Before I explain ‘the gift that started it all, I’d like to mention what a blessing it is to have people in our lives that we call ‘givers’.
I’ll never forget the first time I heard someone referred to as ‘a giver’. My sister Jane (#5) and I were delivering Christmas cookies and as we were driving away from Don’s house she said, “he’s a giver”. You never leave Don and Brigette’s house without a share in their bounty. Your arms are filled with everything from homemade sauerkraut and pickles to homemade sausage and wine. It’s exactly this type of giving spirit that brings me to The Gift That Started It All.
Twenty-six years ago, my husband accepted a job transfer and we moved to Lancaster, Ohio, which was 8 hours away from our hometown. At the time we were living in the same house we are living in today (I know, that could be a story all by itself). Our neighbor Carol, who lived across the alley and still lives there gave me a bread starter before we moved. In her gracious and giving way, she handed me a jar, a recipe, and the rest is history. OK – a little cliche’ – but true.
The Gift That Started It All
Deep down inside, Carol knew that the starter would be the best gift for a young mom moving to a town where she didn’t know a soul. And it was. I started baking and baking and baking. My relationship with bread baking took on a whole new meaning and my confidence in the kitchen grew. It was and is still fun to be creative with the dough experimenting with different seasonings and recipes. Over the years my bread and cinnamon rolls have served many purposes. I’ve used it for fund-raisers, thank-you gifts, and healing food. It really was the gift that keeps on giving. (tears)
Adding To The Starter
I know, you’re thinking, do I really want to deal with a starter. Well, this one is easy and the ingredients that feed it are water, sugar and potato flakes. The starter can remain in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks without adding to it. This is a low maintenance starter. The dough can be used for a variety of bread, cinnamon rolls, focaccia, pizza dough and the list goes on. The sweet-sour taste blends well with all types of spices and herbs. The original recipe can be found at reciperascal.com The recipe included in this post has been tweaked.
Carol Cuts Her Dough Into 4 Pieces
I hope you aren’t scared by the idea of a starter. The starter recipe is included in this post and the recipe for the dough can be found here. I will be adding recipes to use with the dough in addition to the regular post to give you a variety of uses. It’s gonna be fun! So think about putting together your starter this week so you’re ready for a bake!
Carol and Rose Photo by Annie Janssen LA Photos Co
A big thank you to all the ‘givers’ in my life and thanks, Carol, for that special gift 26 years ago.
Thanks for stopping by, Rose
- 1 pkg dry yeast
- 1½ cup warm water
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 3 Tablespoons potato flakes (only use the flakes)
- This is your starter recipe.
One you've made it, it stays in your refrigerator until you are planning a bake.
- Mix ingredients in a large glass jar and set in a sunny or warm spot for at least 4 hours.
- A foam will form on top of the mixture, and you might hear a hissing noise from the lid of the jar.
- After the starter sits for at least 4 hours, pour off 1 cup of the mixture into another jar or container, and you now have two starters. One to keep and one to share.
- Refrigerate your starter for two days before you want to bake.
- My starter has gone two weeks in the refrigerator before adding to it for a bake. If you're not planning on baking, just feed it, set it on your countertop overnight and then return it to the refrigerator.
- When you are ready to bake, remove the starter and add the following ingredients:
- one cup warm water
- three-fourths cup of sugar
- three tablespoons of potato flakes
- Stir the ingredients and set overnight on your countertop or for at least eight hours.
- In the morning, you'll remove one cup of starter to mix the dough.
- Please go to my website sockbox10.com and search "Rosie's Rolls and Bread' for the bread recipe that uses this starter.
- ENJOY!
Rose – love your blog. One reason is because I so love to cook. QQ, what are potato flakes? I had a starter at one time, but after a couple of moves that didn’t go exactly as planned (stuff happens), I lost my starter and did not have the original recipe. Thanks for sharing. Again, love your blog. Best to you.
Thanks so much for the great question, Grannysnaps. I like to refer to potato flakes as instant mashed potatoes. They are dehydrated and you can find them in the grocery aisle with rice, specialty flours, etc. I don’t have my original box or I would let you know what brand it was. I empty my flakes into a Tupperware container. If you have any questions or want a starter just send me an email. Thanks so much for reading and happy baking!!! Rose
Thank you for honoring my parents in your blog today! Mom told me about it. The world needs more givers and those starter cakes do exactly what you mentioned..they start wonderful friendships!
Thanks, Theresa, for your comment. Food and friendships really do go hand in hand and we can all learn from your parents. Thanks again, Rose
Thanks. You keep inspiring me to make more breads and rolls. Love that little nudge.
Clare- You are a fabulous cook. Baking bread is a for sure add-on to your specialties. Please send pics. Thanks for the comment. Rose
I just found your blog and I know I’m gonna love it!! I have never worked with a starter (Im not sure Amish Friendship bread counts?) so when you say “feed it” I’m not sure what you mean – evidently you add something, but what? Thanks so much!
(My twin sister and I have always loved the stories behind the recipes – we made a small cookbook a few years back with some old and some new “family” recipes. We need to do it again, only we need to dig deeper into the recipe boxes of cousins….we have dozens of them…our mom came from a family of 6 girls, they all loved to cook, and sit around the table and laugh…such memories!)
Hi, Colleen and welcome to the box. Before you want to bake, you add; 1 cup warm water, 3/4 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons of potato flakes and stir. After you’ve done this let it set out on your counter overnight and then you are ready to mix the dough in the morning. The dough recipe requires one cup of starter and that’s after it’s been fed. This week’s post is the cinnamon roll recipe and that’s the dough that uses the cup of starter. I’m so glad you found the blog and I will be posting recipes in the future that can be made with the basic dough recipe that you see in this week’s post. Yes, I think it’s time you and your twin sister do another cookbook and have fun with this dough. It really is very versatile! Thanks again for stopping by. ps – just let me know if you have any questions. Rose