Have we got a treat for you today!?! If you’ve had someone bless you with an Amish Friendship Bread starter and you’re ready for baking day but misplaced the recipe, we’ve got it here for you! Want to make an Amish Friendship Bread starter? We’ve got that recipe as well!

I love Amish Friendship Bread. It’s so yummy and such an easy treat. Taking care of my ‘starter’ is easy and getting to share with friends each round is always such a blessing.

What Is Amish Friendship Bread?

Amish Friendship Bread and cake recipes can be dated back to the 1860s, with pioneer women feeding their starters as they traveled and sharing with other women throughout their journey. It’s a food that’s all about friendships and community. It’s also about connection, fun, and nurturing people.

An Amish Bread Starter is a fermented mixture of flour and liquid. This starter adds a lot of flavor to your dough and helps the batter to rise.

What’s The Difference Between An Amish Friendship Starter And A Typical Sourdough Starter?

An Amish Friendship Bread Starter (aka Herman starter) is typically made with milk, flour, sugar, and commercial yeast. A sourdough starter is generally made only of flour and water. A Herman starter will be sweeter and more mellow flavored than a sourdough starter.

Why Can’t You Use Metal With Your Amish Bread?

When working with your starter, you need to have Ziploc plastic bags on hand for easily storing and working the starter. Then, once it’s time to make the bread, glass or plastic bowls and wooden spoons are best. For sourdough/Amish bread, you don’t want to use metal bowls or utensils as the sourdough is acidic and can dissolve some metals.

Can I Refrigerate My Starter?

In short, no. You do not typically want to refrigerate your Amish Friendship Bread Starter. Starters are typically kept at room temperature for the first 10 days to help them grow. Once matured, they can be stored in the fridge, freezer, or countertop. A properly fed and stored starter can last for years. Amish folklore says that Amish mothers used to pass their starters down to their daughters when they married so family starters would last for generations.

Ingredients Needed For Amish Friendship Bread Recipe

For The Starter:

1 packet (2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast)
1/4 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F)
3 cups all purpose flour (divided out to use 1 cup at a time)
3 cups whole milk (divided out to use 1 cup at a time)
3 cups sugar (divided out to use 1 cup at a time)

For The Bread:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 box (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup Amish friendship starter
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable (or canola) oil
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
brown sugar OR granulated sugar + cinnamon for topping

Create The Starter

If you’re here because you want to begin an Amish friendship starter, begin right here! In a glass bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water for 10 minutes. Then add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, and 1 cup milk. Stir well with a wooden spoon and then cover loosely with cling wrap. Leave the bowl sit at room temperature.

Once per day on days two, three, four, and five, stir the starter with a wooden spoon. On day six, add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, and 1 cup milk. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Then cover again.

On day ten, feed your starter one more time with 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, and 1 cup milk. Stir well with a wooden spoon and then separate your starter into 4 gallon ziplock baggies. (Or you can do 3 baggies and use one cup to make on some Friendship bread!) But the sharing with friends is what makes this a ‘friendship’ bread so be sure to find others to bless on your journey.

Make Your Amish Friendship Bread

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour 1 loaf pan or 4 mini pans. (I truly love using mini loaf pans as I find the bread bakes more evenly and is easier to cut and eat.)
In a large glass or plastic bowl, whisk together with a plastic coated whisk: 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 box of pudding powder, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
In a medium sized glass bowl, whisk eggs. Add 1 cup Amish friendship starter, 3/4 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup oil, 1/3 cup milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix with a wooden spoon until mixture is a smooth consistency.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Do NOT over mix!
Pour batter evenly into prepared pan(s).
Mix up a ‘topping’ by combining 2 tablespoons brown OR granulated sugar with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top of batter.
Bake in the center of your oven for 45 minutes or till a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove loaf pan from the oven and cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Then gently remove and cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
Slice and enjoy!

Amish Friendship Bread

Amish Friendship Bread is a deliciously sweet bread that can be served for breakfast or even a dessert! It's yummy both warm or cool and always has everyone coming back for more.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Recipes

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 45

Additional Time: 15

Total Time: 1 15

Servings: people

Calories: 299kcal

Ingredients

For The BREAD

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs large
1 cup Amish friendship starter
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tbsp brown sugar or granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour 1 loaf pan or 4 mini pans. (I truly love using mini loaf pans as I find the bread bakes more evenly and is easier to cut and eat.)
In a large glass or plastic bowl, whisk together with a plastic coated whisk: 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 box of pudding powder, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
In a medium sized glass bowl, whisk eggs. Add 1 cup Amish friendship starter, 3/4 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup oil, 1/3 cup milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix with a wooden spoon until mixture is a smooth consistency.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Do NOT over mix!
Pour batter evenly into prepared pan(s).
Mix up a 'topping' by combining 2 tablespoons brown OR granulated sugar with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top of batter.
Bake in the center of your oven for 45 minutes or till a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove loaf pan from the oven and cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Then gently remove and cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
Slice and enjoy!

Notes

Change out the pudding flavor to chocolate, banana, or butterscotch for a twist.
Add some mix-ins! Consider adding chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit, or even spices to add some extra pizazz.

Nutrition

What Happens If I End Up Missing Days In The 10 Day Cycle

Here’s one of the best kept Amish bread secrets… your starter will be okay even if you get behind in your cycle! Sometimes, it doesn’t work for me to bake my loaves on day 10. That’s okay! I’ve made them on day 11, 12, 13, and even 14 before with no repercussions. If you miss a day in the cycle, just do it the next (or the next after that).

Popular Variations:

Another great thing about Amish Friendship Bread is that you can mix it up and make it several different ways.

Change out the pudding flavor to chocolate, banana, or butterscotch.
Add some mix-ins! Consider adding chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit, or even spices to add some extra pizazz.

If you’re looking for more bread related recipes, be sure to check out these recipes: 4 minute Air Fryer Donuts, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, Frosted Cranberry Orange Bread, Caramel Monkey Bread, Easy Challah Bread, and Butter Biscuits (KFC Copycat).