The Amish call it Friendship Bread. The recipe has been passed around for as long as I can remember. It begins with the starter that is a mixture of water, flour, sugar and yeast.
If you are fortunate enough to receive the “starter” from a friend, you become a link in the friendship chain. After 10 days of feeding and caring for the starter, you then divide it and use part of it, keep part of it and pass part of it to two friends, who become links in the friendship chain. The thought of sharing with my friends made this sound like a great idea.
Caring for the starter is not very difficult. In fact, it’s downright easy. The first day you do nothing. Just sit it on your kitchen countertop and stare at it from time to time as you pass by. The second, third, fourth and fifth day, you stop just staring at it. As you pass by you stop and give the bag a few squeezes. You watch as the mixture begins to bubble and the gases build up inside the bag. After the starter is fed for the final time on day 10 it is ready to use. After dividing the starter one can either use the basic bread recipe to make a delicious quick bread or any one of the numerous variations.
I cheated the first time I divided the starter. I kept 2 to use and 1 to keep on hand to use after the next 10 day feeding and caring period. Little did I know what was in store for me.
The friend who gave me the starter had a family emergency so she called me to see if I would like to keep and feed her 2 starters while she was away. Without hesitation I told her I would be glad to do that for her. What was I thinking? Evidently I wasn’t. I had no idea I was about to be up to my elbows in bread dough.
With my first round of starter I made 3 bundt cakes and 2 loaf cakes and 6 muffins which I now have in my freezer. Today is day 10 of my second round of starter plus my friend’s starter. I’ve spent the entire morning feeding, dividing, using and keeping batches of starter.
I have 2 bundt cakes, 3 loaves of sourdough bread (rising), 2 dozen cinnamon rolls (also rising), 1 pan of cornbread, 1 dozen sandwich rolls and 6 muffins all sitting on my kitchen island.
Plus, from the dividing process I now have 6 bags of starter. These are waiting to go home with several friends who might willingly accept them without thinking of the consequences.
Somehow I feel like I’m in an episode of “I Love Lucy.” Won’t my friend, “Ethel” be surprised when she returns from her trip and finds 6 (or more) bags of starter sitting on her front steps?
If you’re not in the mood for bread sharing, I have a wonderful dessert recipe for you. It’s called apple pie enchiladas. It’s a no-fail, fast and easy dessert. Take one can of apple pie filling and spread ¼ c. into the center of six 8-inch flour tortillas, top each with a caramel (cut in half) or you can substitute 2 T. of caramel sauce instead of half a caramel, then sprinkle with a generous amount of cinnamon. Roll as for enchiladas. Melt 1 stick of butter with ½ c. raw sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, and ½ c. water. Boil for 3 minutes. Pour sauce over prepared enchiladas and let set for 45 minutes. Preheat oven at 350 degrees and bake enchiladas for 20 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.
Forget the friendship bread. Just serve these enchiladas to your family and friends and you will be the apple of their eye.
Email Betty Heath at begeheath690@aol.com.
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January 03, 2021 at 11:01PM
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Betty Heath: Linking friends with bread or enchiladas - Longmont Times-Call
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