Amish Friendship Starter/Bread

Everything you need to know about Amish Friendship Bread!!  As long as you continue to feed your starter, it can stay at room temperature indefinitely. One of the wonderful things about the starter is that you can bake almost anything with it.

https://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/amish-friendship-bread-starter-2/

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

.25 ounce active dry yeast (or 1 packet)

¼ cup warm water 110° F/45° C

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes.

In a 2-quart glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly with a whisk or fork.

Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture.

Cover loosely and let stand at room temperature until bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the 10-day cycle. For the next 10 days, handle starter according to the instructions for Amish Friendship Bread.

NOTES:

The starter should be left at room temperature. Drape loosely with dish towel or plastic wrap. Do not use metal utensils or bowls. If using a sealed Ziploc bag, be sure to let the air out if the bag gets too puffy.

Your yield may exceed 4 cups depending on the temperature of your kitchen and eagerness of your starter. If this happens, reserve one cup for baking and divide the remaining batter into Ziploc baggies of 1 cup each to freeze for future use or share with friends.

250 recipes using your starter - in case you keep it around to make lots of other things

https://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/amish-friendship-bread-recipe-box/

Starter Directions

Do not refrigerate starter. It is normal for the batter to rise and ferment. If air gets in the bag, let it out.

Day 1: Do nothing.

Day 2: Mash the bag.

Day 3: Mash the bag.

Day 4: Mash the bag.

Day 5: Mash the bag.

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

Day 7: Mash the bag.

Day 8: Mash the bag.

Day 9: Mash the bag.

Day 10: Follow the directions below:

Pour the entire bag into a nonmetal bowl.

Add 1 1/2 cup flour, 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cup milk. Mix well.

Measure out equal portions of 1 cup each into 4 1-gallon Ziploc bags. Some people will end up with 4-7 portions depending on how active your starter has been, especially if you made your starter from scratch.

Keep one of the bags for yourself (or leave it in the mixing bowl if you plan to bake right away), and give the other bags to friends along with the recipe.

REMEMBER: If you keep a starter for yourself, you will be baking in 10 days. The bread is very good and makes a great gift.

Should this recipe not be passed onto a friend on the first day, make sure to tell them which day it is when you present it to them.

https://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/amish-friendship-bread

Amish Friendship Bread Recipe

1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter

3 eggs (I use 4)

1 cup oil

½ cup milk

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon (I also add 1 t. cloves & 1 t. nutmeg) 

1½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

1 small box vanilla instant pudding  ( I use a large 5.1 oz. box)

1 cup nuts chopped (optional)  (I do not add)

1 cup raisins (optional) (I do not add) 

Preheat oven to 325° .

In a large mixing bowl, add ingredients as listed.

Spray or Grease two large loaf pans.

Dust the greased pans with a mixture of ½ cup sugar and 1½ teaspoons cinnamon.

Pour the batter evenly into loaf or cake pans and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture on the top.

Bake for one hour or until the bread loosens evenly from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.  ENJOY!

NOTES:

This recipe is very versatile! Use 1 or 2 boxes of pudding (pudding boosts flavor and moisture, but you can also leave it out or make your own). Add 1 cup of dried fruit, nuts or baking chips of your choice.

Looking to make your Amish Friendship Bread healthier? Swap out ½ cup oil plus ½ cup applesauce or 1 egg plus ¼ cup mashed banana. Reduce sugar to ⅔ cup or replace with ⅔ cup honey.

On day10 -  I  used the whole bag of starter and doubled everything in the recipe.  Now I am wishing I had saved a starter.....but now I know how to make one so that's ok.