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Amish Friendship Bread
Ten Days ago my friend gave me a ziploc bag filled with some batter along with an instruction sheet. She told me that I was to keep mashing the bag, add some ingredients and then make bread. I told her if she was my true friend she would just make me the bread (just kidding)! My sweet friend told me it would be a great thing to blog about——–now I was on board. My husband and I cared for our batter everyday and yesterday was the BIG day, I made the bread. It was really delicious and now I have my bags of batter ready to go to three very special friends!
So I began writing out the recipe and instructions and then realized this does all of you absolutely no good—-you don’t have a starter. But lucky for all of you adventurous bakers a quick google search led me to many recipes for the starter. I have not tried this but they all looked the same.
Amish Friendship Bread Starter
It is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when making this—no metal.
Ingredients:
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white 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 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 the dissolved yeast mixture. Cover the mixture loosely 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. I would put this mixture in a ziploc bag so I could continue on with the recipe.
For the next 10 days use the starter according to the instructions.
Allrecipes has another Amish Friendship Bread Starter recipe with tips about freezing the starter.
Here is the recipe and instructions on how to use the starter
Amish Friendship Bread Recipe and Instructions
There are many variations to make Pumpkin Bread, Strawberry Bread, Carrot………..
If you have a favorite or tips about making this bread please leave a comment!
If you do not make the bread on day 5 you can just keep stirring for another 5 days and the mixture does just fine. At that point follow the recipe just as if it were day 5 or 10. I find that the older the mixture gets (within reason) the better the bread. Also, try new variations: chocolate w/chocolate chips (instead of nuts and I also use chocolate pudding), banana and walnut, carrot and pecan, cranberry or raisin and nut, etc. I always use real fruit rather than just a flavored pudding, just my preference. I want to try pistachio!
have to try it
Has anyone out there found a really good carrot variation?
I also tried making my own starter but after a few days it got black dots all over it so I threw it away in case it was mold.
I'm really hoping my "3 year old starter from the freezer" is still good because I've been craving this bread!
Thanks!
Krista, who commented on Mar 5, I'm SO glad you said that about the freezing issue - I noticed my 3 little baggies of starter are still very squishy in the freezer, it's been several days! Crazy! :)
I changed the recipe a little for the loaves -
instead of 3 eggs I used 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg
instead of 1 cup oil I used 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
then I also added 1 large box of instant choc pudding
The only problem is that I added WAY too much cinnamon (a lot more than called for!!) and the bread makes my tongue and gums hurt haha!!! So... next time only the recommended amt of cinnamon for me :)
As for the yeast of this starter versus the baking powder/baking soda called for: yes, the Amish friendship "bread" is a quick bread. No, the starter doesn't really help leaven the bread. It is mostly flavor but adds a bit to the leavening, just not enough to rise the bread on its own. The yeast starters used to bake yeast breads without added commercial yeast are a symbiotic marriage of yeast but also bacteria, a marriage most likely absent from Amish starter. The milk gives it some lactobacilli but there is so much else going on with the sugar and such, it really is a completely different picture chemically. It is delicious in its own right but chemically, it is more of a flavor component. Remember too that the flavor variations on a quick bread are inexhaustible. I also have used the starter to make cookies and the absolutely BEST pancakes.
You can freeze your starter.
Yep ~ Toss the bag in the freezer and when your ready to start another round of making and sharing this tastey treat just pull it out and your at DAY 1.
Funny little fact ~ it doesn't freeze solid, you can still squish the stuff.
Also~ Play with the flavor a bit as in the above link. We've added Choc. pudding (I hate that one but kids and DH loved it) my fav is the traditional way with a bit more cinn. added in everywhere and diced apples mixed in last just before baking ~
Oh yum ~ I'm grabbing a bag out of the freezer tonight.
I'm thrilled you gave us the starter info. I'm going to make some up. Thanks!
Hugs,
Joanne
Ooops, forgot have added good post! Waiting for your next post!
I'm thrilled you gave us the starter info. I'm going to make some up. Thanks!
Hugs,
Joanne
Funny thing is, I remember doing this as a child...it takes me back.