Amish Friendship Bread: Day 1
Today I received a starter for Amish Friendship Bread from, quite suitably, a friend. Enclosed with the bag of starter was the following recipe:
Do not use metal spoons, bowls or equipment. Do not refrigerate.
Day 1: Do nothing
Day 2: Squeeze bag of starter or stir with wooden spoon
Day 3: Squeeze bag of starter or stir with wooden spoon
Day 4: Squeeze bag of starter or stir with wooden spoon
Day 5: Squeeze bag of starter or stir with wooden spoon
Day 6: Add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk. Stir with a wooden spoon.
Day 7: Squeeze bag of starter or stir with wooden spoon
Day 8: Squeeze bag of starter or stir with wooden spoon
Day 9: Squeeze bag of starter or stir with wooden spoon
Day 10: In large bowl: combine starter from bag, 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk, 1 cup sugar.
Mix with wooden spoon. Remove 3 cups of starter and place 1 cup into each of 3 bags. Give one bag of starter and copy of recipe to three friends.
To remaining batter, add the following and mix well:
1 cup oil
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups flour
1 large box instant vanilla pudding
Pour mixed ingredients into 2 loaf pans, well greased and coated with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. As an option, add 1 cup nuts or raisins.
Now, according to the Internet (and everything on the Internet is true!), I could also substitute vanilla pudding with chocolate and put chocolate chips in it. Or I could put in apples and walnuts. Or any number of interesting variations.
Anyway, here is my lovely bag of starter:
I'm a little freaked out at the idea of leaving a bag of milky batter on my counter for the better part of two weeks, but my friend assures me it'll be fine. I'll assume she's right since it's called Amish Friendship Bread and not Amish Botulism Bread.
Today is Day 1, which, aside from this post, is Completely Uneventful. I'm pleased to report that the bag of batter is lounging restfully on my countertop and my kitties have not attacked it and dragged it into the livingroom. The same cannot be said for the bag of hamburger buns.
