Amish Friendship Bread

Anabel (one of the Moms from the Co-Op) gave me a starter for this Friendship Bread and it was super YUMMY. So, I did the 10 day process...SUCCESSFULLY. And, made my bread this morning. I gave away my starters to Leslie and Joan. You can add whatever to the bread (nuts, chocolate, fruit, etc.). I added of course, chocolate because my kids don't like nuts in their bread or seeds or anything other than chocolate. At least Mr. doesn't the girls generally pretty flexible if it's delicious enough.

Amish Friendship Bread


· Do NOT use a metal spoon or metal bowl for mixing
· Do NOT refrigerate…if air gets in, “burp” the bag
· It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble and ferment

Day 1: Do nothing. This is the day you receive your batter.
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 and 1 cup milk to bag and
Mush the bag
Day 7: Mush the bag
Day 8: Mush the bag
Day 9: Mush the bag
Day 10: Follow instructions below

1) Pour contents of bag into a NON metal mixing bowl
2) Add 1½ cups flour, 1½ cups sugar, 1½ cups milk. Mix well
3) Into four gallon size Ziploc baggies measure 1 cup of batter. NOTE: One bag will be your next starter and the other 3 should be given to friends along with a copy of this recipe. Make note of the new starter date (baking day) and tell your friend what “day” you are on when you give it to them. I suggest putting it on the baggie.
4) Preheat oven to 325 degrees
5) To the remaining batter in bowl ADD the following:
3 eggs, ½ cup milk, 1 cup sugar, 1½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, 1 large box of vanilla instant pudding (other flavors can be substituted), 1 cup oil (OR ½ cup oil and ½ cup applesauce), ½ tsp. vanilla, 2 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp baking soda, 2 cups flour.
Note: chips, nuts, dried fruit, etc. can also be added at this point.
6) Grease 2 large loaf pans. Mix ½ cup sugar and 1 ½ tsp cinnamon together in small bowl and dust loaf pans with half of mixture.
7) Pour batter evenly into prepared loaf pans and sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar mix on top of batter.
8) Bake 1 hour. Cool approximately 10 minutes before cutting if you wish to serve warm. Otherwise, cool completely. Also freezes well.

If you keep a starter you will be baking bread every 10 days. The bread is very good and makes a great gift. Only the Amish know how to create the starter so if you give them all away you will have to wait until someone give you one back to enjoy!