Up and Coming Attraction! Amish Friendship Bread

The plan this week was to cook Amish Friendship Bread after having read the novel Friendship Bread by Darien Gee. As I live in Australia, I only know of the Amish through Hollywood or the occasional news report from the U.S. so I did not realize it would take ten days to make the special bread. Furthermore, I have never had a reason to make bread before so it could be interesting.

                    

The first step. Make your starter ...

DO NOT USE METAL UTENSILS. Wooden spoon, glass/ceramic bowl and large plastic or glass container or jar or clip lock bag for the starter to grow and bubble.

Ingredients

7g sachet of dry yeast (I used Tandaco)

1/4 warm cup water (approx 110 degrees. Not too hot or you will kill the live yeast)

1 teaspoon sugar

Allow to stand. If the mix bubbles in 5 minutes you know your yeast is alive and kicking. 

Then stir in:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup warm milk

Set aside and do nothing for the first day.

Here's Darien's protocol (p8)if you want to join me in making the starter for yourself and three friends (hence the name friendship bread); or four loaves for yourself - as the case may be.

Day 1:  Make the starter and it let stand. If you are given the starter by a friend let it stand and do nothing the first day. Do not refrigerate.

Days 2-5:  Stir with wooden spoon if mix is in a container, or squish and mash the mix if in a clip lock bag

Day 6:  Add to your container or bag 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup warm milk and combine.

Days 7-9: Stir with wooden spoon or squish and mash if in bag

Day 10: Pour the mix in to non-metal bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 1/2 cups warm milk.

Measure out four separate cups of mixture and put into four separate containers or bags. Give the bag and the bread recipe to your friends and keep one for yourself to make your bread - Or make four different flavoured loaves.

Bread Recipe to follow in ten days. Darien not only supplies the bread recipe but many other delicious variations for using the starter - including brownies and pancakes. There are also many variations on the web.

Please note: It is said that no one knows the origins of this recipe so credit cannot be attributed to a single person. But a big thank you to all the great and generous cooks out there! 

In the meantime, while waiting for your starter to mature, buy yourself a bread loaf pan.

By the way, I am happy to try any one's family favourite - all recipes, tips and tricks are gratefully accepted.

©2011 My Novel Idea Ann Etcell-Ly/All Rights Reserved