Comfort Food-Amish Friendship Bread

I have had a craving for Amish Friendship Bread.  You know that starter that gets passed around and around until you just throw it out? I started the "starter" today and thought I'd share the recipe with you just in case you haven't had any for awhile, either. 

First the starter:

2 cups flour                                                                                                                                                                        

2 cups warm water

1 package yeast

Day 1:  In a glass or ceramic bowl, mix starter ingredients.  Leave on the kitchen counter uncovered, don't refrigerate.

Day 2, 3 and 4:  Stir will with a wooden spoon

Day 5:  Stir and add i cup milk, 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar.  This is called feeding the starter.

Days 6, 7 and 8:  Stir well with a wooden spoon.

Day 9:  Stir and add another 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of sugar.  Stir well.

Day 10 and 11:  Stir well

Day 12:  Ladle 1 cup of starter into each of 4 containers and refrigerate.  Use one to make the bread recipe, keep one for you use another time and give the other two away to friends.  If you don't bake on this day, add 1 teaspoon sugar and refrigerate the mixture.  The sugar will feed the yeast and keep it alive.  Date the jars and every 10 days remove the starter from the fridge, transfer it to a bowl, and feed it the usual combination of 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk and 1 cup sugar.  Leave it outside the fridge uncovered for 2 days, then either bake it or divide it among friends and always save some for yourself.

Now the bread:

1 cup Friendship Starter, at room temperature

3 eggs

2/3 cup vegetable oil

3 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups unbleached flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

You can put in walnuts and apples if you like.  I prefer not to.  Heat oven to 350 and grease two 9x5 loaf pans,  In a large mixing bowl, beat together the starter, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients and blend.  Fold in nuts and chopped apple. Pour into pans.  Bake for 50 minutes and remove from oven.  I sometimes sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar before baking.