Amish Friendship Bread and Starter Recipe

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Amish Friendship Bread is the gift that keeps on giving! This simple starter yields sweet, delicious bread every time!

What is better than moist, sweet bread fresh out of the oven? Easy apple, zucchini, and lemon are more delicious sweet bread recipes for an anytime treat!

Simple Amish Friendship Bread Recipe

Amish Friendship Bread begins as a starter that, once developed, can easily be shared with friends and family to build a sense of giving and community. Unlike a sourdough starter, which requires meticulous feeding and growing conditions, Amish Friendship Bread starts in a ziplock bag and only requires a daily mash to develop. At around day 10, your starter is ready for either baking or gifting! It is a delicious way to connect with others.

In my opinion, slowly-developed yeast always makes a better bread with a more defined flavor and texture. This, plus the sweet, cinnamon flavors added during the baking process make Amish Friendship Bread a winner! With just a few straightforward steps, I know that you will be able to develop a healthy starter and make delicious, sweet bread as well! The best part is you can share your amazing creation with neighbors, friends, and family to keep the delicious chain going!

Amish Friendship Bread and Starter Ingredients

Not only is this Amish friendship bread straightforward and simple to make, but it also utilizes a lot of basic ingredients! Here are the ingredients for the starter. For all measurement, amounts see the recipe card below.

• Warm Water: Yeast activates better in warm conditions than cold, so we add warm water to the mixture.
• Dry Yeast: I use active dry yeast in this recipe.
• Flour: All-purpose flour works best in this recipe for a light, fluffy texture.
• Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness to the starter. Amish Friendship Bread starters are typically much sweeter than others.
• Milk: You will want milk that is 2% or higher in fat.

Amish Friendship Bread Ingredients

Using your friendship bread starter you will create the best bread that is sweet and savory in every bite. For all ingredient listings, see the recipe card below for the printable recipe card.

• Friendship Bread Starter: You can use half of your starter and either save or give away the other portion.
• Vegetable Oil: Used to add moisture to your mix and bind fats together.
• Granulated Sugar: To add extra sweetness to your bread.
• Eggs: Binding agent that gives your bread structure
• Vanilla: For flavor- I like using pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Used to keep your bread fluffy and light.
• Salt: To enhance flavors.
• Cinnamon: Adds a woody, nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the bread.
• All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour works best for a light texture. Flour with a high protein content can make your bread too dense.

How to Make Amish Friendship Bread and Starter

An important thing to keep in mind is that no two starters are the same. Don’t be alarmed if your starter looks or smells a little different than your neighbor’s. They may have used different flour, milk, or just have completely different conditions in their kitchen. As long as you are consistent with mashing your starter and feeding on day 6, you should have healthy yeast ready to make delicious Amish friendship bread!

1. Add Yeast to Warm Water: Mix the packet of yeast into the warm water and let sit for about 5 minutes until frothy.
2. Mix Flour and Sugar: In a glass bowl, mix the flour and sugar together. Mix in the milk and then the yeast mixture. Pour into a gallon ziplock bag and leave out on the counter top.
3. Day 1-5: For the next 5 days, be sure to mash the ziplock bag around, encouraging the yeast to activate.
4. Feed on Day 6: On the 6th day, add 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of milk to the ziplock bag. Close and mash around until all combined.
5. Days 7-9: Continue to mash around once a day for days 7-9. On the 10th day your starter is ready for baking or gifting. Reserve 1 cup for baking, 1 cup for gifting. If you would like to keep the starter going, add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk to the remaining starter and mix around. This starts the cycle over again and day 10 becomes day 1.

How to Make Amish Bread from Scratch

1. Preheat Oven and Prep Pans: Preheat oven to 325°. Grease two 9×5 loaf pans and set aside.
2. Prepare Mixtures: In a glass bowl mix the starter, oil, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla together. In another bowl mix the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and flour together.
3. Mix Wet and Dry Ingredients: Pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
4. Fill Pans and Add Toppings: Fill the two prepared pans with ¼ of the batter, using half in total. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle half of it over the top of the batter in the pans. Split the remaining batter evenly between the two pans and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over the top.
5. Bake: Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan.