Amish Friendship Bread

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Amish Friendship Bread – A sweet cinnamon bread that requires a batch of Friendship Bread Starter. For variations, add your favorite fruits and/or nuts! Amish Friendship Bread is the gift that keeps on giving! This simple starter yields sweet (below), delicious bread every time!

Friendship Bread is all about friendships and community. It’s about connection. It’s about fun. It’s about nurturing other people, including yourself. It’s about not taking anything too seriously, but to find the simple joy and pleasure in every moment.

If you were to look up Amish Friendship Bread on Wikipedia, you’d find this: “Friendship Bread is a type of bread or cake made from a sourdough starter that is often shared in a manner similar to a chain letter. The starter is a substitute for baking yeast and can be used to make many kinds of yeast-based breads, shared with friends, or frozen for future use.”

An important thing to keep in mind is that no two starters are the same. Don’t be alarmed if your starter looks or smells a little different than your neighbor’s. They may have used different flour, milk, or just have completely different conditions in their kitchen.

Not what you are looking for? Try these other excellent Amish recipes:

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Amish Friendship Bread

Amish Friendship Bread

Amish Friendship Bread – A sweet cinnamon bread that requires a batch of Amish Friendship Bread Starter. For variations, add your favorite fruits and/or nuts!

  • Author: All Recipes
  • Prep Time: :40
  • Cook Time: 1:00
  • Total Time: 1:40
  • Yield: 2 loaves
  • Category: Snack
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Amish

Ingredients

Instructions

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Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Haven’t received a bag of Amish Friendship Bread starter but want to make the bread? Here’s the recipe for starting your starter from scratch.

Ingredients

Scale
  • .25 ounce active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
  • 1/4 cup warm water 110° F/45° C
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup milk

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes.
  • In a 2-quart glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly with a whisk or fork.
  • Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture.
  • Cover loosely and let stand at room temperature until bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the 10-day cycle. For the next 10 days, handle starter according to the instructions.

AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD INSTRUCTIONS
Before starting:
* Write the daily directions below on a gallon-size Ziploc Bag.
* Do not use metal containers or utensils. (Sourdough is acidic and can dissolve metal. Use ceramic, glass or plastic only.)
* It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble and ferment. If the bag has air in it, simply let the air out and seal the bag again.
* Store the starter at room temperature. Do not refrigerate.

Day 1: 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 flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup of milk. Mash the bag.
Day 7: Mash the bag.
Day 8: Mash the bag.
Day 9: Mash the bag.
Day 10: Pour the starter into a non-metal bowl. Add ½ cup flour, ½ cup sugar, and ½ cup milk.

* Mix well and then measure out 4-5 separate starters of 1 cup each into gallon Ziploc bags.
* Keep one bag for yourself and give 3 or 4 to friends along with a copy of this recipe.

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