Amish Friendship Bread

[Ke Kau]

So a friend of mine just gave me an Amish Friendship bread. The instructions state to "mash the bag" for 6 days and bake with it on the seventh. It gets "refreshed" on the 7th day.

This contradicts everything I have ever read about caring for a starter but apparently people have been passing this around for a while. The "starter" has no real character, and my guess, no real leavening power. But I'll play with it and pass it on as requested.

I wanted to know if any one out there has been given this before and what there experience has been? I can't wait to see!

Shane

[Katie Nell]

I remember we got some a while ago, and made it quite a bit. I don't remember the instructions though, but it was really good. Do you have instructions on how to make the starter or do you just have the starter? I would be curious to try it again as I haven't had it in probably 10 years.

[K8memphis]

Yeah, it's really good. I remember the 'mashing' the bag part. Umm, the hard part is foisting off all the starters that spring up off your batches.

There's a fruit one too that's also awesome. I guess that one is to make a cake though. Or you could use it on ice cream & stuff--it was really good.

The Amish know what they're doing huh.

[canucklehead]

I was passed a bag of the friendship cake - and it was freaky. There were raw eggs in the batter - and I remember thinking that there was no way that I was going to eat it. But - other people did and seemed none the worse for it. Good luck.

[K8memphis]

I was passed a bag of the friendship cake - and it was freaky.  There were raw eggs in the batter - and I remember thinking that there was no way that I was going to eat it.  But - other people did and seemed none the worse for it.  Good luck.

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Agh no, my starter did not have eggs. When I baked the bread I added eggs and baked the batter. You sure, man, in the starter?? The smell would knock you out in seven days or whatever it was. Dude, no one would be calling it Friendship Bread. Kwim???

[Chufi]

I got one a couple of years ago, i had to feed the starter every couple of days milk, sugar and flour. No eggs, but I remember being worried about all that milk left out and about (it was the middle of summer and very hot weather and I was supposed to keep it at room temp.)

I baked some great breads with it, but yes the main problem is to give away the portions, especially since I got it from a friend, and our circle of friends was well taken care of by the time I had some starters to give away

[Kim Shook]

Someone gave me some of this starter and I made the bread with it and it was wonderful. The starter itself doesn't have eggs in it; it has flour, milk, sugar and yeast, though! I'll link you to my directions for the bread for when you are given the starter and for the starter for when you'd like to start your own. This is really worth doing. It makes a very moist quick bread and you can vary it however you like.

[rooftop1000]

I got the one with eggs and milk...it was called Padre Pio....I killed it. Its still on the table staring at me.

tracey