Amish Friendship Bread Starter and Bread

For Starter: Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of the warm water in a deep glass or plastic container. Stir in remaining warm water, flour and sugar.

Beat until smooth. Cover. (A large glass jar or bowl with a tight fitting lid works best for this, but a 1/2 gallon zip baggie can also be used).

Because your first batch of starter contains fresh yeast, you can skip the next set of directions and go directly to the instructions for splitting your start.

Do not refrigerate! Do not stir with a metal spoon! The starter requires 10 days for fermentation.

Day 1- Begin or receive starter Day 2- Stir with wooden spoon (or squish baggie) Day 3- Stir with wooden spoon (or squish baggie) Day 4- Stir with wooden spoon (or squish baggie) Day 5- Add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk Day 6- Stir with wooden spoon (or squish baggie) Day 7- Stir with wooden spoon (or squish baggie) Day 8- Do Nothing Day 9- Do Nothing Day 10- Add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk

Put 1 cup of starter in each of three containers. Give 2 away to friends and keep one. This will begin their Day 1.

For Bread: You will have about 1 cup of batter left (besides the 1 cup you have saved for yourself). To the remaining batter add vegetable oil, sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, eggs, milk, vanilla pudding mix, cinnamon, and salt. Beat until well blended. Add one cup raisins, chocolate chips or nuts, if desired.

Grease 2 loaf pans well, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, coating bottom well. Turn batter into pans, and sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar onto tops of loaves. Bake at 325 degrees F for one hour.