Showing posts with label Amish friendship bread. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amish friendship bread. Show all posts
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Friday, November 7, 2008
Frustration
I had a rude awakening last night: sometimes I think I'm doing well at my diet and then I realize that in actuality I'm not. Call me self-delusional. Or, at the least, absent-minded. In other words, I forget that in one week we made lemon poppy seed bread, chocolate rice krispie treats, fruit cobbler, pistachio fluff, and sugar cookies, and that friends brought over macaroons, and two delicious kinds of sugar cookies. Even when I just sample, that is a lot of food, and sometimes I do more than sample. I thought I had been doing well at Core (the more South Beach/Atkins-style of WW) but then realized that all those things add up. No wonder I've been trying to lose the same 3 lbs to get past a mental and numerical hump. So, I've tossed my Amish Friendship Bread starter. I just don't need to bake bread every 10 days, even if I give most of it away. If I want to bake later on, I certainly know how to throw together a quick bread without starter. Even if I have a good time doing the starter cycle, it's just not worth the frustration.
Frustration. Transition. Rut. These were all words we bandied about this morning during our playdate. I'm not the only mom feeling at a loss this season. Everyone I have talked to this week is reevaluating life, schedules, priorities. We're all a little depressed about our friend's move, a little unsure of what meaningful projects or activities we want to take on next as the children grow, a little tense about finances and holidays and expectations, even a little sleep- deprived because of the end of DST (or infants, depending), not to mention identifiably concrete stressors of illness, death, grief, unemployment, finances, moves, and family issues.
But at least we have each other. Miss T wrote today about her "honeyline" of friends who support her. And we are all fortunate in our network of friends. When another friend called me on Monday just to say, "I'm worried about you" when I missed playdate, I was touched and comforted; it actually improved my spirits. And so we all reach out to each other in a continuous web (okay, skipping from bees to spiders here) of connection. Being cared for, and in turn caring for others, and not just the members of my immediate family, is what keeps me going. Even when we are all frustrated.
Frustration. Transition. Rut. These were all words we bandied about this morning during our playdate. I'm not the only mom feeling at a loss this season. Everyone I have talked to this week is reevaluating life, schedules, priorities. We're all a little depressed about our friend's move, a little unsure of what meaningful projects or activities we want to take on next as the children grow, a little tense about finances and holidays and expectations, even a little sleep- deprived because of the end of DST (or infants, depending), not to mention identifiably concrete stressors of illness, death, grief, unemployment, finances, moves, and family issues.
But at least we have each other. Miss T wrote today about her "honeyline" of friends who support her. And we are all fortunate in our network of friends. When another friend called me on Monday just to say, "I'm worried about you" when I missed playdate, I was touched and comforted; it actually improved my spirits. And so we all reach out to each other in a continuous web (okay, skipping from bees to spiders here) of connection. Being cared for, and in turn caring for others, and not just the members of my immediate family, is what keeps me going. Even when we are all frustrated.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Baking Day
Today is our second "baking day" of Amish Friendship Bread. Last week, we made regular-sized chocolate chunk bread loaves and cinnamon vanilla mini-loaves. Bud liked the former, Sis the latter. Today we made chocolate bread sans chunks and cinnamon vanilla bread cum dried cherries. This time, the vanilla is in the big loaf pans and the chocolate is in the mini-loaf and our new jumbo muffin pan.
Not to worry, we won't eat all that bread. Some loaves are for church, some for our "teacher" last year, some for our teachers this year. Oh, well, and maybe a bit for ourselves. Gotta taste it!
It actually saved our morning. The kids have been at each other's throats all morning. But they wouldn't separate. It was as if their feet were tied together so they couldn't avoid fighting each other to the death. And so, instead of turning on the tv--and for the first time in two weeks, I wished I hadn't consigned it to storage--and instead of separating them upstairs and downstairs (which is almost impossible), I decided we needed to do something . . . together.
And it worked. By cooperating to make bread, taking turns to pour in ingredients and stir, and then cooperating again to make the second batch, and then asking to make a batch of chocolate pudding and finally eating it altogether (all together?? Both.), they actually are getting along much better. Is this reverse psychology? Luck? Exhaustion? Desperation?
But as I type, they are playing Mr/Ms Potato Head together in the other room.
Give me this day, my daily bread baking . . .
Not to worry, we won't eat all that bread. Some loaves are for church, some for our "teacher" last year, some for our teachers this year. Oh, well, and maybe a bit for ourselves. Gotta taste it!
It actually saved our morning. The kids have been at each other's throats all morning. But they wouldn't separate. It was as if their feet were tied together so they couldn't avoid fighting each other to the death. And so, instead of turning on the tv--and for the first time in two weeks, I wished I hadn't consigned it to storage--and instead of separating them upstairs and downstairs (which is almost impossible), I decided we needed to do something . . . together.
