Day 1: Receive the start or make your own (see the bottom of this post for a starter recipe) Do not refrigerate the bag. Just leave it out on your counter.
Day 2-5: Mush the bag
Day 6: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk to the bag; mush to mix
Day 7-9: Mush the bag
Day 10: Bake! Mush the bag, then pour the batter into a glass or plastic bowl.
Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk and mix with a wooden spoon.
Fill 3 gallon-sized Ziploc bags with 1 cup batter each and give the bags to three friends with a copy of this recipe. Or freeze them for later.
To the remaining batter in the bowl, add the following:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 large box instant vanilla pudding
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
nuts are optional
Mix it together with a wooden spoon. Grease two loaf pans and coat the pans with a cinnamon sugar mixture. Divide the batter between the loaf pans and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar.
Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Cool in pans for ~10 minutes before removing.
You can also make muffins. They're delicious. I make one loaf of bread and do the rest as muffins. Bake as you would regular muffins.
Amish Friendship Bread Starter, if you don't have one
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
Put all three ingredients in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and mush it until well blended. Consider this Day 1. Follow the same directions as you would for the bread, as if someone had handed you a starter, rather than making your own! Do not refrigerate the bag. Just leave it out on your counter.
Day 2-5: Mush the bag
Day 6: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk to the bag; smoosh to mix
Day 7-9: Mush the bag
On Day 10: Mush the bag, then pour the batter into a glass or plastic bowl.
Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk and mix with a wooden spoon.
Fill 3 gallon-sized Ziploc bags with 1 cup batter each and give the bags to three friends with a copy of this recipe. Or freeze them for later. Make your bread as directed.
Holly's Note* (amended):
Normally a friend gives you a starter of Amish Friendship Bread and 10 days later, you make bread and give starters to other people. You can make your own starter though. It's easy.
My family loves Amish Friendship Bread. I, however, am always reluctant to give away the starters. I should just ask people if they want one, but I don't. I freeze them! On day 10, when you divide up the starter into plastic bags, just freeze those bags. When you want to start some bread, just thaw one out and treat it as Day 1.
You can also just take one bag of starter and make bread with it, as is. Just thaw it, dump it in a bowl and follow the recipe for Friendship bread. This is a very forgiving recipe. I've only done one bag for 8 or 9 days, and it turns out just fine.