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Amish Friendship Bread is a sweet, cinnamon-spiced bread made from a 10-day yeast starter that you feed, bake with, and traditionally share with friends. It tastes more like a soft quick bread than a traditional yeast bread and each recipe makes two loaves. I grew up making this and I bet you have memories of it too!
Table of Contents
Amish Friendship Bread, in all essence, is an edible chain letter. And while I delete chain letters, I’ll never ever turn down quick bread. I remember this bread being everywhere when I was growing up in the last 80s and early 90s; Every house I visited had a bag or a bowl of starter sitting on the counter and I ate it for weeks in middle school. Then it completely disappeared from my life until about 25 years later when I suddenly was craving having another slice.
That’s when I learned how to make Friendship Bread Starter from scratch. It takes 10 days of feeding and stirring, but the actual quick bread is incredibly easy once the starter is ready (no kneading or dough hook required). Make it plain, add chocolate chips or nuts, or top it with cinnamon sugar and then share the extra starter to keep the tradition going.
Amish Friendship Bread Starter Ingredients
Friendship bread is, essentially, a quick bread (like banana bread without bananas) made with sourdough starter. You grow the starter on your counter for 10 days, stirring it and feeding it and loving on it, and then at the end of 10 days you make the most amazing bread with it.
- This starter is much easier to get going because you start it with active dry yeast. Make sure you have the proper kind: active dry not instant. You’ll start off waking up the yeast with warm water (110-120°F).
- While the yeast is getting foamy, you’ll stir together granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, and whole milk. This is the backbone of the starter recipe.
- I have not tried low-fat or nondairy milk, but there is no reason to believe that it won’t work with those. Brown sugar should also work
Feeding Amish Friendship Bread Starter
- Day 1: This is when you make your starter. You can keep it in a covered bowl or put it in a gallon size ziploc bag.
- Days 2, 3, 4: Just stir or mash the bag to stir. Press out any air (especially on day 2, so the bag doesn’t explode).
- Day 5: Feeding day. This is when you’ll add another cup each of sugar, flour, and milk.
- Days 6, 7, 8, 9: Just stir or mash the bag to stir.
- Day 10: Feeding day, sharing day, baking day. Feed again like day 5 before dividing to bake and share.
Friendship Bread Day 10: Feeding, Sharing, Baking
- After stirring and feeding again on day 10 you’ll have approximately 4 cups of starter.
- Bake with 1 cup of starter (makes 2 loaves).
- Reserve 1 cup of starter to continue the cycle on your own counter (place in a new bag or bowl and start with Day 2 the next day).
- Share 2 cups of starter with instructions. You can also share 1 cup and freeze 1 cup. Or discard or bake lots of bread.
Dorothy’s Testing Notes and Baking Tips
- DO NOT USE METAL when caring for the starter: do not use a metal whisk, metal bowl, or metal spoon. Only use wooden spoons or silicone spatulas. The metal can interfere with the starter.
- Do not refrigerate the starter.
- The bread makes two 8×4-inch or 9×5-inch loaves. If you have a 10-inch loaf pan it will fill the whole thing, but I do not recommend using that large of pan (it will get very dark before it cooks all the way through).
- You know friendship bread is done baking when a toothpick comes out from the ceter of the crack with just a few crumbs.
- When sharing the bread, you need to give them instructions on what to do. I created a free PDF Friendship Bread Printable you can print and share.
Amish Friendship Bread and Starter Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Starter (Day 1)
- 1 package active dry yeast, (2 ¼ teaspoons)
- ¼ cup warm water, (110°F)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (124g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk, (nonfat, regular or 2%, or nondairy)
Feeding (Day 5)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (124g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk, (nonfat, regular or 2%, or nondairy)
Feeding (Day 10)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (124g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk, (nonfat, regular or 2%, or nondairy)
For the Bread:
- 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup starter, (after it's been fed)
- ⅔ cup oil
- 1 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Nuts, chocolate chips, or cinnamon sugar, optional
Instructions
- NOTE: Do not use metal utensils, spoons, or bowls. Do not refrigerate starter.
Day 1: Make your starter
- Stir yeast into warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Stir sugar and flour in a large bowl. Stir in milk until mixture is smooth.
- Stir the yeast mixture into the flour mixture. Cover loosely and store on the counter.
- Optional: place mixture in a gallon size ziploc bag and seal, releasing all the air. Store on counter.
