Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe

Use this Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe as a base for many sweet breads, dinner rolls, muffins and other baked goods. Hints for storing and using up the sourdough starter.

Download the Amish Friendship Bread Starter instructions here.

Click here to see how to bake the friendship bread.

Have I got a treat for you today! Classic Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe. Have you ever tried this sweet sourdough?

It’s one of those recipes that people seem to either love or hate. On one hand, you make a sweet sourdough that you have to keep dividing and using up, or passing out to your friends….or throw away. If you keep the starter going, it just…well…keeps going.

On the other hand, you make a sweet sourdough that is versatile and makes an amazing cinnamon quick bread. Quick bread that is so addicting that you can eat 6 loaves in a matter of 3 days.

Yeah….just please don’t ask. 🙂

Whether you make it this bread weekly, haven’t seen it in years, or are completely new to Amish Friendship Bread, my goal is to convince you to at least give easy sourdough recipe a try. I’m going to make it easy for you with hints! The recipe for the bread itself is coming soon, but first you need the starter.

How to Make Amish Friendship Bread Starter:

1. Have Ziploc plastic bags (for easily storing the starter), glass bowls and wooden spoons on hand. For sourdough, you don’t want to use metal bowls or utensils. Sourdough is acidic and can dissolve some metals. It’s best to use anything but metal bowls and utensils.
2. Write the directions right on the Ziploc bags using a permanent marker so you never have to go hunting for the directions.
3. Make the starter recipe, then pour it into a Ziploc bag (with the directions written on it). You can also store this in a loosely covered glass bowl if you’d like. I just find it easier to use a Ziploc bag.
4. While you are working your way through the 10-day process, store the starter at room temperature. If the Ziploc bag gets air in it, simply let it out.
5. How much sourdough you end up with at the end of the 10 day process depends on how active your sourdough is. You’ll end up with about 5-6 cups.
6. On Day 10 after you add last bit of flour, sugar and milk, separate out 1-cup portions into Ziploc bags (don’t forget those directions on the front!).
7. At this point, you can give away some of those starter bags to friends along with the recipe and instructions so they can indulge in their own friendship bread.
8. Keep a starter for yourself to continue the sourdough process (Day 10 is equal to Day 1), and make the Amish Friendship Bread with one of the other cups of starter.
9. If you can’t find anyone who wants the sourdough starter, simply throw those 1-cup bags into the freezer until another time when you’d like to start the sourdough process our bake the bread. When you pull the sourdough out of the freezer, treat it as Day 1. Or just go ahead and use that cup to bake loaves of friendship bread!

You don’t have to feel like this is a never-ending recipe. Although it may seem that way, you can easily freeze the 1-cup sourdough portions at the end of the 10 days to make multiple recipes (that we’ll be sharing on our site soon!).

But this Amish cinnamon friendship bread? You’ll be wanting to make it. It’s the best in served warm with a slather of butter.

Although this sweet sourdough starter is very easy, you may have questions! Please comment below with your questions and I’ll update this article to answer your questions as you have them.

Other Recipes to Use our Starter in:

• Carrot Cake
• Chocolate Friendship Bread
• Chocolate Chip Muffins
• White Friendship Bread
• Zucchini Bread

Download the Amish Friendship Bread Starter instructions here.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe

4.75 from 239 votes

Use this Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe as a base for many the original friendship bread, dinner rolls, muffins and other baked goods.

Servings 20 slices

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Fermentation time 10 days days

Total Time 10 days days 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

 

Starter ingredients:

• 1/4 cup warm water about 110 degrees
• 1 package active dry yeast* (2 ¼ teaspoons)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup 2% milk

Bread ingredients:

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 small boxes instant vanilla pudding 3.4 ounces each
• 1 cup chopped nuts optional
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar for dusting the pan and topping
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon for dusting the pan and topping

Instructions

 

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Make the starter:

• Pour the warm water into a small glass bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water. Let this stand for 5-8 minutes to allow it to dissolve. ¼ cup warm water, 1 package active dry yeast*
• In a larger glass bowl (or plastic bowl. Don't use metal bowls or utensils for sourdough), mix together the flour and sugar with a wooden spoon. 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar
• Stir in the milk and then the yeast mixture. Pour it into a gallon-size zippered plastic bag and seal. Do not refrigerate. Allow the sourdough mixture to sit out at room temperature. This counts as Day 1. 1 cup 2% milk
  
• Day 2, 3, 4, 5: Mash the bag. Release any air each day.
• Day 6: Add 1 cup each of flour, sugar and milk. Mash the bag until it is mixed well.
• Day 7, 8, 9: Mash the bag. Release any air each day.
• Day 10: Pour the sourdough into a glass (or other nonmetal) bowl. Add ½ cup each of all-purpose flour, granulated sugar and milk. Mix well with a wooden spoon.
• Divide out 1 cup portions of the starter, placing each one-cup portion in separate zippered plastic bags. You'll get about 4-5 bags. Seal the bags, and give the starter away to friends along with the instructions, keeping one for yourself if desired. The starter then goes back to Day 1.
• Keep one starter for yourself, and bake the bread.

On Day 10, make the bread:

• Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
• In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Mix well just until combined. 1 cup vegetable oil, 3 large eggs, ½ cup 2% milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 2 small boxes instant vanilla pudding, 1 cup chopped nuts
• Spray two 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pans with cooking spray. Mix ½ cup sugar and 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon into a small bowl. Dust the greased pans with half of this cinnamon/sugar mixture. Pour the batter evenly into the pans and sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the batter. ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Bake for 60-65 minutes or until the a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out with a few moist crumbs.Cool until the bread loosens from the pan evenly and turn onto a serving dish.

Video

Notes

• Instant yeast will work as well.
• For muffins, preheat the oven to 425ºF and bake the muffins for 5 minutes, then reduce the baking temperature to 375ºF and bake for an additional 13 minutes.
• If you can’t find anyone who wants the sourdough starter, simply throw those 1-cup bags into the freezer until another time when you’d like to start the sourdough process our bake the bread. When you pull the sourdough out of the freezer, treat it as Day 1. Or just go ahead and use that cup to bake loaves of friendship bread!

Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.

The calories shown are based on the recipe being 2 loaves of bread, each with 10 slices, with 1 serving being 1 slice of bread. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **

Nutrition

Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 49IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg

Author Julie Clark

Course Breads

Cuisine American

Calories 253

Keyword amish sourdough, friendship bread starter, herman sourdough, sourdough starter recipe

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