The first time I had this bread was more than 20 years ago when we first moved to Utah from California. One of my new neighbors brought me over a loaf as a “Welcome To The Neighborhood” offering. It was over that loaf of bread that Amber and I became BFF’s. :-) For years we have been sharing this bread with each other. Whenever one of us makes it…we make sure and give the other a loaf….and a starter.
Last week, after living across the street from each other for almost two decades, she moved away. :-( (OK…she only moved about 1 mile and a half away….but still….) So as a “Thanks For Being Such A Great Neighbor All These Years” gift….I broke out the old Amish Friendship Bread recipe. I haven’t made it for a couple of years, so I had to make my own “starter” for it (which is a ten-day process) but I figured her friendship was worth it. :-) And after the ten days I would have several starters and some delicious bread. A Win-Win.
What is a “starter” you ask? A starter is an “old-fashioned” method of leavening bread dough. Flour, water, and yeast, are allowed to ferment for different periods of time depending on the type of bread. A starter can also contain milk, sugar, or honey, which help speed the fermentation process. While starter breads require much more time to prepare, the flavor and texture of the bread is almost impossible to achieve with other leavening methods.
So now you know WHAT a starter is….and WHY it’s worth the wait….let’s make one.
How To Make A Starter For Amish Friendship Bread
Use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when making this. Do not use metal! There’s a chemical reaction that occurs between the fermenting starter and metal. If your metal utensils and bowls are stainless steel it will probably be fine…but if they are scratched up at all, it will spoil your starter.
Ingredients:
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup warm milk (about 110 degrees F)
Directions:
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.
In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.
Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture until combined.
Pour into a one-gallon-sized plastic bag (or a plastic container). The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle, or the day you receive the starter.
For the next 10 days, handle the starter according to the instructions for feeding and sharing an Amish Friendship Bread starter below.
One of the reasons this is called “Friendship Bread” is obviously because it’s fun to share the bread and the starter with a friend. Typically, when you give the bread and a starter to that friend, you give it with instructions on what to do with the starter and the recipe for the bread. Here is how that info was given to me many moons ago!
(CLICK HERE for printable PDF)
NOTE: Do not refrigerate the starter. It is normal for the batter to rise and ferment. If the bag starts to puff up, let some of the air out.
How To Feed & Share An Amish Friendship Bread Starter
- Day 1: Do nothing.
- Day 2: Mash the bag.
- Day 3: Mash the bag.
- Day 4: Mash the bag.
- Day 5: Mash the bag.
- Day 6: Add to the bag: 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk. Mash the bag.
- Day 7: Mash the bag.
- Day 8: Mash the bag.
- Day 9: Mash the bag.
- Day 10: Follow these directions:
- Pour the entire bag into a nonmetal bowl.
- Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk and stir.
- Measure out 1 cup of batter into 4 separate gallon ziplock bags — keep one and share the rest!
OK….we’ve waited LONG ENOUGH! Let’s make the bread!
How To Make Amish Friendship Bread
Ingredients:
More Ideas You'll Love
- 1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups flour
- 1 large (or 2 small) boxes vanilla instant pudding
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°F.
In a large mixing bowl, add ingredients as listed.
Grease two large loaf pans.
Dust the greased pans with a mixture of 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
Pour the batter evenly into loaf or cake pans and sprinkle the remaining sugar-cinnamon mixture on the top.
Bake for one hour or until the bread loosens easily from the sides and a toothpick or knife blade inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
Now it’s time to reward yourself for being SO PATIENT by treating yourself to a slice or two…or three. I had a nice thick slice of this for breakfast this morning with a nice, hot cup of Pero and it was DIVINE!!!
And after you treat YOURSELF…don’t forget to treat a friend and share the deliciousness! Here is a cute packaging idea from Ms. Martha Stewart that I decided to try my hand at. It was fun to make and I think it makes a very nice presentation.
If you’ve had this bread before you KNOW how good it is and won’t have to be convinced that it’s definitely WORTH THE WAIT! If you HAVEN’T ever had it before….you’re going to have to trust me on this one. This bread is SOOOO delicious! I guarantee you will be either singing my praises for introducing it to you….or cursing my name because it’s SO addicting! lol. I hope it’s the former. :-)
P.S. I know I’ve given you a LOT of information here, and I’m certain there are going to be a LOT of questions. As always, I will do my best to answer (and, as always, I appreciate the people who jump in and answer questions in the comments. THANK YOU!)….but I wanted to point you in the direction of a terrific website called Friendship Bread Kitchen that has a Frequently Asked Questions section that addresses every question I think there could possibly be about this whole thing. It’s a GREAT resource!
Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 envelope active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup warm milk
Instructions
- Add the yeast and warm water to a small bowl, let it dissolve for about 10 minutes, then stir well.
- In a 2-quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar.
- Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture.
- Pour the finished starter into a one-gallon plastic bag or container. (Consider this Day 1 of the cycle outlined below.)
Feeding the Starter
- Day 1: Do nothing.
- Day 2: Mash the bag.
- Day 3: Mash the bag.
- Day 4: Mash the bag.
- Day 5: Mash the bag.
- Day 6: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk to the bag. Mash the bag.
- Day 7: Mash the bag.
- Day 8: Mash the bag.
- Day 9: Mash the bag.
- Day 10: Pour the bag's contents into a non-metal bowl, then add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Stir well, then measure 1 cup of batter into 4 gallon-size ziplock bags to share.
Notes
Nutrition
Amish Friendship Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 2 large loaf pans
Ingredients
- 1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups flour
- 1 box vanilla instant pudding large
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then grease two large loaf pans.
- Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon together in a small bowl, then use the cinnamon sugar to dust the greased loaf pans.
- Divide the batter evenly into the pans, then sprinkle the remaining sugar-cinnamon mixture on the top.
- Bake for one hour, or until the bread pulls away from the sides of the pans and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
I was given a starter by a worker recently, and Its been through a 10-day cycle already, at which point I had divided and baked with it. I’ve been working on a starter this week from one of the divided portions, and I’m a bit puzzled. I’ve been feeding it as per the schedule. Right now it is very bubbly and active, and looks perfect; but I can’t seem to fully get rid of the sharp acetone-like smell, even though it looks fine and I’ve been feeding it on schedule. Should I be concerned?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Kat! It sounds like it’s doing good to me – fermenting bread always has a bit of a funky smell. For any other questions you might have, this website has a lot of great information: https://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/faqs/ :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just wanted to let you know that I made the starter just as you explained, and I made the bread on day 10 which was yesterday, and my life will NEVER be the same again. THANK YOU for sharing this beautiful recipe!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve been waiting a long time for this to be trendy again. I’ve kept a bread starter alive since about 1985. The vanilla pudding is a new trick… looking forward to all the recipes for it heading my way…
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Is the cinnamon and sugar mixture for the bottom of pan and for the top of the batter extra on top of recipe calls for? The recipe calls for 2 tsp. cinnamon and 1 cup of sugar. Do I mix the 2 tsp. cinnamon and 1 cup of sugar in the batter? Or is those 2 for bottom and top instead?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The 1 cup sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon is for the batter. A separate 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon is for dusting over the pan and sprinkling on top.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve altered the recipe to make a chocolate version, and it’s good! (I omit the cinnamon and use chocolate pudding instead of vanilla.) I’ve also frozen the individual portions of starter and thawed them successfully for loaves as needed.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My sister-in-law and I was discussing making Amish Friendship Bread the other day and wondered how to make the starter. I found your site after a Google search and love all the tips you gave. Now we’ll be able to get our starter and share this delicious bread here in Maine again, just in time for the fall and holiday season.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I must say i am so happy to find the amish friendship bread! 18 years ago when i had my twins my x~husband killed my starter. I was devistated !
Please log in or create a free account to comment.!!
wondering about the Friendship bread starter having milk in it / should I keep it Cold during ten day process ? I know milk spoils . . Linda
Please log in or create a free account to comment.No. it needs to be kept out of the fridge and at room temperature so the starter can grow.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m confused.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The one cup of starter that is used to make the bread…. Is that taken straight from the bag on day 10? Or do you add the additional 1 cup of milk, sugar and flour to the starter on the 10th day then use THAT to make the bread?
I feel like it would make a huge difference in the concentration of ingredients.
