Friendship Bread

I really like to bake despite my total inability to do it properly. After a friend had given me the starter for a batch of Amish friendship bread, the time had finally come to bake it. I followed the directions all week: mushing the bag when directed and adding the dry ingredients when it was time. When I finally got ready to bake, I asked Evelyn and Gavin to help (despite the fact that I knew every single step would cause an argument). They diligently and excitedly added the flour and sugar and milk. One stirred the wet ingredients while the other stirred the dry. We carefully greased and sugar-coated the baking pans, and then we scraped the batter in the pans. I sent the kids on their way so I could finish in peace.


By now there's a huge mess. Dry mix everywhere from Gavin's overzealous stirring. Batter all over from kiddos "helping" me pour it into pans. However, knowing that I am not the world's best baker and having a feeling that something wasn't right, I rechecked the recipe one last time before putting the bread in the oven. I forgot to add eggs. So, I scraped all the batter back into the mixing bowl, added the eggs, re-poured batter into the pans, and finally put it in the oven. The bread was a hit, naturally, as it is filled with sugar and pudding mix.


I passed new starter batches on to my friends but kept one for myself. Although I needed three Advil after all was said and done, the kids had a great time baking. And I need all the practice I can get.