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Amish Friendship Bread With Starter Recipe

I get so many requests for Amish Friendship Bread recipe! It can be hard to find so make sure you share or pin it!

Amish Friendship Bread

I get so many requests for this amazing recipe! Everyone is raving about it online! Starter bread can be frozen up to a month. It is meant to be shared with friends so make this and then share some of the starter with your friends so that they can make it too! Everyone loves it.

This bread seems like a long process but it is well worth it! Once you get this started it’s really easy to keep it going!

You can also use apple sauce instead of oil if you like for a moist bread.

*Options and variations for Amish Friendship Bread:

Chocolate Bread- Omit the Cinnamon & Vanilla Pudding

Add 2 tsp Cocoa

1 Cup Chocolate Chips

1 Large Box Instant Chocolate Pudding

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread- Omit Cinnamon & Vanilla Pudding Mix

Add 1 Large Box Instant Lemon Pudding

1 Tbsp Poppy Seeds

To make 2 different loaves, omit cinnamon & large box of pudding, divide dough in half. Use a small box of instant pudding mix of choice per loaf. 

Make sure you pass along this recipe so someone else can make this bread too!

 

Amish Friendship Bread

Amish Friendship Bread With Starter Recipe

4.87 from 29 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Cuisine Amish
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients
  

Starter

  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast 1 package
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup warm milk Do Not Use Metal Bowl Or Metal Utensils

Amish Bread

  • 1 cup starter
  • 1 cup oil
  • 3 beaten eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cup flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 large package vanilla instant pudding mix
  • nuts optional
  • raisins optional
  • dates optional
  • cinnamon sugar

Instructions
 

Starter

  • Combine yeast and water, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Day 1

  • In a 2 quart plastic, glass, or ceramic container, or in a gallon size zip lock bag, combine sugar and flour. Mix well. Add to this the milk and yeast mixture. If using a bowl, mix ingredients well and cover loosely.
  • If using zip lock bag, seal tightly and squish bag Until well mixed. Leave on a counter; do not refrigerate mixture during fermentation process.

Days 2-4

  • Stir starter with wooden spoon, or squish bag daily.
  • If using a bag, open to let air out and reseal.

Day 5

  • Stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Mix well.

Days 6-9

  • Stir starter with wooden spoon or squish bag daily.

Day 10

  • Stir in 1 and 1/2 cup flour, 1 and 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 and 1/2 cup milk. Mix well.
  • Remove 2 cups starter mixture to make your bread ( recipe follows), And keep one for yourself to start process again.
  • Divide the remainder starter mixture into 1 cup portions to give to friends along with a copy of this recipe, or store in the refrigerator and begin the 10 day process over again skipping day 1, starting at day 2.
  • You can freeze the starter in 1-cup measures for later use.
  • Frozen starter takes 3 hours at room temperature to thaw before using.
  • If the starter isn’t passed on the 10th day be sure to date the bag so the friend can determine where they are in the process.

Amish Bread

  • In a large non metallic bowl combine starter, oil, eggs, milk and vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt cinnamon , and vanilla pudding mix. Add to starter mixture, and mix well.
  • At this point add your nuts, raisins, or dates. About 1 cup total.
  • Grease 2 loaf pans and sprinkle bottoms liberally with the cinnamon sugar.
  • Pour the batter into loaf pans, and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar.
  • Bake 325* for 1 to 1 ½ hrs or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.
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Comments

  1. At the end of the 10 days and u bake your bread. Can u keep 2 starters in the same jar and just double the recipe so next time I can make 4 loaves? Or should I keep them in 2 separate containers?

  3. Is there a substitute for the pudding?
    Anyway to make it a bit more healthy?
    Thanks
    Renée

  5. I personally have mixed this bread with my kitchen aid mixer and never have tasted metal on end product. I do NOT use metal the 10 days while making the starter mix.

  7. This recipe sound really awesome, but why are metal utensils not allowed? I’d always thought stainless steel was inert. Does metal impart a bad taste?

  9. On day 10, do you add the milk, sugar, and flour to the starter mix and then divide it? Please help….I’m ready to bake this bread tomorrow. Thanks

  11. Hi! I’m Ernestine Polee. I’m excited to make this but I’m scared too because its so many steps. HELP!

  13. Thank you for putting this recipe on. I used to have it but we had a fire and I lost all my recipes. Glad to have this one back.

  14. I was given some starter 50 years ago and kept it going for 22 years. My family was crazy about the biscuits I made. As I remember, I “fed” it every week. But then, when they all grew up and left home, I didn’t feed it anymore either. It was called sourdough. Great memories!

      • Thank you for this. I used to make this all the time when a friend provided me with the starter in a plastic zip lock bag. Haven’t been able to make it in years.. no starter and no one I knew had it.. I WILL be making this as soon as possible. Again, thank you for the recipe..

4.87 from 29 votes (29 ratings without comment)