Amish Friendship Bread

Amish Friendship Bread is a well-known recipe in the farmhouse cooking world. It’s great to receive your starter from a friend until 10 days later you realize you have to pawn off starter to three other friends and the cycle repeats itself.

I fix this problem by tripling my recipe and using up all the starter in one batch. It makes six loaves with enough starter left for me to do it all over again. My family loves this bread, and I can easily use a loaf for a meal. It freezes very well and is a lovely last minute gift. Enjoy!

Starter Recipe for Amish Friendship Bread

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 pkg yeast

1 cup water (can use milk)

How to Make Your Amish Friendship Bread 

Day 1 – receive the starter

Day 2 – stir

Day 3 – stir

Day 4 – stir

Day 5 – Add 1 cup each flour, sugar, and milk.

Day 6 – stir

Day 7 – stir

Day 8 – stir

Day 9 – stir

Day 10 – Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Divide into 4 containers, with 1 cup each for three of your friends and 1 cup for your own loaves. Give friends the instructions for Day 1 through Day 10 and the following recipe for baking the bread.

After removing the 3 cups of batter, combine the remaining cup of Amish Friendship Bread starter with the following ingredients in a large bowl:

3/4 cup oil

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1  3.5 ounce box instant pudding (Vanilla or your choice)

1 Tbsp.  baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Using a fork beat by hand until well blended. 

Grease two loaf pans with butter, sprinkle with sugar instead of flour.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour (individual oven temperatures vary). Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans. Makes two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread.

Overwhelmed with starters? Try tripling the recipe and making 6 loaves of bread. Then you only have one cup of starter for your own to start again.

Perfect for freezing to get a jump on holiday baking.