Friendship Bread NOTES 1. It is best not to store starter in metal bowls or containers. 2. Do not refrigerate the bag during the 10 day rising period. 3. Look Ahead to day 10 to be sure you have ALL the ingredients to bake the bread! Read all the instructions before starting. 4. If air gets into the bag, let it out. It is normal and desirable for the starter batter to rise, bubble and ferment. 5. The sour dough yeast in the starter comes from San Francisco California. Also in this starter is the secret ingredient that makes San Francisco bread famous: Lactobacillus SanFrancisco, it lives in symbiosis with the yeast. Google it! Day 1 Ð Do nothing. This is the day the starter is placed into the bag. Day 2 Ð Mush the bag. (use hands to kneed the bag gently a few times) Day 3 Ð Mush the bag. Day 4 Ð Mush the bag. Day 5 Ð Mush the bag. Day 6 Ð Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Mush the bag. Day 7 Ð Mush the bag. Day 8 Ð Mush the bag. Day 9 Ð Mush the bag. Day 10 Ð MIXING DAY! Combine in a large non-metallic bowl: 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups milk, 1 1/2 cups sugar and the entire starter bag. Stir thoroughly with a non-metallic spoon. Poor 1 cup of this mixture into each of four 1-galon Ziploc bags. (Label each with todayÕs date = day one). Keep one and give 3 to your friends along with a copy of these directions. To the remaining batter in the bowl, add these ingredients and mix well. 1 cup oil 3 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup sugar 2 cups flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 cup milk (1 large box vanilla 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt instant pudding) To cut some calories try this: on Day 10 replace the sugar with 1/2 cup apple sauce and use 1/2 cup oil instead of 1 cup of oil. Grease 2 large loaf pans (or casserole dishes). Mix additional sugar and cinnamon (1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon) and sprinkle half into greased pans. Pour batter into pans and sprinkle the other half of the sugar mixture over the batter. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Cool until bread loosens from pan. Sour Dough Starter Directions (Proper care of your new pet) (These directions and recipes have been taken from many sources over several years) A starter is a live thing and must be fed. Think of it as a pet. The amount you should feed it will vary according to need. If you use your starter often or you know you are going to have a heavy demand soon, then you can put more in. Generally you should put in 1/2 C to 1 C of both flour and milk (some use water and flour instead of milk) with a tablespoon to a 1/4 cup of sugar every 1-3 days. If your not keeping up with the amount of starter generated by these feedings think of sharing it with a friend, or refrigerating it. Keep starter in a crock, plastic or glass bowl, jar or tub. A Ziploc bag works as long as you give your starter a little air to breath every so often. Place a cloth over starter to keep it clean and reduce crust formation over batter. Keep cloth in place with a rubber band or kitchen string. Leave it out in a warm place. This will keep the fermentation process going. If you use your starter only occasionally, you might think about keeping it in the refrigerator. This will stop the fermentation process and keep starter fresh for the next use. Refrigerated starter needs to be fed once a week...just a few spoons of flour or milk. If you forget and leave it in there for a long time without food, don't just throw it out. Try to bring it back by adding 1/2c of flour and milk and leave out for a day or so. It is amazing how these starters come back. Refrigerated starter often develops something called hooch. Hooch is a watery liquid that is often dark. Pour it off or just stir it into the starter, it is not harmful to it and it is not abnormal. Proofing or Wakening up the sour dough starter: Most of these recipes expect an "Active Starter". The night before you bake: Uncover your starter if you keep it on the counter or take your starter out of the refrigerator. Add 1/2 C to 1 C of both flour and milk, and 1 tablespoon sugar to the starter and stir it. The amount added depends on how much you need for your recipe. Cover and set aside on the counter (warmer kitchens are better). The next day take out the amount of starter you need, sprinkle the remaining starter with a little sugar and return it to the refrigerator or cover and place it back on the counter. FRIENDSHIP BREAD #2 1 Cup active Friendship Starter 3 eggs 2/3 cup vegetable oil 3 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup walnuts or pecans 2 medium apples, peeled, and finely chopped Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the starter, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and blend. Fold in the nuts and apples and transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pans. Bake for 50 minutes and remove from the oven. