Amish Friendship Bread- Starter
One of the most sought after recipes searched online is for Amish Friendship Bread. Though by its name alone this recipes is credited to the Amish community, it is not infact an Amish recipe. Noone is certain where the recipe or its traditions originiated, but it has been around for decades. The nature of the recipe and the community aspect of passing it on make it fit with the Amish culture, and due to the name, the interest, and the use of Amish philosophy, we will include it in the Amish Family Pantry.
For those not familiar with Amish Friendship Bread, someone gives you a ’starter’. To this starter you ad ingredients over a 10 day period. On the tenth day you divide it up and pass two starters and the recipe onto two more friends. Today we will start with the recipe for the starter. This is needed for those of us who have no friends, or none that have any starter. Next time we will get into the bread recipe. Incredients:
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup milk
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a glass bowl, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix well so the flour does not clump when milk is added. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Let it stand at room temperature for five days. Once each day stir the mixture and recover. That is it. Simple enough? One more thing to remember, do not use metal bowls or spoons at any step in this process. Check back for the next step on day 5.
