Amish Friendship Bread. This is more than a recipe- it’s a way of thinking. In our high-tech world almost everything comes prepackaged and designed for instant gratification. So, where does a recipe that takes ten day to make fit in? Maybe it’s a touch stone to our past- to those days not so very long ago, when everything we did took time and where bread that took ten days to make was not as extraordinary as it seems today.

Day 1- This is the day you make the starter or receive it from a friend.  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 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of white sugar and 1 cup or milk.  Mash the bag.

Day 7- Mash the bag

Day 8- Mash the bag

Day 9- Mash the bagDay 10- Follow the recipe for Amish Friendship Bread

Amish Friendship Bread

Do not use any type of metal spoon or bowl for mixing. If air gets into the bag, let it out. It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble and ferment.

  • 1 1/2 Cups Flour (To add to starter before starting the recipe)
  • 1 1/2 Cups White Sugar (To add to starter before starting the recipe)
  • 1 1/2 Cups Milk (To add to starter before starting the recipe)
  • 1 Cup Vegetable Oil
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 Cups Milk
  • 1 Cup White Sugar
  • 1 Large box Vanilla Pudding(instant( (You can also use 2 small boxes)
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  1. 1.Pour the entire contents of the starter bag into a non-metal bowl. 2.Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups milk and mix well. It will be a little lumpy. 3. Measure out 4 separate, 1 cup each of starter mixture and place into a ziploc bag. Give one cup and a copy of this recipe to 4 friends. If you keep one starter for yourself you will be making bread every 10 days. If you give all 4 bags away you will have to make more starter or wait for someone to give you one back. You can also freeze the new bags of starter. They will last in the freezer for years. Just pull out a bag from the freezer and let it thaw on the counter at room temperature. Once it’s thawed, you can start with it on day 6. 4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 5. To the remaining batter(approx. 1 1/2 cups) add the other ingredients. 6. Grease two large loaf pans(these can be metal). Mix an additional 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon and dust loaf pans. 7. Pour batter evenly into pans and sprinkle remaining sugar mixture on top. 8. Bake 55-60 minutes. Cool until bread loosens form pan on its own.

Recipe Variations

 

Chocolate Bread

Use the basic mix recipe except use chocolate pudding instead of vanilla. Add 3 tsp cocoa and 1 cup chocolate chips.  Make sure to add the 2 tsp. cinnamon.  It really makes it taste amazing!

 

Peanut Butter Cup

Use the basic mix recipe except use chocolate pudding instead of vanilla.  Omit the cinnamon.  Add 4 table spoons creamy peanut butter to the batter and one bag of reeses peanut butter chips.

 

Cherry Cheesecake or Strawberry Cheesecake

Use the basic recipe mix, omit the cinnamon ad use 2 small boxes of cheesecake pudding instead of the vanilla.  Add a small pack of cream cheese and 1/4 cup more milk.  You also need one can of cherry or strawberry pie filling.  After filling the pans with batter, dab teaspoons of the pie filling on the top of them and swirl in with a spoon to mix. 

 

Lemon Bread

Substitute lemon pudding for the vanilla and add 2 tsp lemon extract instead of vanilla.  Sprinkle poppy seeds into the batter.  Omit cinnamon. 

 

Butterscotch Bread

Substitute butterscotch pudding in place of vanilla and add 1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips.  Omit cinnamon. 

 

Banana Cream

Use banana cream pie pudding instead of vanilla.  Add 2 mashed bananas and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.

 

Pumpkin Chocolate chip

Add small can of pumpkin, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 bag semi sweet chocolate ships.  Decrease oil to 1/2 cup.  Omit cinnamon. 

 

Christas Bread

Add one cup of dried cranberries and a tablespoon of orange zest.