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes then tip out onto a rack to finish cooling completely. FRIENDSHIP BREAD #3 Batter: 1 cup active friendship starter 3 eggs 2/3 cup vegetable oil 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour 1 cup granulated sugar 2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp salt. Topping: 1/3 cup butter 1/2 cup quick cooking oats 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans 1/2 cup brown sugar 11/2 tsp ground cinnamon Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixer bowl, beat together the starter, eggs, and vegetable oil. add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Set aside. Combine the topping ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Put half the batter in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle with half the topping. Cover with remaining batter; sprinkle on the rest of the topping and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. SAN FRANCISCO SOURDOUGH FRENCH BREAD Makes 2 oblong or 1 large round loaf 1 1/2 cups warm water 1 cup Sourdough starter 4 cups un-sifted all-purpose flour 3 teaspoons sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 to 21/2 more cups un-sifted all-purpose flour 1/2 to 1 teaspoon baking soda Combine the water, starter, 4 cups flour, sugar, and salt in a crock or glass bowl. Mix well, cover lightly with a towel or cheesecloth folded into several thicknesses, and let stand at room temperature for approximately 18 to 24 hours or until the dough has doubled in size. Mix 1 cup of the remaining flour with 1/2 teaspoon of the baking soda and stir this into the risen dough until it is very stiff. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead about 1 more cup of flour and a little more baking soda into it. Knead it for 5 to 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Shape into 2 long loaves or 1 large round loaf, place on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let stand in a warm place for 3 to 4 hours or until almost doubled in size. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush a little water on top of the loaves and make a few diagonal slits across the top with a sharp knife. For a crustier bread, place a shallow pan of water in the bottom of the oven. Bake for approximately 45 to 50 minutes or until the crust is a medium dark brown. SOURDOUGH BANANA BREAD (CAN SUBSTITUTE ZUCCHINI) 1/2 c Shortening 1 ts Salt 1 c Sugar 1 ts Baking Powder 1 Large Egg 1/2 ts Baking Soda 1 c Mashed Bananas 3/4 c Chopped Walnuts 1 c Active Sourdough Starter 1 ts Vanilla OR 2 c Unbleached Flour 1 ts Grated Orange Peel Cream together the shortening and sugar, add egg and mix until blended. Stir in bananas and sourdough starter. Add orange peel or vanilla. Stir flour and measure again with salt, baking powder and soda. Add flour mixture and walnuts to the first mixture, stirring until just blended. Pour into greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool to cold before slicing. SOURDOUGH PANCAKES 1 c active sourdough starter 3/4 c milk 2 tb sugar 1 c flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 large egg 2 tb veg. oil or melted butter Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl mix starter, 1/2 c milk and sugar. In small bowl combine egg, oil and remaining 1/4 c milk. Add the dry ingredients and the liquid ingredients to the starter mixture, stir to make a medium thick batter. Proceed as usual to make pancakes SOURDOUGH ENGLISH MUFFINS 1 c. active sourdough starter 3/4 c. buttermilk 2 3/4 c. flour 6 tbsp. cornmeal 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt Mix starter and buttermilk. Add sifted flour, 4 tablespoons cornmeal, soda and salt. Stir well. Turn out onto floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic adding more flour if needed. Roll dough to 3/8 inch. Let rest a few minutes. Cut dough into muffins. Sprinkle sheet of wax paper with half of remaining cornmeal, put muffins on and sprinkle the rest of cornmeal overtop. Cover and let rise until light (about 45 to 60 minutes). Bake on medium, lightly greased grill about 30 minutes. Turn often. Cool, split, toast and serve with butter. Makes 12 to 14 muffins. CLASSIC SOURDOUGH BREAD 1 cup Sourdough starter 1 1/3 cups Warm water 5-6 cups All-purpose flour 1tb Salt 1tb Sugar 1ts Baking soda Cornmeal to sprinkle and a couple tablespoons vegetable oil THE SPONGE: Pour 1 c of starter into a large ceramic mixing bowl. Feed and then refrigerate the remainder. Add to the starter in the mixing bowl, the warm water and about 3 c of flour. Beat vigorously with a spoon or wire whisk. Cover this sponge with plastic wrap and put it aside to work. This time period can be very flexible, but allow at least 2 hours and as many as 24. The longer it has, the more yeast there will be for the second rise and the more pronounced the sour flavor of the bread will be. THE DOUGH: After sponge has bubbled and expanded, remove plastic wrap. Blend salt, sugar and baking soda into 2 c of flour. Mix this into sponge with large spoon. When dough begins to hold together, turn it out onto floured board and knead it for 3 or 4 minutes. Add flour as needed to make a fairly stiff dough. Give the dough a rest and clean the bowl. After drying, add a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil to the bowl. Continue kneading for another 3 or 4 minutes. Place the dough back in the bowl turning it to grease the top. Cover and let rise for 2 to 4 hours. If you want, you can skip the second rise in the bowl and proceed directly to the next step. SHAPING AND BAKING THE LOAVES: Knock down the dough and shape it into 2 long loaves. Place them on a cornmeal sprinkled cookie sheet, cover and let them rise for another 2 hours or so. Toward the end of the rising period, preheat your oven to 450F and begin heating a kettle of water on your stove. Just before you put them in the oven, slash the tops of your loaves diagonally with a knife 1/4" deep every two inches and brush with cold water. Place a baking pan on the oven bottom and put in 3 or 4 cups of boiling water. Put the loaves on the rack over the steaming water, close the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. From The Cookie-Lady's Files There are so many sourdough recipes out there. Have fun! Copies of this can be found at http://www.rebawho.com/friendship 6