And it worked. By cooperating to make bread, taking turns to pour in ingredients and stir, and then cooperating again to make the second batch, and then asking to make a batch of chocolate pudding and finally eating it altogether (all together?? Both.), they actually are getting along much better. Is this reverse psychology? Luck? Exhaustion? Desperation?
But as I type, they are playing Mr/Ms Potato Head together in the other room.
Give me this day, my daily bread baking . . .
Saturday, September 29, 2007
New Bread Variation
This might be might be my favorite Amish Friendship Bread yet: chocolate pudding, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 a bag of Nestle chocolate chunks. It's not too sweet, good texture, perfect for late-night snacking and also for breakfast.
Definitely not WW, though.
But I've done okay with that this week otherwise so I'm not worrying. I lost 3 lbs this week.
I actually had wanted to make four loaves, two chocolate and two almond. I even bought two new bread tins so I could bake all four at once (Did you know two disposable bread tins are only $1 cheaper than a reusable non-stick one? So now I have four reusable bread tins. Doing my part for the environment.) But I couldn't find the white chocolate pudding I bought anywhere. DP looked. I looked. She looked again. I fumed around the kitchen bemoaning "mommy brain." I'd blame it on the kids. Or Yehudi (pronounced ya-hoot-ee). Not sure about the spelling, but he's the little invisible critter that was always blamed for things when I was growing up. I think it comes from the German side of my mom's family. It sounds Yiddish to me, though there is not Jewish family that I know of. Who knows. Anyway, maybe Yehudi took the pudding. Because I can't find it anywhere.
Oh, well. For the record, that variation calls for white chocolate pudding, almond extract (I forget how much), and slivered almonds on top. Yum, yum.
Yehudi can keep the 3 lbs but I want my pudding back!
Definitely not WW, though.
But I've done okay with that this week otherwise so I'm not worrying. I lost 3 lbs this week.
I actually had wanted to make four loaves, two chocolate and two almond. I even bought two new bread tins so I could bake all four at once (Did you know two disposable bread tins are only $1 cheaper than a reusable non-stick one? So now I have four reusable bread tins. Doing my part for the environment.) But I couldn't find the white chocolate pudding I bought anywhere. DP looked. I looked. She looked again. I fumed around the kitchen bemoaning "mommy brain." I'd blame it on the kids. Or Yehudi (pronounced ya-hoot-ee). Not sure about the spelling, but he's the little invisible critter that was always blamed for things when I was growing up. I think it comes from the German side of my mom's family. It sounds Yiddish to me, though there is not Jewish family that I know of. Who knows. Anyway, maybe Yehudi took the pudding. Because I can't find it anywhere.
Oh, well. For the record, that variation calls for white chocolate pudding, almond extract (I forget how much), and slivered almonds on top. Yum, yum.
Yehudi can keep the 3 lbs but I want my pudding back!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Bread Variations and Information
Our annual church festival is coming up soon and I'm making various versions of Amish Friendship Bread for the bake sale table. So far, we have regular, dried cranberry, lemon poppyseed, and strawberry. I'll also be baking some GF treats, if only to buy them for the kiddos a few minutes later.
I have learned a few things about the bread, either directly or from internet research:
*You can wait a day or two to bake it.
*Each bread recipe (making 2 loaves) uses about 2 cups of starter (perhaps a little less). Or, 1 cup per loaf.
*Liquid egg substitutes work.
*Don't use the starter if it turns pink.
*It will die if you don't feed it.
Regular: I used the standard recipe with chocolate pudding and a handful of raisins.
Dried Cranberry: add 1 cup of dried cranberries (I used orange-flavored craisins).
Lemon Poppyseed: use 2 teaspoons of lemon extract instead of 2 teaspoonsof cinnamon and 2 small packages of lemon pudding instead of 1 box of vanilla; also add 1 tablespoon of poppyseeds.
Strawberry: use 1 package of strawberry jello instead of vanilla pudding and 1 cup of frozen strawberries (defrosted); be sure to include cinnamon
-=-=-=-=-=
DP says my original, non-starter quick bread is better. Especially with cold cream cheese.
Strawberry Bread
The first quick bread I made for DP—I made it one weekend I visited and left her the loaves. Those frozen strawberries are messy but work really well.
Makes 2 loaves
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, well beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chopped pecans
1 ½ pints strawberries, washed and stemmed (Note: 2-10 oz. packages frozen
strawberries, thawed, may be substituted for fresh.)
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and sugar; mix well.
In a separate bowl, mix eggs and oil; add to dry ingredients. Stir in pecans. Fold in strawberries until moistened. Pour into 2 greased 9 x 5 x 3 in. loaf pans. Bake at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.
