With a little help from my friends

So it is friendship day and here in the kitchen I thought we would celebrate by making some Amish Friendship Bread to share with your friends

AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD

First some need to know notes on making a starter bread:

Do not use any type of metal spoons or bowl for mixing. (Nerd girl note on the science behind this:  the metal messes with the PH balance) 

Do not refrigerate. (this tends to freak people out because they are using milk...never fear you are creating a sour dough so you need to let this sour)

If air gets into the bag, let it out. 

It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble, and ferment

And now on with the noms:

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

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)

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.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.Slowly stir in the warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Pour into a ziplock bag. The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 on the cycle, or the day you receive the starter.

For the next 10 days, handle the starter according to the instructions below.

Day 1: Do nothing. This is the date on which you receive the bag. Mash the bag. Make sure the bag is dated!

Day 2: Mash bag

Day 3: Mash bag

Day 4: Mash bag

Day 5: Mash bag

Day 6: Add to the bag 1 C. flour, 1 C. sugar, 1 C. milk. Mash the bag.

Day 7: Mash bag

Day 8: Mash bag

Day 9: Mash bag

Day 10: BAKING DAY! Mix and divide the starter as follows:Pour entire contents of bag into large non-metal bowl and add: 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk.

Measure out 4 separate batches of the starter batter, 1 cup each, into 4 separate Ziplock bags (one gallon size).

Keep one for yourself and give the other 3 to friends along with a copy of this recipe/instructions.

Preheat oven to 325

To the remaining batter in the bowl, add:

3 eggs

1 cup Canola oil

1/2 cup milk

1 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups flour

1 large box instant vanilla pudding (about 5.9 oz.)

In a separate bowl, mix together

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Grease or butter 2 large glass loaf pans. Dust the greased pans with half the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Pour batter evenly into the pans and sprinkle the top with remaining sugar mixture.

Bake for 1 hour. Cool until bread loosens from sides of pan and turn out to serving dish.

If bag isn't passed on to a friend on the 10th day, be certain to tell recipient which day the bag is at when given to them. If you keep a starter bag for yourself, you will be baking every 10 days.

OPTIONS: Add 1C. Chopped nuts or raisins, I have even seen some recipes that use other dried fruits so experiment my lovelies and let me know what other wonderful things you find to stir in.  For all my Nutella fans...I have heard rumor that this is an awesome mix in too.  You will have a new batch to experiment with every 10 days so have fun with it my lovelies!!!