Friendship bread

I'm always a sucker for baking. I love whenever I'm offered a starter for friendship bread. Once, I thought I would be able to start a friendship bread business (kind of) and I hoarded twelve starters. After my day of baking 24 loaves of bread, I gave up the dream and threw my starters away. Now I know better and am giving my starters away, baking two loaves of bread every ten days and freezing one loaf for later or giving one away. If you've never had friendship bread, you're really missing out. It is yummy.

 

The one problem I have with the bread is the piece of paper containing ten days worth of instruction. I don't do well with loose paper. I managed to hold onto this one for ten days.. and then it was gone. I decided to put it on here because then I'll always have it, and so can you.

 

Amish Friendship Bread

 

 

Do not use any type of metal spoons or bowl for mixing.
Do not refrigerate.
If air gets into the bag, let it out.
It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble, and ferment.

Day 1: Do nothing. This is the date on which you receive the bag. If the bag isn't already dated, it would be a good idea to do so. I date my baggies with day 1, day 6 and day 10 so I always know when I need to do something. Mush (squeeze the bag to get the ingredients all mixed up) the bag.
Day 2: Mush the bag
Day 3: Mush the bag
Day 4: Mush the bag
Day 5: Mush the bag
Day 6: Add to the bag 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk. Mush the bag.
Day 7: Mush the bag
Day 8: Mush the bag
Day 9: Mush the bag
Day 10: Time to bake some yummy bread! Pour entire contents of bag into a large non-metal bowl and add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk.

Measure out 4 separate batches of the starter batter, 1 cup each, into 4 separate Ziploc bags (one gallon size).
Keep one for yourself and give the other 3 to friends along with a copy of this recipe/instructions. Do so before day 6 or you will be managing all 4 starters!

Now pre-heat oven to 325°.
To the remaining batter in the bowl, add:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups self-rising flour*
• 1 large box instant vanilla pudding (about 5.9 oz.)

*if you only have all-purpose flour, that's okay. Add two cups of it, along with 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt.

In a separate bowl, mix together

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Grease or butter 2 large loaf pans. Dust the greased pans with half the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
Pour batter evenly into the pans and sprinkle the top with remaining sugar mixture.
Bake for 1 hour. Cool until bread loosens from sides of pan and turn out to serving dish.

If bag isn’t passed on to a friend on the 10th day, be certain to tell recipient which day the bag is at when given to them. If you keep a starter bag for yourself, you will be baking every 10 days.

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I recently discovered that you can make lemon friendship bread and I am super excited to try that recipe. If it works out well, I'll post it on here. :)



Insert awkward first-post-ever title here.

So, I originally started this blog back in October of 2011. And by start, I mean I created an account and let it sit for almost a year and a half. I didn't have a creative name, which I really felt like I needed. I still don't have one, but it will do...

A little about me: a twenty-something approaching my fifth wedding anniversary and a mother to the cutest (and I really do mean THE cutest) seventeen-month-old daughter ever. Ever.

Here Lindsey is six months old, and her personality is already in full-bloom. This kid is seriously a riot.

 

I'm typically better with written word than actually carrying on a conversation. I actually tend to ramble until I forget my words and what I was talking about to begin with. I have a wonderful family and great friends. I really feel blessed. My blog name derives from one of my very worst traits: being super stubborn. I kind of like it though. It tends to bite me from time to time, but it can be a good trait, too.

Like anyone who blogs, I intend to blog about the things I love. I really love food. I want to talk about that a lot. I love to cook and bake. I love to try new things. My poor family has suffered from weird new recipes I've tried. I still hear about the Greek spaghetti I made five years ago. It's still fresh in everyone's mind.

 

I have a creative side that is dying to come out, but it only surfaces briefly here and there when my friends decide to do a cool project or I've spent too long on Pinterest. Maybe if I hold myself accountable to my blog, I might do a really cool Pinterest-worthy furniture project. I usually dive into projects and recipes without completely reading the instructions (I get really excited) and then I turn everything into a huge mess. I can usually salvage a recipe. Ish.

 

And now for the awkward ending to my first-post-ever. I really don't know how to end this, but I have a belated Valentine's Day dinner to get to and I am starving so I'm just going to go for it!

 

Bye.