Amish Friendship Bread

This weekend has been fun. Tim and I enjoyed a quiet evening at home Friday, starting up our Facebook pages and competing to see who could get the most friends. Saturday, I made some friendship bread in the morning and we went to a wedding in the afternoon.

First: the Amish friendship bread story. A couple of weeks ago or so, a co-worker gave me some starter batter for Amish Friendship Bread. For those who may not know, when you receive this wonderful gift, you are nevertheless obligated to give said gift to four other people after tending and baking your own gift. First, you receive batter in a ziploc bag. Each day for about a week you are responsible for mushing the bag's ingredients, and periodically letting air out of the bag. (It's contents are slightly fermented.) One day, you add ingredients to the bag and continue mushing for a few more days. Finally, you take the contents of the bag, divide portions of it in four other bags (for your "gifted" friends) and then add ingredients to the batter and bake up two loaves.

Well, I was wondering what to do with my extra batter--what friends to gift with it. I was also concerned about what to do with the batter I might still have while I traveled to Wisconsin to visit my sister for Thanksgiving. Maybe she would have four friends who would like Amish Friendship Bread Starter Batter?

Then, it happened. I got home from work a couple days ago, and saw a mess on the floor, which came from a mess on the counter and down the sides of the cabinets. My dog was in the corner licking it up.

My Amish Friendship Bread Starter Batter had exploded all over my kitchen.

Fortunately, Raven didn't seem to be sick after that. I rescued a small amount of batter and cleaned up the rest with my helpful dog at my side.

I added some ingredients and waited till the next day.

Then, I added more ingredients and baked up two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread. They are delicious.

Now I have no batter left, but no worries about who might have to worry about their own batter.

I tell you, sharing is a great thing, but it comes with weighty responsibilities.

Now I don't really have time to tell you about the wedding. I'll save it for the next blog.

Till next time,


Suzi