FRIENDSHIP BREAD, FEW WORDS AND A GIFT FROM MY VERY GOOD FRIENDS, JANICE AND GEOFREY

 

FRIENDSHIP BREAD,

FEW WORDS AND A GIFT FROM MY VERY GOOD FRIENDS, JANICE AND GEOFFREY

I received a loaf of friendship bread. and than I received a small bag with some dough, to follow the recipe for next 10 days, to make a wonderful, baked friendship bread.

As always, the recipes (banana friendship bread, chocolate friendship bread, Amish friendship bread) one can find into my photo cookbook: http://www.ilibili.com/album99

Amish Friendship Cake: Lorraine’s Story

from Janice A. Clark FitzGerald

Our niece gave us this Amish Friendship Cake recipe at Christmastime in 2007. My late sister’s daughter-in-law, Lorraine Askew, had been given the yeast with the recipe, by a friend who had received it from a friend, and so on. Like a good joke, no one knows who first made it up.

Lorraine had made many batches of the yeast and of the cake for friends and family. Her husband, John David, and their daughters, Samantha and Heather, were excited with anticipation each day the aroma filled their home on a mountain outside Lynchburg, Virginia.

We returned to Boston from our vacation with our starter yeast in a baggie and did what we were shown, with the same happy results Lorraine had. Our happiness was mixed, however, for everyone knew that this young mother was being treated for breast cancer. Every baggie and every loaf we gave away was a prayer for Lorraine and her young family. When I was recovering from back surgery my husband kept it going. Our friends have taken the Amish bread to Ireland and the Caribbean; no doubt it has spread further, and our prayers for Lorraine with it.

Lorraine died on January 14, 2008. Her father having worked in Japan for many years, there were 23 Buddhist monks chanting prayers for her when we called. We keep the memory of Lorraine alive by our bread-making. Amish Friendship Cake is, as Lorraine was, a gift.

 First I received Amish bread starter, as a friendship gift.

For the next 10 days I squeezed the bag and I added 1cup flour, 1c sugar, 1cup milk , in the day 5 and 10, as I received the instructions.

Day 1 - receive the starter

 

Day 2 - stir (OR= squeeze the plastic bag)

Day 3 - stir

Day 4 - stir

Day 5 - Add 1 cup each of flour, sugar and milk.

Day 6 - stir

Day 7 - stir

Day 8 - stir

Day 9 - stir

Day 10 - Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk.

Divide into 4 containers, with 1 cup each for three of your friends and 1 cup for your own loaves.

Give friends the instructions for Day 1 through Day 10 and the following recipe for baking the bread.

In the 10th day you make 3 new bags, to give to your friends, and the last cup, you make chocolate bread, or banana bread or Amish bread....

Chocolate friendship bread:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix

• 1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter

• 1 cup vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup milk

• 3 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the dry ingredients with liquid ingredients and get an nice, soft, silky dough.

Poor in a bread baking pan, or muffin pan, coated with parchment paper.

Bake at 375F until the wooden stick will come out clean (wooden stick test), about 50 minutes later.

 

Banana friendship bread:

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup vegetable oil, butter, or Crisco

1 rounded cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup light brown or white sugar

2 eggs

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon buttermilk powder (optional)

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons rum or banana liqueur

1/2 cup Amish Friendship Starter

1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine all ingredients. Turn out into a bread loaf pan,  molded with parchment paper.

When a cake tester (wooden stick) inserted in center comes out clean (about 50 minutes later) remove from oven.