Days 2-4
- Stir the mixture once per day, or mash the bag if you're using a bag.
Day 5: Feeding #1
- Feed the mixture: Stir 1 cup each sugar, flour, and milk into the starter. Cover loosely and store on the counter. (If your mixture is in a bag, just add the ingredients to the bag and mash until they are incorporated.)
Days 6-9
- Stir the mixture once per day, or mash the bag if you're using a bag.
Day 10: Feeding #2/Baking/Gifting
- Feed the mixture: Stir 1 cup each sugar, flour, and milk into the starter. Cover loosely and store on the counter. (If your mixture is in a bag, just add the ingredients to the bag and mash until they are incorporated.)
- Reserve 1 cup of starter to continue growing on your counter. Consider today (Day 10) to be Day 1, and repeat these instructions starting with Day 2 tomorrow.
- Remove 1 cup of starter to use in the Amish Friendship Bread Recipe (see directions below).
- For gifting: Measure out 1 cup of remaining starter and place in a new gallon size ziploc bag (or bowl for gifting). Repeat with a second 1 cup starter. Any extra starter can be measured out to gift or bake with (if it measures 1 cup) or discarded.
Friendship Bread Recipe:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease pan(s) with butter or shortening or spray with nonstick baking spray (the cooking spray that comes with flour in it).
- Stir baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and flour in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Stir starter, oil, and 1 cup sugar with a wooden spoon or spatula. Stir in eggs, 1 at a time, then stir in vanilla. Gently fold in dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips or nuts, if using (see note).
- Place batter in pan(s). Optionally, you can sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (see note).
- Bake according to your pan size below, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool before removing from pan.
- Pan sizes:Two 4×8-inch or two 9×5-inch loaf pans: 40-50 minutesOne 10.5×16-inch loaf pan: 50-60 minutes
Notes
Pan Sizes:
- Check your pan sizes. If your loaf pans are 4×8-inch or 9×5-inch, make two loaves. If your loaf pan is 10.5×16-inches, you can make one loaf.
- You can also use ONE 9-inch square or 9-inch round cake pan instead of the loaf pans.
Optional Fillings/Toppings:
- Add 1 cup chocolate chips or nuts to the batter.
- If you’re making two loaves, you can divide the batter in half and use 1/2 cup of either chocolate chips or nuts per loaf.
- I love topping the loaves with a mixture of cinnamon sugar before baking (1 tablespoon granulated sugar + 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Crazy for Crust. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization is strictly prohibited.
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How to make Amish Friendship Bread
- Baking the actual quick bread requires 1 cup of starter.
- To that, you’ll add vegetable oil (or another neutral oil), eggs, baking powder and baking soda, and salt. Add ground cinnamon and vanilla, for flavor.
- You can add 1 cup nuts or chocolate chips, or sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar before baking.
Free PDF Instructions
Print these instructions for how to maintain the starter and how to make Friendship Bread and give them along with 1 cup of starter on day 10.
Favorite Quick Bread Recipes
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I’m glad to watch your video on friendship bread. I made a starter today but u did use a metal spoon to mix so will it still be good or should I pitch and start over. Thanks a million.
I think you’ll be fine – just don’t use it going forward. If you notice it not growing then start over, but one metal stir shouldn’t hurt it
I made this recipe years ago and everyone absolutely loved it and I looked everywhere for my recipe and I finally looked up your recipe thank you for having this one on your channel love it!!!
I’m remembering when we did this in the 60s or 70s, but the final cake had fruit cocktail as an ingredient. And I remember soon growing really tired of being wed to the darned starter (like sourdough starter nowadays). What I’m thinking is if you really loved that cake, use the cake recipe and for the ingredient called “starter,” use yeast, water or milk, and flour to equal that cup. Let it ferment a bit to be sure the yeast is active, then proceed.You might need a little experimentation to get the right texture, but I think it’d be fairly simple.
I have sourdough starter, can I use this instead of the starter in the Amish bread recipe?
Honestly I am not sure – I have never worked with sourdough starter before. Check The Suburban Soapbox!
What kind of oil? Vegetable, corn, olive, avocado?
I normally bake with vegetable oil
You can also use liquid coconut oil for a healthier option! ❤️ I’ve used it in my bread recipes. No taste either! If you want a brand, Nutiva is really good! 👍🏼
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