Recipe for Making Amazing Amish Friendship Bread (2024)
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Need printable 10-Day instructions? We have lots of different styles! Click here for the printables library.
Wondering if it’s safe to share Amish Friendship Bread or the starter? The experts say yes.
Here it is, the one andonlyoriginal Amish Friendship Bread.
Now you’d think with over 250 Amish Friendship Bread recipes in the Recipe Box,I’d have a ton of favorites. And I do. But I’ve got to say the original recipe (with raisins and nuts and all that cinnamon-sugar glory) is in first place. Okay, maybe second only to this one, but honestly it’s a pretty close race. If I’m in a pinch and want to gift a loaf of bread in a hurry, I know I can count on this classic recipe to make even the grouchiest person happy (andsometimes that grouchy person is me).
If you like raisins, combine different variations (golden, Thompson, and red flame) to keep it flavorful and interesting. A fewyears ago, ourneighbor began to giveus a bag of homemade sugared pecans every Christmas. I never knew what to do with it, it was so crazy sweet and there was always so much of it. I found its true calling one day when I chopped some up and tossed it into my Amish Friendship Bread batter when I couldn’t find any plain old nuts to add. It gave the bread an extra sweet crunch so now Ikeep a bag of candied pecans or walnuts frozen in our freezer for just this purpose.
There are so many ways to make thisand you really can’t get it wrong. If you’re ever feeling like you want to take a walk on the wild side, you can try another variation but just know that you’ll always have this one to come hometo.
The one question I get asked a lot is, “Is Amish Friendship Bread really Amish?” I’ve done a lot of research and let’s just say the results are inconclusive. What I do know is that the spirit of the bread is sharing what we have with others, and when we make this simple gesture, miracles and acts of kindness start showing up in our own lives, too. So share a slice, or a loaf, or a bag of starter, and see what happens next!
Amish Friendship Bread
We love all the Amish Friendship Bread recipes in our Recipe Box, but the original Amish Friendship Bread recipe is the simplest and the best.
In a large mixing bowl, add ingredients as listed.
Grease two large loaf pans.
Dust the greased pans with a mixture of ½ cup sugar and 1½ teaspoons cinnamon.
Pour the batter evenly into loaf or cake pans and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture on the top.
Bake for one hour or until the bread loosens evenly from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
ENJOY!
Notes
This recipe is very versatile! Use 1 or 2 boxes of pudding (pudding boosts flavor and moisture, but you can also leave it out or make your own). Add 1 cup of dried fruit, nuts or baking chips of your choice.
Looking to make your Amish Friendship Bread healthier? Swap out ½ cup oil plus ½ cup applesauce or 1 egg plus ¼ cup mashed banana. Reduce sugar to ⅔ cup or replace with ⅔ cup honey.
Need an Amish Friendship Bread Primer with the ten-day instructions? Go herefor this simple 101.
Don’t have a friend to give you a bag of Amish Friendship Bread starter? Make your own! Go here for the recipe.
No time to get a starter going? Try our Starter-Free/No Starter Amish Friendship Bread here.
Want to try something new? Check out the Recipe Box and find 250+ Amish Friendship Bread recipes to bake and share with others. Click on the Recipe Box in the menu or go here.
>>Haveyou tried this?Share your best picwith us or leave a comment below and let us know how it worked for you!
In a large bowl, combine the Amish bread starter with oil, eggs, 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well. Pour into prepared loaf pans. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes.
People making Amish Friendship Bread for the first time often ask what their starter should smell like. Your starter should have a lovely, yeasty smell, like getting a whiff of bread rising in a bakery, times five. If you stick your nose into your bag of starter, you'll get a pretty heady hit of yeast.
If too much moisture escapes, the bread could dry out. Check expiration dates and use fresh ingredients. For Amish Friendship Bread in particular, you'll want to make sure your yeast (if starting a starter from scratch), baking soda, and baking powder are fresh.
many people do the reverse bc of the dry air at high altitude but moisture in the bread results in a higher rise which then collapses bc the structure can't support it. aside from that, try using a flour with a higher protein content. if you're using bleached all purpose use unbleached.
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. A Herman starter will be sweeter and more mellow flavored than a sourdough starter.
Cold kitchens are a bane to any Amish Friendship Bread starter or sourdough starter, especially if you're trying to rise dough. Keep the dough warm and draft-free.
If your sourdough starter smells strongly of yeast and alcohol, it's likely that it has become over-fermented. This can happen if you've been feeding your starter too much or too often, or if the temperature in your kitchen is too warm.
Does Amish friendship bread need to be refrigerated? No. After the bread has cooled completely, you can store it like any other baked good in an airtight container at room temperature for several days, or wrap it tightly and freeze it for later.
why can't you use metal when making amish friendship bread? They say use wooden or non metal, as the Amish always used wooden spoons. It's also said by using metal in the batter it could spoil the fermenting process of the batter as well. Some say it will even change the color, change the taste as well.
Feed your sourdough starter with a high protein bread flour, rather than all purpose flour.Add some rye flour to your sourdough starter - this is a great way to strengthen your sourdough starter and introduce some whole grains into your wild yeast colony. Rye starters will often produce those big, mousse like bubbles.
Yes, AFB starter is hardy, but it needs to be fed. If your starter turns pink or has pink splotches, throw it out. After feeding it, nothing happens. Again, every starter (and kitchen) is different so you don't want to be impatient.
Most of our Amish Friendship Bread recipes behave like quick breads. The loaves freeze well when wrapped in freezer wrap, foil, or freezer bags. For coffee cakes, I recommend baking and freezing them in disposable pans that can be wrapped and can go right into the freezer.
What makes Amish Friendship Bread starter so special is that it keeps on giving–you could keep it on your counter indefinitely, removing a cup to bake with indefinitely. Like any sourdough starter, if you take good care of it, you'll always have yeast on hand, and it's easy to share with friends.
Any holes present should be attributable to steam leavening. The holes will have occurred during the baking process as a result of steam build up due to the water content of the mixture.
To make the starter, you combine apricots, peaches, maraschino cherries, and pineapple with brandy and sugar in a large jar or bowl. You stir the mixture a couple of times a week, and by day 20, your concoction is ready.
Starters are usually kept at room temperature for the first 10 days or so to help them grow. Once they've matured, they can be stored in the fridge or freezer and fed every week or two to keep them alive.
The possibilities are endless, but the common factor is the basic ingredients of fat, sugar, eggs, flour, liquid, leavening agent, and a flavoring ingredient. The flavoring might be a fruit or vegetable, a liquid such as buttermilk or fruit juice, an extract, herbs, or spices.
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