Amish Friendship Bread

NOTE: Do not use any type of metal spoon or mixing bowls.  Do not refrigerate starter batter. Leave out at room temperature.  If air forms in the bag, let it out. It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble, and ferment.

Starter:

1 pkg active dry yeast

1 cup milk (warmed to about 110 degrees F)

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup sugar

¼ cup water (warmed to 110 degrees F)

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water and mix all ingredients well and place in a gallon ziplock bag.

__________Day 1: Do nothing.

__________Day 2: Squeeze the bag well and let out excess air.

__________Day 3: Squeeze the bag well and let out excess air.

__________Day 4: Squeeze the bag well and let out excess air.

__________Day 5: Squeeze the bag well and let out excess air.

__________Day 6: Add 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour, and 1 cup sugar. Squeeze the bag well to mix.

__________Day 7: Squeeze the bag well and let out excess air.

__________Day 8: Squeeze the bag well and let out excess air.

__________Day 9: Squeeze the bag well and let out excess air.

__________Day 10: Follow directions below:

On day 10, pour the entire contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl and add the following:

1½ cups milk

1½ cups self-rising flour

1½ cups sugar

Mix together with a spatula.  Get 4 one gallon Ziplock bags. Put 1 cup of batter into each of the 4 bags. You should still have a little more than a cup left in your bowl. Give the bags to your friends with a copy of the instructions and tell them it is a starter bag. If you like, keep one bag for yourself so you can make the bread again in 10 days.

NOTE: If you do not give the starters away on the day you make them, be sure to tell your friends which day it is so they will know when to bake their bread.

Now, to the remaining batter in your bowl, add the following:

3 eggs

1 cup oil (or ½ cup oil + ½ cup applesauce)

½ cup milk

1 cup sugar

2 cups self-rising flour

1 large box (5.9 ounces) of Instant Pudding; Chocolate or Vanilla is best

1 tsp cinnamon

1½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ tsp vanilla extract

Optional: Add 1 cup nuts and one cup fruit.  Blueberries and peaches go well with the vanilla bread.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease 2 large (or 4 small) loaf pans. [Optional: Mix up an additional ½ cup sugar and 1½ tsp cinnamon. Use half of this to dust the pans. Use the other half of the sugar mixture to dust the top of the batter.] Pour the batter into the pans. Bake for 1 hour. Allow bread to cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pans. Serve warm or cold.