Mom
I have learned a few things about the bread, either directly or from internet research:
*You can wait a day or two to bake it.
*Each bread recipe (making 2 loaves) uses about 2 cups of starter (perhaps a little less). Or, 1 cup per loaf.
*Liquid egg substitutes work.
*Don't use the starter if it turns pink.
*It will die if you don't feed it.
Regular: I used the standard recipe with chocolate pudding and a handful of raisins.
Dried Cranberry: add 1 cup of dried cranberries (I used orange-flavored craisins).
Lemon Poppyseed: use 2 teaspoons of lemon extract instead of 2 teaspoonsof cinnamon and 2 small packages of lemon pudding instead of 1 box of vanilla; also add 1 tablespoon of poppyseeds.
Strawberry: use 1 package of strawberry jello instead of vanilla pudding and 1 cup of frozen strawberries (defrosted); be sure to include cinnamon
-=-=-=-=-=
DP says my original, non-starter quick bread is better. Especially with cold cream cheese.
Strawberry Bread
The first quick bread I made for DP—I made it one weekend I visited and left her the loaves. Those frozen strawberries are messy but work really well.
Makes 2 loaves
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, well beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chopped pecans
1 ½ pints strawberries, washed and stemmed (Note: 2-10 oz. packages frozen
strawberries, thawed, may be substituted for fresh.)
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and sugar; mix well.
In a separate bowl, mix eggs and oil; add to dry ingredients. Stir in pecans. Fold in strawberries until moistened. Pour into 2 greased 9 x 5 x 3 in. loaf pans. Bake at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.
Mom
Friday, August 31, 2007
Amish Friendship Bread, Part 2
I completed the first cycle of my Amish Friendship Bread today, separating it into 4 other bags, 3 of which I'll give away.
The resulting two loaves were delicious--moist, flavorful, with a slight crunch because of the sugar topping. Now the weather just needs to get cooler and it will be fall.
So, I'll keep a bag of goo for myself, to make other loaves and give more goo away later.
-=-=-
Which reminds me, I did find a recipe reminiscent of my great grandmother's jar-of-fermenting-fruit bread, actually cake, complete with maraschino cherries and fruit cocktail. Go to armchair.com, which also sells starter.
The resulting two loaves were delicious--moist, flavorful, with a slight crunch because of the sugar topping. Now the weather just needs to get cooler and it will be fall.
So, I'll keep a bag of goo for myself, to make other loaves and give more goo away later.
-=-=-
Which reminds me, I did find a recipe reminiscent of my great grandmother's jar-of-fermenting-fruit bread, actually cake, complete with maraschino cherries and fruit cocktail. Go to armchair.com, which also sells starter.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Friendship
Amish Friendship Bread
Please note the following:
*Do NOT use any type of metal spoon or bowl for mixing.
*Do NOT refrigerate.
*If air gets into the bag, let it out.
*It is normal for the batter to rise and ferment.
Day 1: Do nothing (This is the day you receive the batter. The bag is dated.)
Day 2: Mash the bag.
Day 3: Mash the bag.
Day 4: Mash the bag.
Day 5: Mash the bag.
Day 6: Add to the bag--1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk. Mash the bag.
Day 7: Mash the bag.
Day 8: Mash the bag.
Day 9: Mash the bag.
Day 10: Follow the directions:
1. Pour entire contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and 1 1/2 cups milk.
2. Measure out 4 separate batters of 1 cup each into 1 gallon zipper bags. Keep a starter bag for yourself and give 3 to friends with a copy of this recipe (note: if you keep a starter bag, you will be baking every 10 days). The bread makes a great gift. Should this recipe not be passed on to a friend on the first day, be certain to tell the friend which day the bag is in the cycle when presented to them.
Baking Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. To the remaining batter in the bowl add:
3 eggs
1 cup oil (or 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar (or 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 box instant vanilla or chocolate pudding
raisins or nuts to taste
3. Grease two large loaf pans. Mix an additional 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust the pans with half of the mixture.
4. Pour the batter evenly into the two pans. Sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the top.
5. Bake for 1 hour. Cool until bread loosens evenly from the sides of the pan (about 10 minutes).
6. Turn onto a serving dish. Serve to friends and loved ones.
*My friend notes that various internet sites indicate you can refrigerate or freeze the starter to delay using it. There are also other recipes that use the starter.
-=-=-=-=
Perhaps you have seen the above recipe before. It is the ultimate chain letter--better than the book swap, sock exchange, or recipe go-round--because the sender actually hands you a bag of oozy goo. This morning, my friend, who is quite a baker and craftswoman was visiting with her partner from out of state, generously presented me with said goo.
I was so excited.
