Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe & Printable (2024)

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ByMelissa Riker Updated

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Amish Friendship Bread recipe is perfect to share with friends. Now you can make your own with this Friendship bread starter recipe & free printable for giving as a gift!

Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe & Printable (1)

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The other day I was looking through my past emails when I came across an email I had sent my stepmother with anAmish Friendship Bread recipe as well as a Friendship Bread starter recipe. I realized I hadn’t made any in years and years!

What is Amish friendship bread?

If you aren’t familiar, Amish Friendship Bread is a sweet bread that you make off a sourdough starter.

The starter is “fed” and kept for ten days, then divided into four portions, three of which you can gift to friends and one you use to bake the most heavenly cinnamon sugared bread! Then your friends can pass along the Amish Friendship Bread recipe to their friends and so on and so on indefinitely.

When I was newly married I would receive a starter a couple of times a year from friends and neighbors and always enjoyed it. Sometimes, though, you want to make this delicious bread and you need to create your own starter if no one you know has some on hand.

I decided to share the starter recipe with you all along with printable instructions and the Amish Friendship Bread recipe gifting sheet you can use to pass it along to friends and family.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe & Printable (2)

Starter ingredients

  • dry yeast
  • warm water
  • all-purposeflour
  • sugar
  • milk

Step by step starter

  1. Dissolve yeast int warm water and let it sit 10 minutes.
  2. Combine flour and sugar and mix well.
  3. Add milk, then yeast mixture and allow to sit until bubbly.
  4. Add starter to a plastic gallon bag.
  5. Follow the instructions on the printable. You can also use a permanent marker to write the instructions on the bag for easy reference. You will squeeze the bag daily days 2-4, feed it day 5, squeeze again days 6-9.
  6. On day 10 feed it, divide it, and make your delicious bread!

Tips for best results

  • Always use nonmetal bowls and utensils for the sourdough starter, it is acidic and can breakdown the metal
  • You can freeze Amish Friendship Bread by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap or foil and placing in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature.

When I gifted this set of starter I rolled the plastic bags and put them in standard sized mason jars (with these cute red tops!) It’s important your starter doesn’t touch metal because of the chemical reaction it will cause so don’t gift in the jar without using the plastic bag!

Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe & Printable (3)

Printable card for gifting

I print mine on 80lb cardstock for durability but you can easily print on standard paper as well. You could also laminate it too!

Variations

  • add chocolate chips, chopped nuts, dried cranberries, butterscotch chips, raisins, etc
  • bake as muffins by reducing the baking time to 25-35 minutes
  • omit pudding mix for a slightly different flavor

Have you tried an Amish Friendship Bread recipe, there are actually quite a few variations out there. If yours is different than mine I’d love for youto share it in the comments so we can all try it!

You might also like these delicious bread recipes:

  • Apple Cinnamon Bread
  • Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
  • Cream CheesePumpkin Bread

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Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe & Printable (5)

Amish Friendship Bread and Starter Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 7 reviews

  • Author: Melissa
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
Print Recipe

Description

Amish Friendship Bread is the perfect recipe to share with friends. Now you can make your own with this starter recipe along with a free printable for gifting starter to others!

Ingredients

Units Scale

Starter

  • 1 packet active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup milk

For Feeding the Starter (2 feedings total)

  • 2.5 cups sugar, divided
  • 2.5 cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • 2.5 cups milk, divided

Friendship Bread

  • 1 cup starter
  • 1/2 cup sugar + 1.5teaspoons ground cinnamon for dusting the pan
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 large box instant vanilla pudding
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

For the Starter

  1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water and allow to sit ten minutes (mixture will turn frothy.)
  2. In another nonmetal bowl combine flour and sugar and mix well. Slowly stir in milk, then yeast mixture.
  3. Allow to sit until bubbly then add to a gallon plastic bag and follow the instructions on the printable, squeezing the bag once a day to stir days 2-4, feeding one cup each of sugar, flour, and milk.
  4. Squeeze again once per day days 6-9.
  5. On day 10 add 1.5 cups each sugar, flour, and milk and stir.
  6. Reserve one cup for your baking and divide the remaining starter into 3 gallon plastic bags: one to continue feeding and 2 for gifting.

For the Bread

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Grease two large bread pans.
  3. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon and dust greased pans with the mixture, tapping out excess into a bowl for later.
  4. Mix remaining ingredients in a large nonmetal bowl until smooth.
  5. Pour evenly in the two pans and top with remaining cinnamon sugar.
  6. Bake 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  7. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Notes

  • starter can be frozen to save for later, once thawed that is the new day 1
  • nutritional information is for final baked bread
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 408
  • Sugar: 32.3 g
  • Sodium: 511.6 mg
  • Fat: 16.9 g
  • Carbohydrates: 58.2 g
  • Protein: 7.1 g
  • Cholesterol: 87.9 mg

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Melissa Riker

Melissa Riker is a recipe developer and online content creator who has been sharing kitchen-tested recipes since 2011. Her passion (other than wine and cheese!) is creating reliable, no-fail recipes for home cooks.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe & Printable (2024)

FAQs

Is amish friendship bread starter the same as sourdough starter? ›

Since it involves sugar and milk, Amish friendship starter has a sweeter taste than standard sourdough starter, and it does require commercial yeast to take off, but its principle is still the same — share what you have with others.

