EASY FRIENDSHIP BREAD (AMISH BREAD) STARTER

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in small amount of warm water.
• Mix all ingredients together in a gallon-size ziploc bag. This is day one.
• Day 1 - Do nothing (This is the day you receive your starter, see date on your bag.).
• 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 - Mush the bag.
• Day 7 - Mush the bag.
• Day 8 - Mush the bag.
• Day 9 - Mush the bag.
• Day 10 - Follow the instructions below:.
• Pour entire contents of the bag into a large non-metal bowl.
• For 4 starters: Add 1-1/2 cups flour, 1-1/2 cups sugar, 1-1/2 cups milk.
• For 1 starter: Add ½ cup flour, ½ cup sugar, ½ milk (Tip: Starter will form lumps - add flour and sugar only and stir until smooth then add milk gradually (it will take a lot of stirring.).
• Label four (or one), one-gallon Ziploc bags with "Day 1" and the date. Fill each of these bags with one cup of the mixture. These are starters for you to pass onto your friends and/or co-workers. If you'd like, you may keep one for yourself. Note: If you keep a starter bag for yourself, you will be baking bread every 10th day. If you don't keep one for yourself, you will have to wait until you receive another starter bag from a friend, as the Amish are the only ones who know how to create a starter. After filling the bags, there will be 1-1/2 cups of batter remaining.
• Preheat the oven to 325'.
• To the remaining batter add 3 eggs, 1-1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 cup oil (or ½ oil & ½ applesauce), ½ tsp baking soda, ½ cup milk, ½ tsp vanilla, 1 cup sugar, 2 cups flour, ½ tsp salt, 1 large box vanilla instant pudding, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 cup raisins (optional), 1 cup chopped nuts (optional).
• Note: It is easier to mix if you combine the dry ingredients (except for sugar and pudding) in another bowl then add it slowly to the batter.
• Grease bottom and sides of 2 large loaf pans or spray with Pam. Mix ½ cup sugar and 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl. Dust the insides of each of the pans with half of the mixture, making sure to cover the bottom and sides well.
• Pour batter evenly into the 2 pans and sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture over top of the batter.
• Bake for approximately 1 hour (until toothpick comes out clean.) Cool until the bread loosens from the pan easily. Turn onto serving dish. May be served warm or cold. Enjoy.