Amish Friendship Bread

[Miss Amy]

Hello -

I have recieved a batch of starter and the "standard" recipie which uses a box of vanilla pudding. I am not sure when boxed instant pudding became availalbe, butI believe is was after jello becoame availabe, and that I think was 1930 or 40 ish.

So - I would like a more period correct recipe to use with this "sweet starter".

I sometimes bring homemade breads to events (sourdough, etc.) but have not tried to bake anything but biscuits in a dutch oven.

Any advice on baking at events (in a dutch oven with a campfire). I would like to try it - with both a yeast bread as well as a sweet starter bread.

Thanks - Miss Amy

PS pancakes made with canned milk turn out well - but make sure you havea big skillet if you are cooking for the troops - I could not make them fast enough!

[ole]

Can't help you on that Miss Amy. But you can help me by revealing when and where you will be doing your next pancake performance. I'll bring the maple syrup, butter and sausage.
Ole

[Miss Amy]

Dear Sir:

I am not going far from home this year - and you will be competing with the 1st Alabama Co. M. - Captin Potter Days (Potter WI), and Old World WI (Eagle WI), and Wade House (Greenbush, WI), maybe Boscobel.

"Ya'no we calls ya'll "ground pounders", mungst other t'ings, wa' da ya'll calls us?"

As I am writing this, I can not think of one nickname for a calvery unit - but I am sure there are many.

I can think of a few nicknames for those of us who follow them around, but most of them fall outside of polite.

Sincerely - Miss Amy

PS - My husband has promised me chickens this year - so I will hopefully be showing up with fresh "range feed" chickens and eggs.

The verdicte is still out on the cow, so it will likely be canned milk instead of fresh. But, just imagine, being at a semi-permenant camp have having access to fresh milk and cream!!!!

[ole]

Boscobel sounds reasonable. When is it, and what time will the pancakes be served?
Ole

[blue_zouave]

There is a pudding-free recipe at http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,194,1...227207,00.html

Regarding Jell-o, that product became available in the late 1890s. Before that there were gelatin desserts but they involved the boiling of animal feet. Yummy yummy. Instant pudding came about in 1953.

This site is a great resource:http://www.foodtimeline.org/

The ever-cookin' Zou

[Miss Amy]

Thanks for the info.

My mother gave me an old "Jell-o" reciepe book, and I do remeber reading about how Jell-o made gelatin a dessert available to "the masses". I really missed the date, for some reason I was thinking it was post WWII. Maybe it was a more specific detail, like not having to add your own sugar? Anyway . . . Thanks.

Miss Amy

After looking at the other link - oops, guess I should not be using canned evaoparted milk.
"Nevertheless, on June 14, 1885, with modest fanfare, "Highland Evaporated Cream" made its debut as the world's finest unsweetened evaporated milk."

But, I guess I can use swetened condensed - Eagle Brand!
"Facts About EAGLE BRAND®
Eagle Brand® was introduced in 1856 by Gail Borden to combat food poisoning and other illnesses related to lack of refrigeration and preservation techniques. The Civil War brought Eagle Brand® the recognition required to make it a household name. The military needed milk that would keep well and Borden's product filled that need. Additionally, Eagle Brand® was credited with significantly lowering the infant mortality rate in North America. Gail Borden's discovery provided milk that would remain safe and wholesome — at that time, an important contribution to the nourishment of infants and children."

Well - atleast I now know that apple butter was around. And "canning" using mason jars.

[richard]

Miss Amy,

If you have baked biscuts in a dutch oven you will have no problem baking yeast bread in one. It will just take longer. You can even make a fantastic pizza in one too.

[Miss Amy]

To : The ever-cookin' Zou

WOW - this is a great resource:http://www.foodtimeline.org/. I now know that "canning" is a process and the material it is packaged in makes it "jars" or "Tins" or "plastic type stuff and films".

And can honestly say, that at the start of the Civl War, 100s of itmes were available in "tins", although many people could not afford them. Many people could afford items that were canned in jars, both locally and commerically.

How neat!!

Miss Amy

[tinecailine]

Hey Miss Amy,
I am also trying to perfect my camp cooking skills and recipes. I am also trying to get my group of guys to have a more period correct 'kitchen' which is like pulling teeth, but hey. I am getting more adventurous with the dutch oven, mainly due to the fact that I have yet to convince my hubby to make me a portable oven. I found that using a rack ( or pie tin upside down in conjunction with metal pie/ cake/ bread tins in the dutch oven does wonders and staves off the problem of burnt bottoms.
Hope this helps.
PS: Kudos for the FF thing, another thing we have in common.

[bama_belle]

I am just getting started in the camp cooking thing.
Several of the ladies in our unit decided we were tired of some of the things the men were cooking up, so we've taken matters into our own hands.

So I cannot answer your bread question.

But I do want to share an authentic recipe that I found that my crew loves.

It is called Swamp Cabbage Stew. I don't remember which web site I found it on unfortunately.

Anyway,

You dice a pound of salt pork into a dutch oven and cook until done. Don't drain it. To the salt pork add a whole sliced (not diced) cabbage, one whole sliced (not diced) onion and two medium tomatoes, diced. Add a little cayene pepper or salt and pepper to taste and cook over medium heat for about 2 hours.

Serve it with corn sticks or cornbread. I promise you its wonderful.