Amish Friendship Bread Starter

If you have never enjoyed the wonder that is Amish Friendship Bread, then you have never truly lived...okay, maybe you have, but really, Amish Friendship Bread is about the best ever. So in the spirit of being a good friend, I am sharing the starter recipe that I just typed up for my brother, with all of you!

Creating an Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Ingredients:

3 Cups Sugar

3 Cups Sugar

3 Cups Milk

Day 1: In large plastic baggie, combine 1 cup of flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk.  Keep on your counter. Do NOT refrigerate.  (You can use a glass or plastic bowl covered with a towel or plastic wrap, and mix it with a plastic of wooden spoon. Never use a metal bowl or metal spoons to mix, as this will kill the yeast.

Day 2-Day 4: Stir mixture once each day (open bag and close it. Then mix it with your hands through the bag.)

Day 5: Add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1 cup Milk and mix.

Day 6-Day 9: Stir mixture once each day.

Day 10: Add 1 Cup Sugar, 1 cup Flour, 1 cup Milk. Mix thoroughly. Take out 3 cups and place 1 cup each into three separate plastic baggie. Use the balance (a little over one cup) of the batter, and see the recipe at the bottom of this post.

For your first starter, you can use the remaining in your baggie to make 2 loafs of bread (see recipe below) and then keep 1 more starter on your counter. Share the remaining two with your friends. You can cut the second loaf of bread in half and share it with the directions and starter for your friends. 

The info below is what you will pass on to your friends with their baggie of starter.

Amish Friendship Bread

Day 1:

Do nothing with the starter.

Days 2-5:

Release air from baggie, reclose and mix mixture.

Day 6:

Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Reclose the bag and mix the mixture thoroughly.

Days 7-9:

Release air from baggie, reclose and mix mixture.

Day 10:

Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Stir. Take out 3 cups and place 1 cup each into three separate plastic containers. Give one cup and a copy of this recipe to two friends. Keep 1 cup on the counter to keep your bread supply coming.  

To the balance (a little over one cup) of the batter, add the following ingredients and mix well.

1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla


In a separate bowl combine the following dry ingredients and mix well:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 - (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts


Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Grease 2 bread pans and coat with sugar. Pour batter into bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.