Week 1---- Amish Friendship Bread

After brainstorming ideas with my Friend Kristin late last night on the phone we both decided to start the Amish Friendship bread.

We live in a modern world full of electronics, convenience foods, and fast food restaurants filled with icky ingredients and preservatives. Why not slow down for awhile and take the time to truly enjoy life, and the art of breadmaking. I am an amateur breadmaker only making 3 loaves ever in my entire life but I asked for glass loaf pans for Christmas and I vowed to fill them with yummy homemade bread for my family to enjoy. When my friend told me about the friendship bread I was elated. So, today my kids and I are going to enjoy taking the time to make this wonderful bread and then sharing the starter kit with friends.

To make this bread you need a starter, I do not have one so I will have to make my own starter today. The starter will take 10 days, once we completed the starter it will be another 10 daysfor the bewar to be ready to split off into fourths and then bake. This is a lengthy process so I will be updating along the way.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter
This is the Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe that you will need to make the Amish Friendship Bread. It is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when making this. Do not use metal at all!The "no metal" thing is because the metal could throw off the ph of the fermenting dough. Weird I know!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup warm milk (110°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 the starter according to the instructions (below) for Amish Friendship Bread.

Amish Friendship Bread Recipe
Day 1 - receive the starter

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
3/4 cups 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 or flour. The Sugar makes it a sweeter stickier bread, I prefer the flour myself.

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.

You could also put bread mix in muffin pans to make muffins or other types of pans. You will have to vary the cook time though. When knife comes out clean it's done!

Variations:
This list will be updated as I try new variations and if they are tasty I will share my recipe

Banana Amish bread omit cinnamon and raisins from the above recipes and add 2 over ripe mashed bananas. ( 1 cup of chopped nut optional) This came out very good and moist


Helpful link to keep your starter healthy and usable http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/baking_joy/85474