Amish Friendship Bread

I just received a starter for Amish Friendship Bread.

The deal with Amish Friendship Bread is that typically, you receive a strange ziploc bag like the one pictures above from a friend and you follow the recipe at the bottom. The starter you get had flour, milk and sugar mixed to feed a live culture of yeast. You have to keep the bag for 10 days (on the 5th day, adding more flour and sugar), before you use it. This makes about 4 starter’s worth, which allows you to give three away and use one to go to the next step, adding some ingredients and baking.

I had a sample at work the other day, it is the best nut bread I’ve ever had.

So if you want a starter and are feeling creative, let me know and I’ll give you weird ziploc bag to.

Here is the recipie:

– DO NOT use any type of metal spoon or bowl for mixing (everyone warns you, it must be something about the yeast)

– DO NOT refrigerate

– If air gets in the bag (presumably CO2) let it out

Day 1 (The day you get your starter) – Do nothing
Day 2 – Mush the bag
Day 3 – Mush the bag
Day 4 – Mush the bag
Day 5 – Mush the bag
Day 6 – Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk, Mush the bag
Day 7 – Mush the bag
Day 8 – Mush the bag
Day 9 – Mush the bag
Day 10:

1. Pour entire contents into nonmetal bowl
2. Add 1.5 cups flour, 1.5 cups sugar, 1.5 cups milk
3. Split 1 cup of batter each up in to 4  ziplocs (these are the same starters you got 10 days ago, keep one for yourself, give 3 to friends… get it? Friendship bread.)
4. Preheat oven to 325
5. To remaining batter (won’t be alot) add:
   • 3 eggs
   • 1 cup oil (or you can use 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup applesauce… hmmm)
   • 1/2 cup milk
   • 1 cup sugar
   • 2 tsp cinnamon
   • 1/2 tsp vanilla
   • 1.5 tsp baking power
   • 1/2 tsp baking soda
   • 1/2 tsp salt
   • 2 cups flour
   • 1 large box of INSTANT vanilla pudding
6. Grease 2 large load pans and mix additional 1/2 cup sugar and 1.5 tsp cinnamon in a separate bowl.
7. Dust the greased pans with half the mixture.
8. Pour the batter evenly in to the pans and sprinkle the remaining sugar/cinnamon mixture on top.
9. Bake 1 hour (may be longer, toothpick test works)
10. Cool and enjoy.

By the way, you can Google to find your own starter if you choose to do this yourself without being friendly.