Ultimately, sourdough bread baking is about connecting. You connect to the past because sourdough bread baking was the norm for centuries before the introduction of commercial yeast. You connect to the soil because the primary ingredient is wheat. You connect to the miller because the miller transforms the wheat berry into the flour. You connect to the water because the purest water creates the finest bread. You connect to the artisans of the past who had to feed their starter every six hours to maintain their livelihood. You connect to your body because the bacteria in the sourdough transforms something we were not designed to digest into a product that aids your health. Finally, you connect to the moment when your four senses focus on that fresh loaf coming from the oven – the smell, the sight of the beauty of your creation, the sound of the crust crackling, and the taste as you savor your first bite.

This is why we say, ARTISAN BREAD – SHAPED BY HAND, BAKED WITH LOVE.

Each loaf of sourdough bread is a three-day labor of love. Sourdough is made with a starter comprised of flour, water, and wild yeast combined with good bacteria, both of which are in the air. The starter takes approximately ten days before it can make bread and then it is fed continuously to keep it alive. Because the flavor comes from local yeast, this bread tastes different than bread from any other place in the world. The world’s bakers used sourdough as a leavening agent in bread until the late 1800’s when commercial yeast was first made. Bread could be made more quickly with commercial yeast but some of the flavor was lost. The artisan bread renaissance began in the 1980’s as people wanted to rediscover this lost art. We bring sourdough bread to you at the Farmhouse Sanctuary and you will taste the difference.

My lovely wife gave me a German made stone grain mill last Christmas and so some of our bread is made from flour we have ground from organic wheat berries coming from the mid-west. You will definitely taste new flavors you did not know existed in bread. We also sell loaves of bread if you want to take some home.