Amish Friendship Bread

The subject of friendship came to me this evening when I realized that one who I considered a dear friend back in the day has now become one who only calls or talks to me when something is needed. I never hear from this friend just to go hang out or go to lunch or whatever, but only when they need a service or something from me. It didn't used to be this way...what happened? Its actually kind of annoying...

Okay, that was my little tirade.

At any rate, that reminded me about Amish Friendship Bread and the many questions I get about it. How many bags starters can you make? What happens if I forget to "squish" my bag? What day is 'Day 1'? Where can I find another starter?

I'm going to start with the last question first, because that's one that I probably hear the most. I listen to sad bakers who let their starter go bad or just got bored of it and tossed it, but miss that happy little loaf of wonderful bread and want to start the cycle again but don't know where to get another one, as all of their friends got bored about the same time. There are websites offering to mail you a starter for various fees. But why would you bother with all of that when the 'magical, elusive starter' can be made in like twelve minutes in your kitchen (and ten of those minutes are waiting for the yeast to activate)?

The magical starter recipe is five ingredients long...and three of those are the ones you already put in on Day 6:

1pkg active yeast (not the quick rise kind)
1/4c lukewarm water
1c sugar
1c flour
1c milk

In a small bowl (non-metal, yes it matters) mix water and yeast and allow ten minutes to "activate." Pour into bowl with the other ingredients, stir, and transfer to gallon sized Ziploc. Voila!! Day 1 is accomplished. Which answers that other question..."Day 1" is simply the first day the starter goes into the bag. No mystery there.

Next comes the squishing part. In most recipes, the directions will tell you to squish your bag one to several times a day to mix the ingredients. Sure. Why not. Squish away. Really, you could let that bag sit there for five days, squish it, and then add the additional ingredients for that day (or "Day 6" in some recipes, whatever), and it would be perfectly fine. However, I would advise releasing the gas that is produced by feeding yeast. You'll notice that your bag starts to expand...yeah, you might want to let that air out, otherwise you may end up with a burst bag. Hasn't happened to me yet, just a warning.

Another question I get is how to tell if the starter has gone bad. Here's a hint: if it turns pink, orange, or has a very icky smell, its gone bad. Other than that, no big deal.

The last big question I get is how many starters is the recipe supposed to make. Apparently some recipes call for removing 3 cups of starter, and others 4. I go with 3, and here's why: There's barely over 4 cups of starter by Day 10. If you remove four cups to make four new starters, you've got this tiny little puddle left in your bowl. A little science lesson - the amount of flour in the final recipe is going to take a lot more yeast than that to rise. Which brings me to another point...

I secretly don't think that the starter actually does anything. Gasp! Blasphemy! I know, I'm sorry. But between the baking powder, baking soda, and eggs required for the recipe, there are more than enough leavening agents in the mixture to produce a perfectly normal loaf of bread. The starter might contribute flavor (which again, would be lessened if you take out 4 cups of starter) to the bread, however I personally think the whole thing is about tradition, fun, and friendship. That's just a theory though.

So there you have it. That's my two cents - more like ten cents, that was a long post - on Amish Friendship Bread. Below is the recipe that I use for my basic loaf. In the future I'll have to write a post about all of the variations I like to use (some of them I've invented, others I've borrowed) because this post is too long already. Please feel free to comment with any additional questions, and I'll be more than happy to answer. Happy baking!


Amish Friendship Bread Recipe

Day 1 - receive the starter (the recipe for the starter is below)

Day 2 - squish

Day 3 - squish

Day 4 - squish

Day 5 - Add 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk.

Day 6 - squish

Day 7 - squish

Day 8 - squish

Day 9 - squish

Day 10 - Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Divide into 3 containers, with 1 cup each for two of your friends and 1 cup for your own loaves. Give friends the instructions for Day 1 through Day 10 and the following recipe for baking the bread.

After removing the 3 cups of batter, combine the remaining cup of Amish Friendship Bread starter with the following ingredients in a large bowl:

2/3 cup oil
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Using a fork beat by hand until well blended. You can add 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (optional).

Grease two loaf pans (or one bundt pan) with butter, sprinkle with sugar instead of flour.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour or so (individual oven temperatures vary). Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans. Makes two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread (unless you used the bundt pan, obviously).