Amish Friendship Bread recipe for printing

This recipe and starter comes from an Amish tradition of community sharing and delicious food. Each starter has a unique journey that begins in one kitchen, then is passed from one kitchen to the next, collecting stories and beginning traditions along the way. Each starter is alive, much like our relationships, and must be taken care of for 10 days before it is ready to be divided, baked, and shared. It makes a wonderful gift because you can give a loaf of sweet, cinnamony bread and the starter that it came from.

This particular starter began in a kitchen in Oklahoma to be shared at Thanksgiving. To read about the origins of this starter and to see all of the different kitchens it has visited, go to http://watsourced.blogspot.com/2009/11/amish-friendship-bread-challenge.html, and be sure to post a comment yourself! Enjoy.

Day 1: Do nothing, this is the day you receive the batter. The bag is dated.
Day 2: Mush the bag
Day 3: Mush the bag
Day 4: Mush the bag
Day 5: Mush the bag
Day 6: Add to the bag :1 C. flour, 1 C. sugar, and 1 C. cold milk. Mush the bag.
Day 7: Mush the bag
Day 8: Mush the bag
Day 9: Mush the bag
Day 10: Follow the directions below:
1. Pour the entire contents of the bag into a nonmetal bowl.
2. Add 1 C. flour, 1 C. of sugar, 1 C. of milk
3. Measure out 4 separate batters (1 cup each) into 4 Ziplock (1 gallon bags). Keep a starter bag for yourself and give 3 to friends with a copy of the recipe.
Note: If you keep a starter for yourself you will be baking every 10 days.

Baking Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. To the remaining batter in the bowl add: 3 eggs, 1/2 cup of oil, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of sugar, 2 tsp. of cinnamon, 1 tsp. of vanilla, 1 1/2 tsp. of baking powder, 1/2 tsp. of baking soda, 1/2 tsp. of salt, 2 cups of flour, 1 large box of vanilla pudding.
3. Grease 2 large loaf pans .
4. Sugar the pans with a mixture of 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon. Pour the batter evenly into the pans and top with the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.
5. Bake for approx. 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into loaves comes out clean.

Hints: Do not use any metal spoons or bowls. They will interact negatively with the yeast in the starter. Your bag will fill with air like a balloon—this is normal. Just open the bag and release the excess air as necessary. Feel free to add fruits, nuts, different flavored pudding, or chocolate chips to your bread just before baking.