Why is my Amish Friendship Bread starter not bubbling? ›

Timing and Temperature

This is usually the case in cold environments (AC under 70F, winter kitchens). If your starter is barely bubbling or not bubbling at all 12-24 hours after the last feeding, simply stir it again and let the jar sit for a day or two. Then feed again and see if you get bubbles.

Does Amish Friendship Bread Starter need to be refrigerated? ›

You should store your starter in the fridge if: You plan to bake 2-4x a month. If you don't have a plan to regularly bake, then freeze your starter. Refrigerated starters still have to be fed regularly, and if you are not using it, you'll need to discard some starter regularly as well.

Can I freeze my Amish Friendship bread starter? ›

Can You Freeze Amish Friendship Bread? You can freeze both the starter and the baked the bread. If you freeze the starter, it will last for years in the freezer. Stick it in the freezer and write the date on the bag.

What is the difference between a bread starter and a sourdough starter? ›

A Herman starter or Amish Friendship Bread Starter is typically made with milk, flour, sugar and commercial yeast. A sourdough starter is generally made only of flour and water.

Is Amish bread starter safe? ›

drumroll … it's safe to share. This is great news, as sharing the starter with friends who don't have any yeast will enable them to bake Amish Friendship Bread again (or any of the 200+ recipes in the Recipe Box).

Should I stir my sourdough starter between feedings? ›

stir your starter in between feedings - try stirring it twice in between feedings and really give it a chance to get oxygen into the mix. This will help to activate your starter without too much effort.

Why can't you use a metal bowl for Amish Friendship Bread? ›

The original instructions for Amish Friendship Bread states that you should not use metal bowls or utensils. The original reason was because there's a chemical reaction that occurs between the fermenting starter and metal.

How soon after feeding sourdough starter can I use it? ›

*Do not try baking with your starter right after feeding it. Allow time for it to grow and feast on the flour before using it. Starters are usually ready to bake with around 4-12 hours after a feeding depending on the amount you feed your starter. The larger the feeding, the more time it needs to ferment.

Why does my Amish friendship bread sink in the middle? ›

Keep the oven door closed while your Amish Friendship Bread is baking. You may be tempted to peek, but sudden temperature drops can result in the bread collapsing in the middle.

Can I put sourdough starter in a Ziploc bag? ›

Just smear some fresh sourdough starter in a thin layer over a piece of parchment paper and let dry. Once dry, the starter will easily separate from the paper and can be ground up into small pieces and placed in a plastic ziplock bag. Store your starter in the freezer for as long as you like.

Why is it called friendship bread? ›

Amish friendship bread is a type of bread or cake made from a sourdough starter that is often shared in a manner similar to a chain letter. The starter is a substitute for baking yeast and can be used to make many kinds of yeast-based breads, shared with friends, or frozen for future use.

Where do you store bread starters? ›

Sourdough starter can be stored on the counter or in the refrigerator. "If you're someone who bakes sourdough bread more than a couple of times a week, keep your starter in a cool, dry place. If you don't bake every week, keep it in the refrigerator," Pellegrinelli explains.

Why is my friendship bread starter not bubbling? ›

It may look flat, but that's usually because (1) it's too cold so it's actually dormant, or (2) it's Day 4 or 5 and it's eaten up all the sugars and is ready to be fed (this is usually the case with super active starters in warmer kitchen conditions).

How long can bread starter stay in fridge? ›

For instance, with my 100% hydration sourdough starter, I will typically feed it with 10 to 15% less water than normal to stiffen it. Place the lid on top and seal it shut. Set a timer for 1 hour. After an hour of room-temperature fermentation, place the jar in the refrigerator for up to three weeks without feedings.

What is another name for sourdough starter? ›

Ultimately, what you call your sourdough starter, mother dough, chef, levain, etc., is up to you. Much of this is cultural, and each culture seems to have its terminology, but it's also a preference. They're all preferments, and they all help bring flavor, aroma, and keeping qualities to your bread.

What is a good substitute for sourdough starter? ›

But what if you're craving that distinctive tang and don't have a sourdough starter on hand? Enter yogurt — the unexpected substitute that can give your bread that familiar zing while creating a unique twist on the classic.

Are all sourdough starters equal? ›

The key difference between all of the starters is how much water is used in the starter. The regular starter has a 1:1 relationship of flour to water. The liquid starter has a 5:1 water-to-flour ratio, and the stiff starter has half as much water as flour, as summarized in Table 4.1.

Is poolish similar to sourdough starter? ›

A poolish is a version of sourdough starter or preferment, except that poolish is made with commercial yeast as opposed to natural or wild yeast. A poolish also requires much less time than a sourdough starter. Both poolish and sourdough starter are fed with wheat flour and fermented at room temperature.

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