is probably the best way to ensure a happy starter.
In this article, I am sharing a new product with you that helps you do exactly that!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read my full disclosure.
Do I recommend it?
In short: Yes, I highly recommend the Sourhouse Goldie.
For a reasonable price, it will always keep your sourdough starter at the optimal temperature, no matter if your kitchen is too hot or too warm.
Meet the Sourhouse Goldie
This safe home for your starter is surprisingly simple and it comes with 6 parts:
- The warming base with a USB power cord
- A power adapter
- The glass cloche
- The cooling puck
- A quick start guide
- A user guide
How to set it up
It couldn’t be simpler!
- Feed your sourdough starter like you normally would. Place the jar on the warming base.
- Plug the Goldie into an outlet in your kitchen.
- Place the glass cloche on it.
- Turn it on.
How does it work?
The premise is actually quite genius! The “Goldilocks zone” for your sourdough starter is between 75˚- 82˚Fahrenheit (24˚ – 28˚Celsius).
So, if you have a cold kitchen, the warming base will create enough warmth to keep it at the optimal temperature.
The front of the base has an indicator light. Gold means your starter is in the “Goldilocks zone”. Blue means it’s too cold and Red means it’s too hot. For more information, I have an entire article on how to affect the sourness of your starter.
There is one switch in the back. You can set it to ‘warming’ or ‘no warming’.
What if my kitchen is too warm?
I love that the company thought about that, too.
If your kitchen is hotter than 82˚F (28˚C), you will use the Sourhouse cooling puck. You will need to cool it in your freezer before use. Then you simply place it on the lid of your starter jar.
Everyday use of the Goldie
If you have been eyeballing things like I always do, you might need to adjust a bit to using the Goldie.
Whether you are creating a new sourdough starter from scratch or maintaining an existing one, you will need to watch it. It might peak sooner than you are used to. And if you really want some reliability, you would also feed your starter on a consistent schedule.
I found the Goldie pretty intuitive to use. However, most of the time I am winging things. Having grown up with sourdough, I have baked enough sourdough bread to feel comfortable with simply observing things. However, if you’re one of those sourdough mamas that need a bit more accuracy, then the Goldie is definitely for you!
What starter jar can I use?
Most of the time, I keep my sourdough starter either in a pint-size mason jar or a Weck jar. Both fit perfectly in the Sourhouse Goldie.
Even though I don’t use that size very often, you can just fit a quart-size mason jar with a plastic lid inside the cloche.
Where to buy it?
For the best price, I recommend you purchase the Goldie directly from Sourhouse. However, there are some other online retailers.
How much does it cost?
The Sourhouse Goldie costs $129.95 plus shipping (and tax).
However, you can save 10% with my Friend discount!
Pros and Cons:
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Takes the guesswork out of making and maintaining your sourdough starter | Only comes with a black base (I wish they had other colors) |
| Small footprint even for smaller kitchens | It may not fit your favorite starter jar (max 7″ high and 3 5/8″ wide) |
| Affordable price (especially with my friend discount) | Adds one more thing to your kitchen (usually I am not a “gadget girl” at all) |
| You can order a replacement glass cloche should yours break | Always needs to be plugged in |
| You can order multiple cooling pucks so you can always keep some more in the freezer | |
| Works in other countries, too, with the USB plug | |
| They offer a Sourhouse starter jar in 2 sizes, specifically designed for use with the Goldie | |
| The glass cloche may keep contaminants out of your starter (such as mold spores or bacteria from other ferments in your kitchen |
I’d love to hear all your questions and comments below!
Pin For Later:
Here’s a question for you about using your Goldie. Have you ever used a plunge type thermometer, inserted into your starter once both of the lights are orange, to see what the temp reading is? I’ve had some trouble getting my starter to go in my Goldie and have found that the temp in mine only goes up to 74 degrees. Not sure if I’m doing something wrong or if my unit’s thermostat is not working properly. Thanks.
Good question and no, I have not inserted a thermometer. All I know is that my starter is always really happy in the Goldie (as in rising very high) ~ Anja
Question. If your kitchen is too cold for your starter to become active, wouldn’t it also be too cold for proofing your bread dough as well? If that’s the case, wouldn’t a temperature-controlled proofing box be more practical?
Thanks — Mountaintop Kitchen
Let me put it this way: I have successfully made SD starters and baked SD bread for decades before the Sourhouse Goldie. However, a warm spot, whether that’s close to a heat source, an oven with the pilot light on – or a proofing box will all work ~ Anja