clearly this is all a myth

Okay, I am currently baking "Amish" Friendship Bread.

My observations:

1. I don't think the Amish would have started a recipe that included Instant Pudding and ziplock bags.

2. All the directions say "Only the Amish can create the starter, so if you give it all away you'll have to wait until someone gives you another." LIES!!! Google it. You can make it in 4 seconds, provided that you have all the ingredients.

3. I did not get a chance to bake on day 10, so I baked on day 11. So far as I can tell, there is no real difference (I'll have to see how it tastes, of course.)

4. The directions say you cannot refrigerate, but I've found multiple places that say you can freeze a bag of starter and take it out and resume following the directions just fine and that if you are running a few days behind, pop it in the fridge and it slows the process by 1/2.

5. I followed the admonishments to "never mix in a metal bowl or with metal utensils" however, I am calling BS on this one, since you then bake it in a METAL loaf pan. Hello, inconsistancy!

6. I've had Amish Friendship Bread a few times and not really liked it. I'm told there are countless variations so I am trying it with chocolate pudding and chocolate chips this time. I am keeping a starter to try using lemon pudding and blueberries next time. If neither of those are good, I am done making this bread. (Really, I want something to cover up the "yeasty sourdough" taste. Suggestions?) *Update* I like it with the chocolate.

7. I am not sure how friendly this bread is. Most people do NOT want your starter. (For instance, I twice told the lady giving this to me that I do not like the bread and did not want a starter. Both times she said "Really? Okay." As I was leaving school, my paraprofessional hands me a bag and says "(insert name of coworker here) left this for you earlier." You basically have to force it upon friends who won't stop being your friend for it. (I do however, have one friend who loves the bread and she was easy to give one to.) My husband calls this bread a "virus" that spreads amongst aquaintences.

So, there you have it. From now on, I am calling it "Clearly UnAmish Virus Bread."