Gone, but not Forgotten

I'm still here. I've been crazy busy.

And in the meantime, my sweet, sweet friends here have blessed me again with some starter for Amish Friendship bread.

Now don't get me wrong, I love my sweet friends dearly. I also love their generosity and kindness.

But I'm am really tired of Amish Friendship bread and the goo in a ziplock that has to sit on my counter for a week.

So, this time, instead of making the sweet bread, I found a recipe for actual sourdough bread.

And it is delicious. Try this next time you get some of that starter --

AMISH SOURDOUGH BREAD

1 cup sourdough starter (follow your "Friendship Bread" directions)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

6 cups bread flour

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Oil a bowl and put the dough in it and cover with plastic wrap. Leave to rise overnight.

The next day, punch down and divide into 3 balls. Knead until smooth, and place into 3 oiled loaf pans. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.

Bake 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Makes 3 loaves.

Jen's notes:

1. I divided the dough into 2 loaves instead of 3. I think this works better.

2. It may take this stuff awhile to rise. I'm used to the quick-rise yeast I always use; this really does take all night or 3-4 hours in a loaf pan.

3. You may need to bake 40-45 minutes; I baked for 35 and the center was doughy. But who cared -- the stuff was DIVINE!

4. I keep the starter in a plastic bowl with a lid instead of in a ziplock. You do have to stir it, but it looks a lot nicer on the counter.

rating: 5 stars. Absolutely delicious.