Farmstead Chronicles
Meet Duffy Our Farmstead Sourdough Starter The Story Behind the Baking at Promised Land Ranch and Goods Farmstead Kitchen
Mar
The Sourdough Starter That Found a Home at the Farmstead
There’s something special about sourdough.
Not just the bread itself, but the history, the patience, and the quiet rhythm of caring for something that grows slowly over time.
Here at the farmstead, sourdough has become part of our weekly baking rhythm. Cinnamon rolls, breads, and all sorts of experiments come out of the kitchen, and it all begins with a jar sitting quietly on the counter.
Her name is Duffy.
And yes… Duffy is a she.
Sometimes the smallest things in the kitchen turn into the sweetest stories.
A Starter With a Story
Every sourdough baker eventually learns something important:
A starter isn’t just flour and water.
It becomes a living part of the kitchen.
Our first attempt at sourdough didn’t quite go the way we hoped. That starter’s name was Ginny, and while we gave it a good try, things never really settled into the rhythm we wanted.
So eventually, Ginny found her way into a loaf of bread and we started again.
That’s when Duffy arrived.
She began on February 19th at 10:22 AM, right here in our farmhouse kitchen. Since then she has slowly grown stronger day by day.
Some starters feel temporary.
But this one felt different from the start.
Duffy feels like an old soul — the kind that sticks around for a long time.
What Makes Sourdough So Special
Sourdough baking has been around for thousands of years.
Long before commercial yeast existed, bakers relied on natural fermentation — the wild yeast already present in the air and flour.
That’s what makes sourdough different.
Instead of quick rising bread, sourdough teaches us something many of us have forgotten:
Good things take time.
The starter is fed regularly with flour and water. Over time the natural yeast and bacteria strengthen, creating a culture that can raise bread naturally.
The result?
Bread that has deeper flavor, better texture, and often easier digestion.
But more than that, sourdough brings something back into the kitchen that modern life often rushes past:
A slower rhythm.
The Farmstead Kitchen Routine
These days, Duffy sits quietly in the kitchen while we bake.
Some days she’s bubbling happily after a feeding.
Other days she’s resting in the refrigerator waiting for the next batch of dough.
But when it’s time to bake, she wakes right up and gets to work.
From cinnamon rolls to fresh loaves of bread, Duffy is quickly becoming part of many recipes that are coming out of our kitchen.
And truth be told…
There are a lot more sourdough recipes coming your way soon.
A Little Encouragement From the Kitchen
There’s something about sourdough that reminds us of life itself.
Growth doesn’t happen overnight.
Sometimes things look quiet on the surface, but beneath that stillness something important is happening.
Faith grows that way.
So do families.
So do dreams.
The small things we tend to daily often become the strongest foundations later on.
And sometimes the best things in life start with something as simple as a jar of flour and water sitting on the counter.
The Table Challenge
This week’s Table Challenge is simple.
At your table, ask this question:
What is something in your life that is slowly growing — even if you can’t see the results yet?
It could be faith, a relationship, a new skill, or even a new habit.
Sometimes growth is quiet.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.
Take a moment this week to talk about the things that are still rising in your life.
🌿 Stay Connected With the Farmstead
If stories from the kitchen, fresh bread on the table, and quiet encouragement speak to your heart, we would love to stay connected.
Each week we send out our Grace Notes newsletter, where we share:
✨ Encouragement from Scripture
✨ Baking from the farmstead kitchen
✨ New recipes and projects
✨ A quiet moment of reflection for the week
It arrives Sunday afternoons, just in time to prepare hearts for the week ahead.
📬 Join Grace Notes
🍞 Something New Is Coming Soon
We are also working behind the scenes on something special.
A growing collection of faith-centered journals will soon be appearing in our shop, designed to encourage reflection, Scripture meditation, and meaningful conversations around the table.
These journals are part of the foundation we are building here at Promised Land Ranch and Goods, and we cannot wait to share them with you.
Stay tuned… you are going to LOVE these.
📖 Next Week on Farmstead Chronicles
Next week we’ll be sharing something delicious coming out of the kitchen:
Double Chocolate Sourdough Bread.
Yes… chocolate and sourdough together.
And trust me — it’s every bit as good as it sounds.
