amish friendship bread

Such as making this Amish Friendship Bread.  There is just something about delayed gratification that just makes it that much more enjoyable. 

First things first - The Starter

Ingredients:

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 c. warm water
1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 c. warm milk (110 degrees)

Directions:

Day 1:
Soften active dry yeast with 1/4 cup warm water for 10 minutes.

Stir with a wooden spoon. In a non-metal bowl, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix, slowly adding 1 cup warm milk and the softened yeast. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and leave at room temperature until bubbly. When mixture has lots of bubbles, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Days 2, 3, and 4:
Stir with a wooden or plastic spoon (don’t use a metal spoon) until mixture is smooth. Do this once each day.

Day 5:
At this time, 2 cups of starter can be removed from the batch to bake Amish Friendship Bread
Replenish starter by stirring in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk; stir; allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate.

Days 6, 7, 8, 9:
Stir with wooden or plastic spoon until smooth. Do this once each day.

Day 10:
Repeat.

This is a great recipe to share with family and friends

Now let’s make the yummy bread we’ve all been waiting for

Ingredients:

1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
2/3 cup oil
3 eggs
2 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  In mixing bowl, combine all ingredients.  Grease and flour well 2 9″x5″ bread pans. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Optional: Add 1/2 cup of one or more of the following - raisins, chopped apples, crushed pineapple, candied fruit, coconut, chopped dates, nuts or chocolate chips to batter just before baking.

Enjoy!