Wonder Bread

Last week, I accomplished a feat of fantastic proportions... I cooked. As any of my friends know, this is unlikely in the first place. Even more unlikely, is the fact that the outcome was wonderfully delicious.

This is Amish Friendship Bread. It is a very sweet dessert bread that contains a high concentration of cinnamon and sugar. It freezes well, and due to the length of time it takes to make, I would suggest making multiple loaves at a time. The one downside to this recipe is that it takes ten days to prep the dough. The recipe is below. Enjoy!

AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD
Initial prep ingredients:
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
Additional prep ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 cups milk
Baking ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large box (5.1 oz) instant vanilla pudding
Topping ingredients:
(I felt this was overkill. Use your own judgment in the amount to use)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
*Always use non-metal bowls and utensils in making this recipe.

Day 1: Dissolve yeast in water and let stand 10 minutes. In a half gallon container, combine flour and sugar. Mix well or flour will lump when adding milk. Slowly stir in milk and yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand at room temp. Mixture will bubble over the course of the next 10 days. This is normal. One alternative to making the mixture in a bowl is to store the mixture in a gallon ziplock bag. This is a good idea if you have curious children or pets. :) Just make sure to let the air out of the bag each day.
Day 2-4: Stir bowl. (Or mash the bag)
Day 5: Stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk.
Day 6-9: Stir bowl
Day 10: Stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Remove 3 cups of mix and store in 3 separate containers. These are your new Day 1 starters. Keep for yourself, or give them away... hence the "friendship bread." The remaining mix, a little over 1 cup, will yield 2 loaves with the following instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F
2. Combine all the baking ingredients with the remaining batter mix.
3. Grease 2 loaf pans. Mix together the topping ingredients. Dust the pans with half of this mixture.
4. Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans. Sprinkle the remaining topping mixture over the top.
5. Bake for 1 hour. Cool until bread loosens from sides.
   

In The Army Now

As some of you may know, Chad has been looking to reenlist in the military for quite some time now. We have finally made it through the enlistment process. Chad will be leaving October 16th for approximately nineteen weeks of Basic Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. After that, he will have three years of either being stationed on a base or being deployed. Nebraska does not have an army base, meaning that the closest possible station would be in Kansas or Colorado. This presents some interesting decisions for us, as we already have a house and multiple pets in Elm Creek, and I have a stable job in Kearney. Obviously, we will not be making any decisions in the short term, as it will not be until early next year that we find out where Chad is headed after basics. However, I ask that you keep us in your prayers as we face this new challenge and determine what is best for us in the long run.

Meet the children: Callie

Our eldest "child," Callie joined us in 2006. Chad had just moved into what is now our house and wanted some company. The local humane society was holding a "half-off black dogs" reduction on adoption prices. Chad went looking for a German Shepherd and found Callie. A Shepherd mix, with an emphasis on "mix," we think she is half German Shepherd and half Border Collie. An energetic girl, she enjoys running through our alfalfa field, following me on the ATV. She's a "snuggle bunny," who takes up the entire bed and couch, except for the small corner that Chad and I are allowed. :)

And so it begins...

A year after deciding to start a blog and I'm finally making good on that decision. In this, I will attempt to chronicle what is going on in Chad and my lives. As a result, this blog will entertain you with stories from the farm, updates on where and what we're up to, the antics of our small herd of furry children, and whatever else pops into my head. There may even be some deep discussions or technical articles to spice it up from time to time. Maybe Chad will even add his two-sense... if I let him get a word in edgewise. Enjoy.