Amish Friendship Bread/Muffins

"Amish Friendship Bread" recipe requires a starter.

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the Starter Ingredients:

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups white sugar
3 cups warm milk (110°F)

Directions:
Before beginning, please remember: Do not use metal utensils. Do not refrigerate. The starter takes 10 days to ferment.

Day 1:
In a small bowl, soften yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well. In a 2 quart glass or ceramic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover tightly with lid or plastic wrap. The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle. (you can also mix your ingredients into a gallon Ziploc baggie)

Day 2: Stir with wooden or plastic spoon
Day 3: Stir with wooden or plastic spoon
Day 4: Stir with wooden or plastic spoon

Day 5: Stir with wooden or plastic spoon.
Add 1 cup sifted flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk; stir.

Day 6: Stir with wooden or plastic spoon
Day 7: Stir with wooden or plastic spoon
Day 8: Stir with wooden or plastic spoon
Day 9: Stir with wooden or plastic spoon

Day 10: Stir with wooden or plastic spoon.
Add 1 cup sifted flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk and stir.

Remove 1 cup to make your first loaf of bread. Give 1 cup to a friend with this recipe instructions. Use the remaining cup to begin the 10 day process over again.

You can freeze the remaining cup for later use. Frozen starter takes at least 3 hours at room temperature to thaw before use. Do not thaw starter in microwave.

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Amish Friendship Bread

1) Do NOT use any type of metal spoon or bowl for mixing
2) Do not refrigerate
3) If air gets in the bag, let it out
4) It is normal to raise, bubble and ferment

Day 1: Do nothing
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 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk,
and mush the bag
Day 7: Mush the bag
Day 8: Mush the bag
Day 9: Mush the bag
Day 10: Follow these baking instructions:

      1) pour the entire contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl
      2) add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk
      3) Measure out 2 separate batters of 1 cup each into
         1 gallon Ziploc bags. Keep a starter for yourself and give
         the other 1 to a friend along with a copy of this recipe.
         (Be sure to date the bags!)
      4) preheat the oven to 325
      5) to the remaining batter in the bowl,
          MIX separately, and ADD

         (wet items)
         3 eggs
         1/2 cup milk
         2 tsp vanilla
         1 cup of oil
         (or 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce)

         (dry items)
         2 tbsp cinnamon
         1 1/2 tsp baking powder
         1/2 tsp baking soda
         1/2 tsp salt
         2 cups flour
         1 large box instant vanilla pudding

      6) mix separately 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 tsp cinnamon
      7) grease 2 large loaf pans;
         dust pans with half of cinnamon/sugar mixture
      8) pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and
         sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the
         top of both pans of batter
      9) bake 1 hour. Cool until the bread loosens from the pan
         evenly after about 10 mins. Turn out onto serving plate.
         Serve hot or cold.

To bake as muffins: fill cups 3/4ths full. bake for 15-20 mins. Makes approx. 2 dozen muffins. Remove the muffins quickly from the pan (using a tablespoon) before the sugar coating hardens.

Additional ingredients:
follow recipe as normal except save 1/2 cup of dry ingredients, use this to cover 1 cup of raisins, nuts, dried cherries, cranberries, etc. before mixing into batter.

Lemon muffins
delete cinnamon
substitute lemon pie filling for vanilla pudding
substitute lemon extract for vanilla
additional items: 1 cup tart dried cranberries, 1/2 cup coconut, 1/2 cup walnuts (or instead of fruit/coconut, add 2 tbsp poppy seeds)
extra: powdered sugar icing

Orange muffins
delete cinnamon
substitute orange extract for vanilla
additional items: 1 cup tart dried cranberries, 1/2 cup coconut, 1/2 cup walnuts
extra: powdered sugar icing

Chocolate muffins
delete or reduce cinnamon
substitute chocolate pudding for vanilla pudding
additional items: 1 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup coconut, 1/2 cup walnuts; mini-marshmallows
extra: powdered sugar or powdered sugar icing

Thanksgiving Pumpkin/cranberry muffins
substitute pumpkin pie spice for cinnamon
substitute pumpkin for oil
additional items: 1 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup walnuts
extra: cream cheese icing

Christmas Fruitcake muffins
additional items: 1 1/2 cups candied fruit, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup walnuts
extra: powdered sugar icing