Audrey's Friendship Bread

 

STARTER

½ teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water
1 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup milk

Combine yeast, warm water and a pinch of sugar in cup and allow to stand a few minutes until it begins to foam. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour and milk with a wooden spoon. Stir in yeast mixture.

AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD

1 cup starter
¾ cup oil
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1-¼ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1 large box instant vanilla pudding mix (5.1 oz.)
1 cup chopped nuts
A whole lotta LOVE

Mix all ingredients with a wooden spoon,. Measure 2 cups of batter in each pan. Bake at 325 for 40 minutes (ovens may vary). Bakes best in light colored aluminum pans. Dark pans not recommended. Makes 2 loaves.

Double Batch

2 cup starter
1-½ cup oil
4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
2-½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 large boxes instant vanilla pudding mix (5.1 oz.)
2 cups chopped nuts
Double the LOVE




THE HISTORY of Audrey's Bread

 

 That is my friend Audrey. Audrey has quite a reputation within our group of friends as the Master Bread Maker. She bakes all kinds of delicious breads. cheese Bread, Herbed Bread, Sweet Breads.
 Bread is my weakness.
I would take her breads over any amount of chocolate any day. You can have your sweets. Unless that is, if it's Audrey's Friendship Bread. Quite possibly the best tasting thing I have ever had in my entire forty years of life.
It's life changing.
Addictive.
I would imagine it much like a drug addition.
I have withdrawals when I don't have any.
I get moody and mean.
I start conniving... Maybe I could fake a sickness.  Or a bad day. Maybe she'd bring me some.
Its a drug, I tell you. Laced with a sweet goodness of a concoction that is beyond my understanding.
Who needs to understand, when there is such desire?
I think about it almost daily. I hide and hoard any loaf she might so generously share with my family. I require alone time with the bread, never even eluding to my family (who also have their own personal addictions to the bread) that Audrey has ever given us a loaf. I know. It's bad. It's wrong. It's downright sinful.
I need an intervention.
A twelve step program.
But then life would not be near as wonderful without Friendship bread.

It's quite appropriately named. Because the only thing I treasure more about Audrey than her bread.. is her friendship. She truly puts her precious and giving heart into every loaf. I am lucky to be blessed by her friendship. Such a loyal, protective, genuine caring soul.
 But it never hurts that she sometimes remind me of how fabulous she is in one of those incredible sugared loaves.

Audrey was kind enough to share her recipe with me. (Maybe it was to get me off of her back) But we all know that things are that much better when someone else makes them. She bakes her with LOVE.
Audrey, I love you. And your bread.

Thank you for sharing your recipe!
No go, do what you are supposed to do with this bread....
Make it. Bake it. Make some friends.

Live*Laugh*Love*Leigh

Participating in Foodie Friday