Friendship Bread

I didnt know that there's such thing as sharing bacterial culture!  

 A popular type of bread to make and share is known as ‘Friendship Bread.’ Friendship bread is made using a yeast-based sourdough starter that is kept for an extended period of time, often passing from family to family.

   

 Recent nationwide foodborne illness outbreaks in Winnebago County, Illinois, have been linked to traditional bread-making ingredients: first, contaminated flour was tentatively linked to the presence ofE. coli O157:H7 in Nestle cookie dough that sickened at least 69 people in 30 states and led to a nationwide recall of prepared, refrigerated cookie dough in 2009; more recently, thousands of eggs were recalled in 2010 due to possible contamination with Salmonella (University of Wisconsin, 2011).

Friendship bread batter is a type of starter culture similar to the sourdough starters used by the pioneers of the Old West. 

 While foodborne illness outbreaks haven’t been directly linked to modern-day starters used in friendship bread, food safety experts advise asking questions and taking precautions when making and sharing these batters. 

• What’s in the starter? High-protein ingredients, such as eggs and milk, can support the growth of disease-causing bacteria. Some recipes call for raw (unpasteurized) milk, which is unsafe to consume.

• Unpasteurized milk contains a wide variety of microorganisms, many of which can cause serious illnesses.

• Eggs may contain bacteria, such as salmonella. Contaminated kitchen equipment or people could add some undesirable bacteria to the mixture, too. A starter containing water, flour, sugar and yeast is a safer option than using milk and “wild yeast.” You can use whole- wheat flour, rye flour, cultured buttermilk or yogurt with live cultures in sourdough starters, too.

• Do the directions recommend keeping the batter refrigerated? Usually starters need two or three days at room temperature to get the fermentation process started, but after that, most food safety experts advise keeping the batter refrigerated. The culture still will grow, but more slowly. Starters can be frozen, too.

• Does the batter have an acidic, “yeasty” aroma? That’s a good sign. If it smells bad, discard it.
• Does the batter have orange or red spots or slime? If so, the batter is spoiled. Discard it carefully in a place where no humans or animals will come in contact with it. (North Dakota State University, 2011).


Author: Monica