Thank you
I have not made this bread in YEARS, but when I did I had a recipe for a chocolate version. I cannot find it – cannot remember what went in besides chocolate pudding. I do not remember the spices going in the same. Plus I put in white chocolate chips.
Does anyone have the recipe for the chocolate version? My husband doesn’t like the spices, so I made the choc so he could enjoy it.
Thanks.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.my husband likes the apple pecan. I use one granny smith apple and chopped pecans. I make all of mine up except for my starter and freeze the bread unless someone wants a starter. I give bread away all the time and my friends and family love it. just think it is the greatest.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just found this recipe in my email box. I’ve had the recipe for years. Someone gave me a starter and I kept it going for several months until I finally got tired of it. Then when I wanted to make it again for Christmas I didn’t have a starter. My recipe doesn’t say you can freeze it, that’s something new to me. I started my own. I didn’t use any yeast either. I just used 1 cp flour, 1 cp sugar, and 1 cup milk. It ferments just fine on the counter. I also don’t make loaves. My family prefers muffins. So when I do these I make all of it up in different kinds of muffins. I can always do a starter when I want to make more.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I make this but and I only put in half the batter then sprinkle with more cinnamon/sugar mixture and even add chopped nuts and then add the rest of batter.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This way has been a huge success with all that I give it to. I also don’t keep my started in a bag but in a plastic bowl with a lid that just sits on top. I don’t feed it as much as I’m suppose as don’t make it as often as I use to. By decreasing the amount that I feed it, I just have enough starter for myself. If I have someone who wants a starter, then I will increase the amount I feed it so I can then share after letting it set for a few days.
I mill my own grains and found that there is enough wild yeast in my grains where I have never had to add any yeast; A few times I had to wait more a day or two more than the 10 days to have enough volume, but it worked great!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have a recipe for Amish Friendship bread that does not require a starter, nor does it use oil. You replace the oil with applesauce. I have also added chopped dates to mine
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Anyone anywhere in the world who loves to cook and
Please log in or create a free account to comment.who is interested in learning how to cook Filipino food recipes only needs a working internet connection in order
to be able to access and download famous Filipino food or.
Edible dyes of any colour, even in day-glow are available today, for use in carp
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Thank you so much for listing the steps and showing the pictures. I am a visual person and love to see as well as read. I tried to make this a few months ago after I had received a loaf, but my recipe was different and I didn’t like the way it turned out.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I can’t wait to try this. Thank you, thank you for taking the time to put this together!
the Martha Stewart wrapping paper directions – no longer available- how is that done please? – Thank you
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have added combinations of dried cherries, walnuts, craisins, raisins, and pecans to mine. Yummy.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Jillee! I made this years ago when we lived in PA. We are now living in WY with an altitude of 6750 feet. I’ve had quite a time adjusting my baking from my old east coast ways to here. Is there a need for any adjustments for high altitude baking? Thanks in advance for your response! Love your site!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have a child who cannot have sucrose (sugar, honey, maple syrup) I would like to make this but not sure what to replace the sugar with. Truvia or agave tend to give baking a nasty taste or texture plus can be really expensive. I use Greek yogurt in my regular bread but wondered if applesauce would work too. Or if either would not have enough fructose for the yeast. Any ideas?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank You
Please log in or create a free account to comment.So many memories have just come back, the girls in our neighborhood would share and have coffee with the kids while they were growing up. From k- high school, hen we all moved away, still keep in touch but I have not made this in 9 years. Now I get to pass it on in oregon where I now live.
Thank you for sharing, so I may share again.
Kathleen in Oregon
someone had asked if the Amish Bread can be made with alternative milk ( i can’t use cow milk)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I keep Blue Diamond brand of Almond Coconut milk in fridge. Can that work with this recipe? I am babysitting a friend’ s starter for 2 mos while she is gone and will be adding starter (milk, sugar & Flour) and then every 10 days actually making the breads. I will feel horrible if I mess up her starter and breads don’t come out the usual delish. BTW, she makes and sells her breads to pay for her mission trip every year to Ecuador with others from our church. I named the breads Manna Banana Mission Bread which she loved.
Amish Friendship Bread . . . Pass It On!One Good Thing by Jillee | One Good Thing by Jillee
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