Amish Friendship Bread

Our new neighbors introduced us to a nifty tradition by delivering a batch of Amish friendship bread starter dough. If you've never heard of friendship bread, it's like a chain letter that you bake. A friend gives you live-yeast starter dough and directions, which you follow for 10 days. You wind up with enough dough to make a yummy sweet bread, plus a starter to pass on to three friends.

If 10 days seems like an eternity to make bread, you're right. When the market shelves are lined with quick mixes and kitchens are equipped with electric mixers and microwaves, most of us aren't used to waiting for anything. But the effort involved is practically nil, and the experience is a pleasant throwback to simpler times.

Natalie, then 4, took up the role of resident mixer. Each morning at the kitchen counter, she enthusiastically followed the directions to "squeeze the bag." Unfortunately, by day five, the plastic bag gave out and the contents oozed all over the kitchen counter.

It felt like an insult to goodwill to give up there, so I called our neighbor for the recipe for the starter. She didn't have it — hers had come from another friend — but a quick search on the Internet turned up several. None of them were clearly written, so I tweaked the one that made the most sense, and came up with the recipe listed below.

On most days, you simply hand your child a wooden spoon and let her stir. Twice you add a cup of flour, milk, and sugar. Fairly simple. (Clutter-haters beware: You will have a big bowl sitting on your counter for more than a week. Your husband will ask you when you can get rid of it.)

The tasty bread was worth the wait. Better still were the opportunities to talk with my kids about a simpler way of life, and the fun of sharing the starter with friends. Check out the recipe below...and pass it on.

Amish Friendship Bread Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water in a large glass, plastic, or ceramic bowl. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water, flour, salt, and sugar. Beat until smooth. Let stand uncovered at room temperature three to five days stirring 2 or 3 times a day. Use a wooden spoon. Cover at night.

When the mixture is ready, it should have a yeasty smell. Then pour out one cup of this into a large plastic or ceramic bowl to use for the friendship mixture. The rest should stand one day and then be covered, refrigerated, and used within 10 days.

With the 1 cup you removed, add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup flour and 1 teaspoon sugar to the bowl. Do not use a metal spoon. Do not refrigerate. This is the "starter mixture" for Day 1.

Day 1: The day you receive (or made) the starter mixture — do nothing.

Days 2, 3, and 4: Stir with a wooden spoon.

Day 5: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. STIR.

Days 6, 7, 8, and 9: Only stir the mixture.

Day 10: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, one cup milk and stir. Pour 1 cup mixture into each of the three separate containers and give to three friends. (If you use plastic bags, tell your friends to transfer the starter to a bowl.)

To the remaining mixture add 2/3 cup oil, 3 eggs, 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add fruits, nuts, raisins or chopped apple. Before baking, pour into 2 well-greased and sugared loaf pans.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cool 10 minutes.