Bread starter

After talking about cornbread I got to thinking about this old neighbor woman I used to have. I used to go help them with splitting wood and other chores and she would feed me well. Her name was Gracie. She made the best rolls and bread. She had a bread starter that was very old. She would pass it on to others that she liked but keep enough to keep it going. She treated it like a kid. I had much respect for her and her husband. I wish there were still people like that around. I was just reading about bread starter and how it gets better with age. My mom brought me some Amish bread for my birthday that reminded me of it.
Any of y’all ever have family bread starter or maybe a neighbor like Gracie?

“Friendship Bread” we called it around here. Every batch you made you saved a pinch or two and give one to somebody to start their own. Boy, that’s been a while...

It is “sourdough “ bread by definition, the dough is working from the prior batch rather than activating new yeast. Just like sour mash whiskey, a portion of the prior batch seeds the new batch.

I agree with Tbone, we call it "Friendship Bread" around here too.  I've done it too, but the last time I forgot all about it and it went bad.  I don't eat that much bread anyway, so I don't miss it.

Er Ummm Thad,,,,,WHERE do you think you'll have time to do this??!!  You got toooo many irons in the fire as it is.  Home renovation, furniture redoing, garage renovation, working on Orange and keeping momma happy........ I'm tuckered out just typing this!!

Yes, I had a neighbor gal just like that.  Her name was Eleanor and she baked stuff just about every day.  Five or six of those days it was cookies!!  Choc. Chips, Peanut butter, ginger snaps, Amish, lemon drops, pin wheels (ALL kinds of colors), just to name a few.  She was still doing it even after her hubby (Elwin) died and I don't know what she would have done with all that stuff if it weren't for me.  NOW I know where my big belly comes from!!   I have her Amish cookie recipe and I make them just about every year around Christmas.  They're NOT good for you, nothing but butter, lard and flour.  Um UM GOOD!!  She made this faux apple pie once and I swear.....but that's another story....

Now I'm getting hungry again,,,,,

Back in the 1950's I think every gal had a start sitting on a shelf above the stove or sitting on the west window will in the summer time. I remember mom/both grandmas having it. Bisckuts were sure good.

Dad was a carpenter by trade, heavy construction, but, growing up in the '60's the economy was such that there was not much work, so mom took jobs cleaning hotel rooms and or waiting tables, and dad cooked (besides working on neighbor farm, helping local well driller, and doing small 'handyman' type jobs to bring in some income). Us kids were OK with that because mom, by her own admission was not much of a cook, and dad was. when dad was laid off we ate good, he baked almost every day, bread, cookies, cake. He got most of his recipe's from his mom, who cooked for a boys home. 'course, he had to scale them down, because grandma's recipes were for 50 people

Long suffering Mrs LouSWPA had a 'friendship' starter for bread for several years, but I think she finally killed it by accident. at least it has been quite some time since I have had any sour bread around here

Edited by LouSWPA - 09 Dec 2018 at 9:41pm

ac fleet wrote: Today's yeast is not as good as it used to be. I don't have any luck with it. Sourdough is good now and then. thanks; ac fleet

Mmmm sourdough french bread. Not much on sweets for breakfast but that sum good stuff. Not many around keeping bread starter here anymore.

It’s really sounding like I need to go stay with Ken and help with all the hog killin and such.