Amish Friendship Bread

I was given a starter bag & baking directions from Cora, co-worker, couple months ago, and ever since I been baking this bread. I actually call it cake, because to me it's more of a cake like consistency than bread. The recipe calls for instant vanilla pudding, but I have used instant chocolate pudding and sprinkled the top with chocolate chunks. Hubby happens to have a very "sweet tooth" and loves this cake; as you can see a big piece of cake is missing already! He has requested that the next cake I bake, I use pistachio instant pudding. I'm sure it will turn out very good as well.

I freeze the starters and take out a bag when I'm ready for the next cake. It works well and I not baking every 10 days. The remaining bags I give to friends and family.

If you have not been given a starter bag, I'm sure you can google it, and find out how to get the starter going.

Here are the directions that came along with my starter bag:

Amish Friendship Bread

Do not refrigerate starter!!! If air gets into the bag, let it out. It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble & ferment.

_____Day 1: Do nothing; this is the day the batter was made!
_____Day 2: Mush the bag
_____Day 3: Mush the bag
_____Day 4: Mush the bag
_____Day 5: Add to the bag: 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, & 1 cup milk
_____Day 6: Mush the bag
_____Day 7: Mush the bag
_____Day 8: Mush the bag
_____Day 9: Mush the bag
_____Day 10: Follow the following directions below & then bake!

Pour the entire contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl & use a non-metal spoon. Add 1 ½ cups sugar, 1 ½ cups flour, and 1 ½ cups milk. Stir until smooth. Take 4-gallon size zip-lock bags & put 1 cup batter into each bag. Let air out of the bags. Put today’s date on each bag. Keep starter bag for yourself & share the other 3 bags with family or friends, along with a copy of the recipe & if desired, a sample piece of your baked bread.

If you keep a starter for yourself, you will be baking every ten days. The bread is very good and makes a great gift. Only the Amish know how to create the starter, so if you give them all away, you will have to wait until someone gives you a starter back.

BAKING DIRECTIONS

Take the remaining batter (after the 4 starters have been measured out) and add:

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoosn almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding mix

Nuts if choice, optional

Mix until smooth. In a small bowl, mix together ¼ cup sugar & 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, set aside. Grease 2 loaf pans with non-stick spray. Sprinkle some of the sugar mixture into each pan. Pour batter in each pan and sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. You can also use mini loaf pans & and it will make 4 mini loaves.