Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe (Soft, Cinnamon Bread)

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Amish friendship bread is a soft, cinnamon-swirled quick bread made from a sweet milk and sugar sourdough starter fed over 10 days. One batch of starter makes enough to bake 2 loaves of bread, then pass 3-4 bags along to friends. It’s like an edible chain letter!

The batter mixes in one bowl, needs no rise time on baking day and uses two boxes of instant pudding so the loaf stays moist for days. I’ll share when to feed it, how to mash the bag and what to do when you get to Day 10.

amish friendship bread sitting on a cutting board

Give the gift of Amish Friendship Bread.

This Amish friendship bread starter one of those recipes from my childhood. I remember my mom making this bread on a 10-day cycle and yes, I so looked forward to eating it straight from the oven.

This sweet sourdough is good for more than just cinnamon bread. I’ve baked it in muffin tins for muffins and in a 9×13″ cake pan for a coffee cake. You can also switch up the pudding flavor to get different flavor variations.

It really is the gift that keeps on giving.

Enjoy! -Julie

PS...Want a printed version of this recipe? It’s in our family cookbook! Plus 125+ other recipes for you to love.

What is the difference between Amish friendship bread starter and sourdough starter?

Amish friendship starter uses milk, sugar and flour, plus yeast to get it going. It ferments sweet and is why it bakes up cake-like.

Traditional sourdough starter uses water and flour and ferments tangy.

What ingredients do you need for friendship bread starter?

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 react with some metals.

ingredients for amish friendship bread starter on a table

Instant yeast or active dry yeast will both work.
Use at least 2% milk, or use whole milk if you have it.
Don’t want to use a plastic bag? Store it in a glass container that is covered with plastic wrap.

How does the 10-day Amish friendship bread cycle work?

The schedule at a glance:

Day 1: Mix the starter. Leave it on the counter. Do not refrigerate.
Days 2 to 5: Mash the bag once a day and let the air out.
Day 6: Feed it with 1 cup each of flour, sugar, and milk. Mash well.
Days 7 to 9: Mash the bag once a day.
Day 10: Feed it a final time with ½ cup each of flour, sugar, and milk, then divide, bake, and share.

Here is the part that people have questions about: Day 10 is both a bake day and a restart day. You are not waiting 10 days to eat. You bake on Day 10 every single round. The 10 days is just the time your starter needs to grow and ferment between each bake.

On Day 10, after you feed it, you divide the starter into about four or five 1-cup bags. Then:

Bake one cup into bread that same day.
Keep one bag for yourself. That bag is now Day 1 of your next cycle.
Give the rest away. Each bag your friend gets is their Day 1. Or freeze the extra starter.

So every 10 days you end up with fresh bread and a few bags to share, and your keeper bag starts the count over. You only build a starter from scratch, the one time you add yeast, once. After that, the cycle feeds itself.

Miss a day of mashing? Do not panic. Just mash it when you remember and keep going. This starter is forgiving.

Ingredients for the Bread

After you have the starter made, the bread takes pantry staple ingredients:

Notice it takes two boxes of instant pudding. This adds flavor, sweetness and moisture to the bread. I highly recommend using it at least the first time you make the bread, but the bread will work without it. If you’d like, add an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract.

ingredients for amish friendship bread on a table

How do you make Amish friendship bread?

There’s not really a lot of steps to this friendship bread recipe. It’s a mix and bake situation.

Step 1: Mix all of the bread ingredients together in a large bowl. Use a whisk until mostly combined, then a rubber spatula to finish it. Don’t overmix.

Step 2: Prepare the loaf pans. Spray the loaf pans with cooking spray (or line with parchment paper then spray with cooking spray). Sprinkle them with a cinnamon sugar mixture. And then bake. My pans were 8 ½ x 4 1×2″ loaf pans. They took about 61 minutes to bake.

two loaves of unbaked amish friendship bread

two slices of friendship bread with butter on a table

What can you bake with Amish friendship bread starter?

Once your starter is bubbly, one cup of it becomes the base for more than just cinnamon bread. Stir it into muffins, coffee cake, sandwich bread, or switch the pudding flavor to make a whole new recipe.

A few of our favorites to bake next:

Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe

4.76 from 243 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

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

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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 friendship bread starter
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

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 friendship bread starter, 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

Plan for 10 days to ferment the starter before baking day. Active hands-on time is only about 10 minutes.
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

Author Julie Clark

Course Breads

Cuisine American

Calories 253

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of flour do I use for Amish friendship bread?

Plain all-purpose flour for both the starter and the bread. No bread flour or special milling required.

How long does the starter take before I can bake?

Ten days. You mix it on Day 1, mash the bag most days, feed it on Day 6, and bake on Day 10. If a friend hands you a bag, you’re stepping into their 10-day cycle, so follow the day number written on the bag.

Can I freeze friendship bread starter?

Yes. Freeze a 1-cup portion in a labeled zippered bag. When you’re ready, thaw it on the counter and treat that day as Day 1. It will keep for about 3 months.

If someone gives me a starter bag, what day am I on?

You are on Day 1. A bag from a friend is already made and active, so you do not remake the starter or add any yeast. Count the day you receive it as Day 1, unless the bag is labeled with a different day, in which case follow the number written on it. From there, just mash and feed on schedule through Day 10.

Do I add yeast every time the cycle restarts?

No. You add yeast only once, when you first create the starter from scratch. After that the starter is alive on its own, and you feed it just flour, sugar, and milk. A bag passed to you already has the yeast working, so it never needs more.

Why do I have to wait 10 days before I can use the starter again?

What restarts is your keeper bag. After you divide the starter, the cup you hold back needs the full 10 days of feeding to grow active enough to bake and divide again. So you still get bread every round. The 10 days is just the stretch between each bake.

Can I bake bread before Day 10?

This recipe is built to bake on Day 10, when the starter is freshly fed and bubbly. That is when it has the best flavor and enough volume. If you have an extra cup on hand you can bake with it sooner, but keep your main starter on its 10-day schedule so it stays strong.

Can I use almond, oat, or raw milk in the starter?

I make this with 2% or whole milk, and that gives the best rise and that sweet tang. Unsweetened almond or oat milk will ferment, but the starter tends to come out thinner and milder. Whatever milk you pick, use the same kind for both feeding and baking.

What can I use instead of the instant pudding?

You can leave the pudding out. Add an extra teaspoon of vanilla and know the loaf will be a little less sweet and moist, but still good. If you just want a different flavor, swap the vanilla pudding for any instant flavor you like. Lemon, chocolate, butterscotch, and pistachio are all delicious.

Can I use my regular sourdough starter instead of making this one?

You can, but it will taste different. Friendship starter is sweet and milk-based, while sourdough is tangy and water-based, so bread made with a plain sourdough starter comes out more sour and a touch less sweet. It works in a pinch, but if you want that classic friendship bread flavor, it is worth making the sweet starter from scratch.

Why does Day 6 add a full cup but Day 10 only half a cup?

Day 6 is the feeding that grows your starter, so it gets a full cup each of flour, sugar, and milk. Day 10 is a lighter half-cup feeding right before you divide and bake, just enough to freshen it without making more than you can use. If you are used to a version that feeds a full cup on Day 10, that works too. You will simply have a little more starter to share.

Does it matter if metal touches the starter?

A quick stir with a metal spoon will not ruin your starter, so do not toss it. The reason we use glass or plastic and a wooden spoon is that long contact with reactive metal can affect the flavor over time. Give it a stir, move it into a nonmetal bowl or bag, and keep going!