Author: Launi

If you’re lucky enough to have a friend or neighbor bring you over “the bag” and the instructions for what to do with it–then you already know this fact…

Amish Friendship Bread is absolutely scrumptious! So scrumptious, in fact, that whenever we eat it, I’m tempted to shoot the van and buy a horse. We positively love it-LOVE it around here.  But what if—the bread isn’t being passed around your circle right now and you have a hankering for some hot, cinnamony friendship bread right this very minute? Huh? What can you do?

Here’s the answer. Nothing, that’s what.

Well, almost nothing.

Truth is, that the whole process does, indeed take some time. But now you’ll not only have the instructions for how to start your own “starter” but what to do with it all after that, as well.

You are certainly a lucky duck. A very patient, lucky duck.

And it’s so well worth it.

The first thing you need to know is that it is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass bowls when making this. Try not to use metal if you can help it–it messes with the live yeast and if it’s in contact with, say, a metal bowl for too long it doesn’t tend to rise properly, sinks in the middle. Consider yourself warned!!

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Starter Ingredients:

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk

Starter Directions:

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 flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly so the flour won’t get lumpy when you add the milk. Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Pour into a gallon Ziplock bag. The mixture will get bubbly–don’t be afraid. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle.

Amish Bread Instructions

Day 1 – receive the starter–or make the starter from the recipe above.

Day 2 – smush the bag

Day 3 – smush the bag

Day 4 – smush the bag–I really like the word “smush” don’t you?

Day 5 – Add 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk—and smush the bag.

Day 6 – smush the bag

Day 7 – smush the bag

Day 8 – smush the bag

Day 9 – smush the bag

Day 10 – Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Divide into 4 gallon bags, 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 wooden spoon, beat by hand until well blended. You can add 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts if you want, but why mess with perfection?  :}
Grease two loaf pans with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, remove from pans–and allow to cool. Makes two loaves of the most amazing Amish Friendship Bread in the land…

and I can prove it.

hee hee!