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September 3, 2010
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Columnist, The Friday Flyer
So maybe it wasn’t exactly the response I had expected, but I probably should have known better. Looking back on the whole thing, I really shouldn’t be surprised that she was baffled and seemed ungrateful. After all, I did just hand my nice next-door neighbor a Ziplock bag full of gray goo and acted like it was a real gift. So when she looked down at the bag and then up at me and said, “Wha . . . huh?” in dazed confusion, I shouldn’t have gotten hurt feelings. I’ll have to remember that for next time.
Lesson learned: not everyone knows what a bread starter is, and not everyone is going to be as excited about them as I am.
I think bread starters are very cool. I was given my first one by my friend Kristine, who got hers from a friend at work. At the time, I think it was in its 6th or 7th generation when it came to me, a Ziplock bag full of gray goo.
At the time, I didn’t know what a bread starter was, but I dutifully followed the instructions Kristine provided: knead the bag daily and then add milk, flour and sugar on particular days. After 10 days, subtract two cups of the starter to pass on to two friends, use one cup to start another cycle and use the remainder to bake a loaf of what she promised was some really yummy Amish-style bread.
I followed the instructions, which leads me back to where I began this story at my neighbor’s front door, excitedly handing her a bag of goo and telling her to feed it. I must have sounded like a loon.
It’s been a few years since the bread starter incident, and I am craving a slice of that sweet, thick bread again. With no one to pass on a Ziplock baggie of the precious goo to me, I started doing a little research about how to get an Amish Friendship Bread starter going on my own.
First of all, I learned that creating my own starter is really easy, as you can see for yourself in the recipe I’ve included below. A few simple ingredients and a little daily attention and you’re in business. Find a few like-minded friends and pass on a cup of your starter and you’ve created the second generation. Who knows how far it will go? I think it’s a fun and inexpensive way to connect with your friends (but not necessarily your neighbors . . . you’ve been warned).
The next thing I learned about the Amish Friendship Bread tradition is that it is about as Amish as a Big Mac. But I see the connection because the Amish have a great sense of community and their cooking is phenomenal. Friendship bread has the same qualities. It’s like a chain letter. From your kitchen.
To create your own Amish Friendship Bread starter, there are a few tips that can help give you the best results. First of all, do not be afraid to leave your starter out at room temperature despite the fact that it contains milk. It will take all of your willpower to fight the desire to keep it in the fridge, but don’t do it! It’s a sourdough starter and it needs to get sour. Second, do not use metal bowls or utensils with your starter. The acidity of the yeast and the metal can cause a problem with the yeast activation, so stick with plastic or wooden spoons. Finally, do not seal up the container you use for your starter. Keep it in a glass bowl with cheesecloth over the top, or in a Ziplock bag, unsealed. It needs to have circulating air to grow properly. I like the Ziplock bags because it makes it easy to knead the dough.
Amish Friendship Bread
Using the following recipe from Ginny Lee at Allrecipes.com, create your starter base:
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 cups white sugar, divided
3 cups milk
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a 2-quart glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine one cup flour and one cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in one cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.
Keep it out on the counter and consider the day you make it as Day 1 of the 10-day cycle the recipe requires. On Days 2 to 4, simply stir the starter or knead through the Ziplock bag. On Day 5, stir in one cup of flour, one cup of sugar and one cup of milk. On Days 6 to 9, stir or knead only. On Day 10, stir in one cup of flour, one cup of sugar and one cup of milk. Your starter is now ready!
Remove one cup of the starter for use in your favorite Amish Friendship Bread recipe. In two Ziplock bags, pour in one cup of your starter and give to two friends with feeding instructions and a recipe. They will start their own 10-day cycle and, hopefully, will soon be passing on Ziplock bags of gray goo to people they love, all thanks to you.
What to do with your one cup of starter? There are many possibilities you can view online at www.allrecipes.com. Just search under “Amish Friendship Bread” and you’ll see what I mean. Loaves of the baked bread freeze well and they make great gifts for the upcoming holidays. And trust me: your next-door neighbor would probably rather have a nice warm loaf of fresh bread than a plastic baggie of goo, but that’s just my guess.
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