I received my first bag of goo--it looks like a zipper bag of glue--when I coordinated the docent program of a large midwestern museum--a very kind docent was begging people to take these bags of goo from her and I agreed. At that point, I had vague memories of my great grandmother keeping a similar jar of goo on her counter. I think she added fruit cocktail to it on baking day. But that's all I can recall (and my mom doesn't really remember). I dutifully kept up my starter, cheerfully made the bread, and prepared three more bags of goo to give away. I'm not sure I ever found anyone who would take those bags. And I think, feeling guilty and overwhelmed by too much goo, I had DP dispose of the bags because I just couldn't.
And so now, years later, I'm going to try again. It's day 4 for us, so I mashed the bag. I'll probably spend the rest of the evening searching for alternate recipes and information--I mean, I'm not sure the Amish use instant pudding. Or zipper bags. How in the world did this get started?
But I have a few ideas for people to give those bags of goo too. And so at least that part of the title is right. It's all about friendship.
-=-=-=-=
Note: If you want to start your own friendship bread bag of goo, my original recipe included the following information:
Starter:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
Mix in a large zipper bag or other non-metallic container. Metal makes it taste funny. Begin 10 day cycle.
[Alternative: 1 package Active dry yeast, 2 ½ cup warm water, 2 cups sifted flour, 1 tablespoon sugar. Dissolve yeast in ½ cup of warm water in a glass or plastic container. Stir in remaining warm water, flour, and sugar. Beat until smooth. Begin 10 day cycle.]
Please note the following:
*Do NOT use any type of metal spoon or bowl for mixing.
*Do NOT refrigerate.
*If air gets into the bag, let it out.
*It is normal for the batter to rise and ferment.
Day 1: Do nothing (This is the day you receive the batter. The bag is dated.)
Day 2: Mash the bag.
Day 3: Mash the bag.
Day 4: Mash the bag.
Day 5: Mash the bag.
Day 6: Add to the bag--1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk. Mash the bag.
Day 7: Mash the bag.
Day 8: Mash the bag.
Day 9: Mash the bag.
Day 10: Follow the directions:
1. Pour entire contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and 1 1/2 cups milk.
2. Measure out 4 separate batters of 1 cup each into 1 gallon zipper bags. Keep a starter bag for yourself and give 3 to friends with a copy of this recipe (note: if you keep a starter bag, you will be baking every 10 days). The bread makes a great gift. Should this recipe not be passed on to a friend on the first day, be certain to tell the friend which day the bag is in the cycle when presented to them.
Baking Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. To the remaining batter in the bowl add:
3 eggs
1 cup oil (or 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar (or 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 box instant vanilla or chocolate pudding
raisins or nuts to taste
3. Grease two large loaf pans. Mix an additional 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust the pans with half of the mixture.
4. Pour the batter evenly into the two pans. Sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the top.
5. Bake for 1 hour. Cool until bread loosens evenly from the sides of the pan (about 10 minutes).
6. Turn onto a serving dish. Serve to friends and loved ones.
*My friend notes that various internet sites indicate you can refrigerate or freeze the starter to delay using it. There are also other recipes that use the starter.
-=-=-=-=
Perhaps you have seen the above recipe before. It is the ultimate chain letter--better than the book swap, sock exchange, or recipe go-round--because the sender actually hands you a bag of oozy goo. This morning, my friend, who is quite a baker and craftswoman was visiting with her partner from out of state, generously presented me with said goo.
I was so excited.
I received my first bag of goo--it looks like a zipper bag of glue--when I coordinated the docent program of a large midwestern museum--a very kind docent was begging people to take these bags of goo from her and I agreed. At that point, I had vague memories of my great grandmother keeping a similar jar of goo on her counter. I think she added fruit cocktail to it on baking day. But that's all I can recall (and my mom doesn't really remember). I dutifully kept up my starter, cheerfully made the bread, and prepared three more bags of goo to give away. I'm not sure I ever found anyone who would take those bags. And I think, feeling guilty and overwhelmed by too much goo, I had DP dispose of the bags because I just couldn't.
And so now, years later, I'm going to try again. It's day 4 for us, so I mashed the bag. I'll probably spend the rest of the evening searching for alternate recipes and information--I mean, I'm not sure the Amish use instant pudding. Or zipper bags. How in the world did this get started?
But I have a few ideas for people to give those bags of goo too. And so at least that part of the title is right. It's all about friendship.
-=-=-=-=
Note: If you want to start your own friendship bread bag of goo, my original recipe included the following information:
Starter:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
Mix in a large zipper bag or other non-metallic container. Metal makes it taste funny. Begin 10 day cycle.
[Alternative: 1 package Active dry yeast, 2 ½ cup warm water, 2 cups sifted flour, 1 tablespoon sugar. Dissolve yeast in ½ cup of warm water in a glass or plastic container. Stir in remaining warm water, flour, and sugar. Beat until smooth. Begin 10 day cycle.]
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