by Linda L Kinyon

Created on: August 19, 2008   Last Updated: April 22, 2011

Several years ago I was privileged enough to make the acquaintance of a wonderful Amish lady that lived in our area. She and her daughters ran a small bakery out of their front room and the breads and cookies were always wonderful. As I was able to get to know them more and more over the course of our visits to their bakery she gave me some Friendship bread starter. She included the recipe with her starter and it has fast become a favorite of our family. Here is the recipe:

Using a covered glass or plastic container (a crock works well too) Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Do not put in a refrigerator (remember, Amish do not generally use electricity so this wouldn't be how they made it). Keep your starter covered and at room temperature.

Day 1: receive or make starter
Day 2: Stir and cover. Do not use a metal spoon to stir your starter.
Day 3: Stir
Day 4: Stir
Day 5: Add 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of milk to your starter
Day 6: Stir
Day 7: Stir
Day 8: Do not stir
Day 9: Do not stir
Day 10: Do not stir or disturb until you make the following Friendship Bread recipe:

Friendship Bread

Sugar and cinnamon mixture
1 cup oil 3 large eggs 1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups flour 1 cup sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 1/2 t baking soda
2 t cinnamon 1 cup raisins (optional) 1 large box instant vanilla pudding
1 cup flour 1 cup sugar 1 cup milk

Preheat your oven to 325. Make a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. Prepare two loaf pans or a bundt pan or a 9X13 pan by greasing them and flouring them. Set aside.

Combine oil, eggs, 1/2 cup milk and vanilla in a large glass or plastic bowl. Mix well. Add 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, pudding and raisins to mixture. Gently stir but do not mix completely.

In a separate bowl (again glass or plastic) using a wooden spoon combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Slowly add in 1 cup of milk. Mix to smooth consistency. Add Amish Friendship Bread starter from your container and mix in gently with your wooden spoon. Add 1 cup of this mixture in to your previous (egg, flour raisin mixture) with your wooden spoon mix together completely.

Pour batter into your prepared pan and sprinkle with the reserved cinnamon and sugar mix on top. Bake for approximately 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Do not over bake. Allow your bread to cool in the pan.

Friendship bread freezes well.

With your remaining new starter mix put 1 cup into three plastic or glass containers and keep one for yourself and give two to your friends with the instructions. This is Day 1.

Some of our favorite variations are to add a few cups of shredded zucchini and use chocolate pudding instead of vanilla pudding. Nuts are a great addition also.

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