What's in the Oven? Amish Friendship Bread

I like to cook, but I love to bake. So, I got to thinking the other day - maybe I should add a page dedicated just to baking. And . . .  here it is! You'll probably notice, as time goes by, my favorite thing to bake is bread. Any kind of bread. I think of it as "my specialty". My Grandma Anderson made the world's greatest bread (seriously) and she taught me how to bake bread from scratch and by hand when I was in the 2nd grade (no kidding - really - 2nd grade). No mixers or bread machines in her kitchen! I can still remember the very first time Grandma and I baked bread together. She even let me mix my own bread all by myself, following her example. I only wish I had her patience when it came to teaching my own children . . . . Maybe it's all part of the "Grandmother Job Description".

Today I'm baking Amish Friendship Bread. There are many variations for this recipe and all the ones I've tried are wonderful. I'm baking the classic friendship bread using a recipe found on Amish Friendship Bread. 

Amish Friendship Bread

1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter

3 eggs

1 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups flour

2 small pkgs. instant pudding (any flavor - I used vanilla today)

1 cup nuts, chopped (any kind - candied walnuts or pecans are especially good) (optional)

1 cup raisins (optional) - * see tip below

Preheat oven to 325 F (165 C).

Mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

Grease two large loaf pans. I like to use shortening for this recipe and be generous. Dust each greased pan with some of the cinnamon/sugar mixture (save some of the cinnamon/sugar for later!).

All ready for the batter!

In a large bowl, mix the ingredients as listed. The batter will be very thick.

My starter on Day 10

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture on top of each.

Into the oven

Bake for 1 hour or until the bread loosens evenly from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Cool until you can easily remove the loaves from the pans. Cool completely.

Yum!

I'll be enjoying this delicious bread with my afternoon coffee. I hope you enjoy it, too!

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TIP:  if you choose to add raisins to the bread, soak them in hot water first. Drain them and then measure before adding to the batter. This plumps the raisins and makes them softer and moister in the bread!

This post is linked with love to the following: