If you are of a certain age you will remember chain letters. They are the old fashioned version of email forwards. If you don’t send this to 10 friends true love won’t find you, your wish won’t come true, or something bad will happen to you.

Amish friendship bread is the culinary version of a chain letter. If you don’t bake your friendship bread your friendship with the person who gave you the starter is doomed –ok maybe I am exaggerating a little. I don’t think the Amish are that cruel. Actually according to trusty wikipedia Amish friendship bread may not actually have any connection to the Amish people –Shocking!

My sister-in-law is an Amish friendship bread baking master. I am not sure of the actual number of loaves and muffins she has baked, but I would venture to guess over a dozen. She baked a couple of the traditional cinnamon sugar loaves for a family brunch we had last month. That was the first time I had the bread since middle school/high school when my friend had made it and shared her starter with me. With my starter I wanted to make something different than the traditional cinnamon and sugar friendship bread. The combination of lemon and poppy seeds evoke feelings of happiness for me. I knew if I could pull off a lemon poppy seed friendship bread it would be the perfect way to celebrate Spring.