What Is Amish Friendship Bread?

Amish Friendship Bread is a memory builder for your entire family. Your children will remember "the bread you used to bake" their entire life. Involving your children as much as possible will also build a desire in them to take up baking as they grow and start their own families.

Amish Friendship Bread is created with a bread "starter" that has gone through a natural fermentation process. IMO the fermentation adds so much flavor to the bread, and the enzymes that are created during this process are good for your body. To learn more about natural fermentation and its effects on your body, read Sally Fallons book Nourishing Traditions.

The starter has a sweet aroma, with hints of yeast and an alcohol scent.

This natural fermention process is a good skill to learn, it requires no refrigeration, and is good for you. When any of our family members has to take antibiotics, I let them have a tablespoon of starter as a probiotic to replace the natural and good enzymes and bacteria that are in our digestive system. If your kids want a "taste" or like to sneak a little, don't stop them, it is good for them, especially their digestive system.

The older your starter is the stronger enzymes you have in your starter. Take good care of your starter, and if you have some over 100 years old, please send me a batch.

In the gold rush days the miners were referred to as "Sourdoughs", they would protect their sourdough starter from freezing. Although we know now that freezing does not kill your starter, heat will kill it. The Alaskan miners would wear their sourdough starter around their neck in a pouch, to always keep it warm and protect it.

Sourdoughs Reference: Pier57 Seattle

.