IT BEGINS WITH FRIENDSHIP

Last week at work I was given a pungent ziplock bag containing brown mush and a piece of paper with instructions for Amish Friendship Bread. I'd never heard of anything like this but apparently this is more common than I was aware. The idea behind the recipe is that it involves cultivating and adding to this ziplock bag for a few days and eventually re-dividing up the "starter" to give out to your friends before baking the bread yourself. "Legend" has it that you can't make the bread without the starter so you rely on others to keep it going.

It's a cute idea, and another way to illustrate just how effectively food brings people together --- which is how this blog started. My roommate Jess and I LOVE to cook. In some ways we are picky about foods, and Jess has plenty of food allergies, but for the most part I think we're just open-minded to being experimental. For the last eleven months that we've lived together we've been creating messes in the kitchen, trading our own reciepes and just sharing the experience of food. Creating this blog is our hope to share this energy with others.

Food blog is cliche you say? Yes, I agree. Especially after Julie and Julia everyone and their mother has a food blog. Realistically we are bound by limited options. We half seriously discussed opening our own "The Only Cafe" (Continentials know what we mean) but inviting strangers up to our apartment to dine on the latest feast is probably not the best plan.

Anyway, we will try to just stick with the food. So many of our friends are learning to cook for the first time and we're all trying to get by on small paychecks, limited time, and perhaps sketchy cookware. So without further ado, we invite you to try our recipes, comment, and share with us your food tales and ideas as well. Back to Amish Friendship Bread...



Amish Friendship Bread:
Musical Accompaniment: Glee Soundtrack (if you are judging, just stop)

(Things to keep in mind)
1) DO NOT USE METAL SPOON OR BOWL FOR MIXING
2) DO NOT REFRIGERATE
3) IF AIR GETS IN BAG, LET IT OUT
4) IT IS NORMAL FOR THE BATTER TO THICKEN, BUBBLE AND FERMENT

Day 1 This is the day you receive the batter; do nothing
Day 2 Mush the bag
Day 3 Mush the bag
Day 4 Mush the bag
Day 5 Mush the bag
Day 6 Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Put in larger ziplock bag and mush until mixed
Day 7 Mush the bag
Day 8 Mush the bag
Day 9 Mush the bag
Day 10 Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk to the batter in a large bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula. Pour four 1 cup starters into ziplock bags. Keep one starter for yourself and give the other three to your friends along with the instructions. To the remaining batter add:

remaining starter
1 c. oil
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 c. flour
1/2 c. milk
1/2 t. baking soda
1 large box instant vanilla pudding
2 t. cinnamon

Pour into large, greased and sugared (with cinnamon and sugar mixed) loaf pan. You can sprinkle some extra cinnamon and sugar on top. Bake 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Opt.: add 1c. chopped pecans and/or 1/2 c. raisins, if desired.

Now of course in order to get started, you'll need the "starter". Right now in our kitchen we have 8 starter bags so I expect people to make their way back to our apartment post work to pick up their own.