by Sheila Rae Watson

Created on: August 08, 2008   Last Updated: September 09, 2010

What is Amish Friendship Bread? It is a sour-dough quick bread made using the starter you've received from a friend. Once given a starter, you will feed it and eventually pass some along to your friends and so it goes, and goes. You of course, have kept a portion to use to make your own delicious bread.

If you haven't been given a starter, you can make your own, here's how.

-Amish Friendship Bread Starter

1 pkg. Dry Active Yeast
2 cups warm water
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk

Dissolve the yeast in the water, stir with a NON-METALLIC spoon. Add the sugar and milk, stir, add the flour. Beat with wooden spoon until smooth. Pour into a gallon size zip lock bag. Write the date on this bag. Let this sit on your counter until it is bubbly.

This step is considered day one of the ten day process.

Remember:

Do not use any type of metal spoon or bowl.
Do not refrigerate.
It is normal for the batter to rise and ferment.

Day 1: Do nothing, this is the day you received/made the starter.
Day 2: Squeeze the bag
Day 3: Squeeze the bag
Day 4: Squeeze the bag
Day 5: Squeeze the bag
Day 6: Add to the bag: 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup cold milk, squeeze to combine well.
Day 7: Squeeze the bag
Day 8: Squeeze the bag
Day 9: Squeeze the bag
Day 10: Follow the directions below:

-Pour the entire contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl.
-Add 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk.
-Measure 1 cup starter into four 1 gallon zip-lock bags.

Keep starter for yourself and give the other three to friends, along with a copy of this recipe.

-Amish Friendship Bread

1 cup of starter
3 eggs
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350oF.

Pour starter into a large, non-metallic bowl, add the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Pour into two well buttered 9x5x3 glass loaf pans.

Bake 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool, remove from pans.

This bread stores well in a zip-lock bag at room temperature for 4 days, refrigerated 10 days.

The recipe can have many variations besides the common cinnamon version, experiment with the recipe, see what great ideas you come up with!

Have fun making the Amish Friendship Bread Starter and then share it; gather your friends together once a month, have a round-robin kind of coffee club, bringing and sampling the different breads your friends developed.

Don't forget to make these breads for you and your family, you deserve it!

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