Friday, February 6, 2009

Amish Friendship Bread

This is so much more than just a recipe - it’s a personal way of letting others know that you care about them.

In our hi-speed always on the go world almost everything we eat these days comes prepackaged and designed for quick and instant use.

So where does a recipe that takes ten days to make fit in?

Maybe it’s a way to get in touch with a little of our past… a small link to those days, not so very long ago, when everything we did took more time and where a bread that took 10 days to make was treasured undertaking that meant something.

Amish Friendship Bread is an especially great bread to create for the holidays. This way, when you’ve finished making your friendship bread, you can give your friends a full loaf or even just a sample and the starter that made it!

This way, your friends can make their own bread loafs from the same recipe and then pass it along to their friends… this is why the bread is called “friendship bread”.

It also makes a great homemade birthday and house warming present. Church groups and hospitals have spread a lot of love and cheer by making Amish Friendship Bread for their members. Many people make it regularly just because it tastes so very good!

Here’s how to get started with your own friendship gift:

AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD STARTER

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup milk

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in water. Let it stand for 10 minutes. While you’re waiting, use a 2 quart container to combine the flour and sugar, mix it together thoroughly. When the yeast is ready, slowly stir in themilk and dissolved yeast mixture. Now cover the bowl loosely and let stand until it gets bubbly.

Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle.

AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD RECIPE

Day 1: Create the starter batch
Day 2: Mush down the bag
Day 3: Mush down the bag
Day 4: Mush down the bag
Day 5: Mush down the bag

Day 6: Add one cup each of - milk, sugar and flour. Now, nead the mixture together in the bag just a little

Day 7: Mush down the bag
Day 8: Mush down the bag
Day 9: Mush down the bag

Day 10: Follow the instructions below.

  1. Pour the entire contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl and add 1 ½ cups flour, 1 ½ cups sugar, 1 ½ cups milk. Now, stir until smooth with a wooden spoon.

  2. Measure out 4 separate batters of 1 cup each into four 1-gallon size Ziploc bags. Write the current date on the bag. Keep one as a starter for yourself and give the other three to friends, along with this recipe.

NOTE: If you keep a starter, you will be baking every 10 days. The bread is very tasty and makes a great gift. Leave it to the Amish know how to create the perfect starter recipe.

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Baking instructions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

TO THE REMAINING BATTER IN THE BOWL - add

  • 3 eggs

  • 1 cup oil

  • ½ cup milk

  • 1 tsp. vanilla

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 2 tsp cinnamon

  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder

  • ½ tsp baking soda

  • ½ tsp salt

  • 2 cups flour

  • 1 lg. box Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix

  • (options: 2 cups raisins or nuts)

Grease and flour two large loaf pans. Fill each with equal amounts of batter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar (½ cup sugar and ½ tsp cinnamon)

Bake for 45 min - 1 hour. Cool until bread loosens from pan evenly, about 10 min. Turn onto serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.