Friendship Bread

I had an artist paint a wall at Bellisimo that reads "Entrare il bellisimo come uno straniero, un congedo come un amico" translation "Enter Bellisimo as a stranger, leave as a friend" It is part of the magic of the shopping experience at Bellisimo! Our atmosphere is warm & inviting, and truly a space for friends to gather.

I have had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful people who have come into my boutique, and have since become my friends. My friend Margaret is one of those special people and she is the most kind-hearted woman I have had the pleasure of meeting.

She recently brought me Amish Friendship Bread as well as the starter for the bread to make my own which is a 10 day process. The idea is to bake 2, keep 1 & give the other to a friend along with the recipe & the cycle continues. It is a sweet cinnamon flavored delight! If you are not familiar withh this tradition, anthropologists say people like to share things they have invested their time in. It is the notion of giving something of yourself. The bread as well as the gifts from Bellisimo have much in common, we love to create & share beautiful things.

Thanks to the magic of Bellisimo & compliments of my dear friend you will find the recipe below.

P.S. It's in the oven as I write!

Starter Ingredients
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 cups white sugar, divided
3 cups milk

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a 2 quart container glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.
On days 2 thru 4; stir starter with a spoon. Day 5; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Days 6 thru 9; stir only.
Day 10; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Remove 1 cup to make your first bread, give 2 cups to friends along with this recipe, and your favorite Amish Bread recipe. Store the remaining 1 cup starter in a container in the refrigerator, or begin the 10 day process over again (beginning with step 2).

Once you have made the starter, you will consider it Day One, and thus ignore step 1 in this recipe and proceed with step 2.

Friendship Bread
1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F Grease 2 (9x5 inch) loaf pans.
In a large bowl, combine the Amish bread starter with oil, eggs, 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well. Pour into prepared loaf pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes.