Duffy’s Dough springs from 1952 when Patrick’s father and mother packed two children, Patrick at 2 and sister Joanne 6 years of age, into an old GMC pickup (Jimmy) and pulled a twenty foot trailer house up the ALCAN gravel highway all the way to Alaska from Montana. As his parents began to set down roots and make a new life for the family, a neighbor kindly gifted his Mom a hearty, unadulterated sourdough starter that was said to have originated with the original Alaska Gold Rush miners and been passed down. Those miners had often been referred to as “Sourdoughs” as during the winter months they’d place mixture in their beds in order to keep it warm enough to process overnight. The original organic spore from the Alaskan spring mountain air and has not been compromised in well over 100 years. It is one of the strongest sourdough strains, ever.

Stories abound around the starter such as when it blew up in the Duffy family luggage on their return trip from Alaska. Patrick was 4 years old and Mrs. Duffy had scraped what she could off the clothes yielding enough to continue the already 50 + year old mix for the family. There were often sourdough pancakes for breakfast (and sometimes dinner) from childhood on. Sourdough breads and rolls were a constant. Over the ensuing years this original starter was handed down to Patrick and his sister Joanne.

Once Patrick started his acting career and family, sourdough baking again became a part of life’s traditions with morning pancakes, dinner rolls for house guests at any time of day, irresistible cinnamon rolls. The variety of breads they’ve made from the starter have graced Duffy tables in good times and in bad for over 70 years.