How to Make and Reconnect with Friends the Amish Way
Amish Friendship Bread is an amazing thing. It arrives as a bubbly blob in a plastic baggie and ends up as sweet loaves of home baked bread created with love that started with a friend.
I use this to help reconnect with a few people in my life. It gives us a common bond as we watch our creations grow into a cinnamon and vanilla sugar dusted treat that we end up sharing with even more people. Follow the recipe for the starter, follow the instructions for caring for it, and get ready to enjoy both food and friends through an old fashioned, simple, time tested ritual.
Amish Friendship Bread Recipe
Day 1 – receive the starter (the recipe for the starter is below)
Day 2 – stir
Day 3 – stir
Day 4 – stir
Day 5 – Add 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk.
Day 6 – stir
Day 7 – stir
Day 8 – stir
Day 9 – stir
Day 10 – Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Divide into 4 containers, with 1 cup each for three of your friends and 1 cup for your own loaves. Give friends the instructions for Day 1 through Day 10 and the following recipe for baking the bread.
After removing the 3 cups of batter, combine the remaining cup of Amish Friendship Bread starter with the following ingredients in a large bowl:
2/3 cup oil
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Using a fork beat by hand until well blended. You can add 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (optional).
Grease two loaf pans with butter, sprinkle with sugar instead of flour.
Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour (individual oven temperatures vary). Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans. Makes two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread.
Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe
This is the Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe that youll need to make the Amish Friendship Bread (above). It is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when making this. Do not use metal at all!
Ingredients:
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.
2. In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.
3. Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Loosely cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap. The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle, or the day you receive the starter.
For the next 10 days handle starter according to the instructions above for Amish Friendship Bread.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©MomsWhoThink Staff / alldelish.