Recipes Reviews and Gadgets

All I have to say is WOW, that was a lot of work! I had to send my husband to the store for the instant pudding, and he came home with cook and serve! Called him told him it was wrong, need INSTANT! He brings home the right thing, I start mixing the last day and trying to divide it into four bags for my “friends” so I can pass this along and it is going everywhere in the kitchen. I get to the final step, and I have no oil. I hardly ever bake with oil. Back to the store I go! It did make two huge tasty loaves of very very sweet cake like bread (so my husband said). He loved it, and my dogs happily cleaned the pans.

Not so sure I want to be the recipient of this again though - it was quite the project. I had my husband pawn off the remaining bags at work today!

Here is the starter recipe in case anyone wants to pass it along!

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

This is the Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe that you’ll need to make the Amish Friendship Bread (above). It is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when making this. Do not use metal at all!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110°F)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.

2. In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.

3. Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Loosely cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap. The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle, or the day you receive the starter.

Day 2 - stir

Day 3 - stir

Day 4 - stir

Day 5 - Add 1 cup each 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.

After removing the 3 cups of batter, combine the remaining cup of Amish Friendship Bread starter with the following ingredients in a large bowl:

2/3 cup oil
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour

1 package vanilla INSTANT Pudding
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Using a fork beat by hand until well blended. You can add 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (optional).

Grease two loaf pans with butter, sprinkle with sugar instead of flour.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour (individual oven temperatures vary). Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans. Makes two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread.

This looks like it takes some work, but I bet they taste good. I was wondering if I could substitute whole wheat flour and make them healthier.

1 lb. All−purpose or bread flour
1 teas. Salt
1 1/2 Tbl. Dry yeast
1 teas. Sugar
1 cup Warm milk
2 oz. Butter, melted
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and leave in a warm place. Dissolve
the yeast and sugar in warm (105 F) milk (M−Waved). Let froth,
then mix in the butter. Stir all the liquid into the warm flour and beat
well until smooth and elastic. Cover and proof in a warm place for 50
minutes or until doubled in bulk. Turn onto a well−floured board and
knead, working a little more flour if necessary to make the dough easier
to shape. Round up the dough, roll into a thick sausage shape and (using
the sharpest knife you have) slice into 8 to 10 portions, each about 1 1/2
to 1 3/4 inch thick. Shape each one into a round with straight sides. Put
onto a greased baking sheet. Cover (use greased plastic wrap) and put
in a warm place to proof for 30−40 minutes or until springy to the touch.
Leave room for expansion and be careful not to over−proof, as the muffins
will get flabby and lose their shape. Warm and grease the bakestone
lightly. Lift the muffins carefully onto the bakestone and cook over very
moderate heat for 8−10 minutes until pale gold underneath. Turn and cook
the other side. Wrap in a cloth and keep warm if cooking in batches. To
serve, insert a knife in the side, pull the top and bottom slightly apart,
and insert slivers of butter.

My cousin and I both found this recipe on the same day! You have to trust two beautiful Italian women She loves monkey bread, I have never made it, but have had it. I will have to try this healthier version.

1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated reduced-fat buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
3/4 cup fat-free caramel topping
2 teaspoons vanilla
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray.
2. In 1-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag, mix sugar and cinnamon. Separate both cans of dough into 16 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into quarters. Add biscuit pieces to sugar mixture. Seal bag; shake to coat. Layer biscuit pieces and pecans in pan.
3. In small bowl, mix caramel topping and vanilla. Pour over biscuit pieces.
4. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert onto serving plate. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information 1 Serving: Calories 250 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 8g (Saturated Fat 3 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 640mg; Total Carbohydrate 39g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 15g); Protein 3g

My friend Cherie gave me this recipe, and said it was so good she could not stop eating it. She cannot take full credit for it though, as her co-worker Lorrie made this wonderful treat and shared it with the office. Cherie was going to go home and make up a loaf for her family because she enjoyed it so much. It is said to be great for breakfast, as a dessert or snack!

Thanks Cherie and Lorrie! :)  Cherie is going to send us a traditional recipe from the Philippines next time!

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/3 c vegetable oil

1 1/4 cup mashed riped bananas (about 3)

1 tsp vanilla abstract

1 1/2 c flour

1/2 c unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup semi sweetened chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom of 8″x4″ loaf pan with cooking spray

2. Beat sugar, eggs, oil in large bowl, at medium speed until combined.  Beat in bananas and vanilla at low speed. Combine flower, cocoa and baking soda in medium bowl; add to wet mixture at at low speed until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Spoon batter into pan. Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.