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You Asked For It

A recipe to share among friends

By ELLEN FOLKMAN
Published December 13, 2006

Sheila Shapiro's request for a friendship bread starter yielded many responses from readers. This recipe seems to have gotten its roots in Amish country as many of the replies that came in were called Amish Friendship Bread.

It is very easy to start but the labor is in feeding the starter, and remembering to do so. The process only takes a couple of minutes a day. The reward is a yeast bread that you can continue for as long as you want. Plus you get to share with friends. Choose the people you share with wisely, though. If they are not bakers, they probably won't be interested in the process.

Don't forget to include a copy of the instructions and bread recipe with the starter when you give it away!

Almost all of the requests specifically say to use glass or ceramic bowls and a wooden spoon. In Joyce Cutlip's reply she notes that the starter can be refrigerated or frozen if it cannot be used in the required days. Let it come to room temperature or defrost thoroughly and use as a new starter beginning on Day 1.

There are many variations when making the bread and some are listed at the end of the recipe. It would be easy to time the beginning of this starter so that you can bake on the weekend when there may be more time.

For: Sheila Shapiro of Oldsmar

From: Joyce Cutlip of Largo, Brenda Helton of Seminole, Pat Puka of Tarpon Springs, Vicki Yurkocvich of St. Petersburg, Honor Hollingshead of Clearwater, Carlita Powell of Spring Hill, Geri Brizzi of St. Petersburg and many others.

Recipe: Friendship Bread Starter

Bread starter

Friendship Bread Starter

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups warm water

1 package active dry yeast

- Day 1: In a glass or ceramic bowl, mix the starter ingredients. Leave on the kitchen counter uncovered; don't refrigerate. Can be covered with a single layer of cheese cloth.

- Days 2, 3 and 4: Stir well with a wooden spoon.

- Day 5: Stir and add 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Stir. This is called "feeding the starter."

- Days 6, 7 and 8: Stir with a wooden spoon.

- Day 9: Stir and add another cup of milk, 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Stir well.

- Days 10 and 11: Stir well.

- Day 12: Ladle 1-cup starter into each of 4 containers and refrigerate. Use one to make the bread recipe, keep one to use another time and give the other two to friends.

- Now you are ready to bake. If you don't bake on this day, add 1 teaspoon sugar and refrigerate the mixture. The sugar will feed the yeast and keep it alive. Date the jars and every 10 days remove the starter from the refrigerator, transfer it to a bowl and feed it the usual combination of 1 cup each of milk, flour and sugar. Leave it outside the refrigerator for 2 days then either bake it or divide it among friends, always saving some for yourself.

Baked goods

Bread

1 cup starter, at room temperature

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 chopped walnuts or pecans

2 medium apples, peeled and finely chopped

- In large mixing bowl, beat together the starter, eggs, oil and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and blend. Fold in the nuts and apples and transfer the batter to two greased 9- by 5-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees 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.

Makes 2 loaves.

Recipe requests

Jean Yates would like a mayonnaise cake with cream cheese frosting recipe. Her grandmother used to make it in an oblong pan. Renee Hunter would like Carrabba's herb mixture they use for their bread dip. Irv DeToro is also looking for a recipe for Carrabba's Italian lentil sausage soup.

You Asked for It is a reader mail column. Send requests to You Asked for It, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 or e-mail them to youaskedforit@knology.net Please put "Recipe request" in the subject line. Be sure to include your full name, city and phone number.

[Last modified December 12, 2006, 12:05:34]