Why Can't We Be Friends?

Today's recipe is one of our all time favorite treats! It is not very challenging to make, but there is one tricky thing about it...you have to have a starter. Which brings me (Rachel) to the person this recipe is dedicated to today. Her name is Mrs. Woods. She is my suitemate's mom, and she is the first person to introduce me to Friendship bread. After bugging my suitemate for a year for the recipe, her mom gave me starter and the recipe! It felt like Christmas morning. After a year of waiting, I would be able to taste the butterscotchy-cinnamony goodness again. Thank you Mrs. Woods!!!

Since this recipe requires a starter, I had to follow a 10 day plan before I could bake the bread...talk about torture! Here is a link for the starter recipe: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,194,156183-225206,00.html This recipe is pretty detailed, so it should be very helpful to anyone who is new to starter. However, if you have any questions feel free to ask Case or myself. I would love to give each one of you some of our starter if possible, so let me know if you want some!

After preparing your starter and doing each step it tells you to do, we are ready to begin! The actual baking of the bread begins on Day 10 of the recipe we will be giving to you. One of the great things about this bread is that you can choose almost any flavor you could ever imagine. So far the different flavors we have tried are:
1. Butterscotch Cinnamon
2. Coffee Cake
3. White Chocolate Coconut
4. Chocolate with chocolate and white chocolate chips
5. Chocolate with mint chocolate chips
6. Strawberry
7. Almond Poppyseed
8. Pistachio Almond
9. White Chocolate Macadamia Nut
10. Chocolate Peanut Butter

After all of our taste tests, my favorite remains the Butterscotch Cinnamon and Casey's is White Chocolate Coconut. Several of my friends at school really liked the strawberry, but to be honest, ALL of them are delicious. If you can find the pudding flavor in the store, you can make the flavor bread you want. And you can add any nuts, morsels, dried or fresh fruit, etc. your little heart desires.

Man, oh man I keep rambling!! Today we are making our two favorite flavors. Here are all of the ingredients for the basis of the bread.

Self-rising flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla, starter, milk, and oil. Throw it all in a nonmetal bowl and hand mix with a nonmetal spoon/spatula, but don't beat it to death (It will cause the bread to be tough and dry).

Since we are making two different kinds, we split the batter in half and added our favorite ingredients.

Casey's White Chocolate Coconut: sweetened & shredded coconut, white chocolate pudding package, 3 white chocolate baking squares (melted & cooled), 2 Tbs. coconut extract, and white chocolate chips. Yum. This is what it all looked like in the bowl together.

Stir and pour in the greased and sugared loaf pan.

Now for the Butterscotch Cinnamon Bread.

Place all ingredients into the bowl with the batter.

Mix together and pour into buttered and cinnamon-suagred loaf pan.

Now they are ready to bake...the waiting is miserable!! However, the finished product is well worth the wait.

 Get in my belly.

This bread doesn't last long at our house or in the dorm...you'll see why after you make it for yourself!


Friendship Bread

Day 1- You receive a fermented batter in a one-gallon ziplock bag/nonmetal bowl or container (or you start your own batter).
Day 2- Squeeze the bag (or stir) several times.
Day 3- "
Day 4- "
Day 5- "
Day 6- Add one cup of flour, one cup of sugar, and one cup of milk. Squeeze the bag several times.
Day 7- Squeeze the bag several times.
Day 8- "
Day 9- "
Day 10- In a large nonmetal bowl combine the batter with one cup flour, one cup sugar, and one cup milk. Mix with a plastic or wooden spoon. Pour four one cup starters in gallon ziplock bags and give away to friends and family with a copy of these instructions.
           
          To the remaining batter in the bowl, ADD:
               1 cup canola oil or other oil
               1 cup sugar
               1/2 cup milk
               1 teaspoon vanilla extract
               2 small boxes of instant pudding (flavor of your choice)
               3 large eggs
               1 teaspoon cinnamon (best in butterscotch & plain vanilla, but not in most of the other kinds)
               2 cups self-rising flour
               1/2 cup of fillings of your choice (morsels, nuts, fruits, etc.)

In a seperate bowl, mix 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 3 tablespoons sugar and sprinkle in well greased pan before pouring batter into pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until done. Test with a toothpick. Makes 2 loaves.

Looks like Grandpa got into the bread :)