Amish Friendship Bread Starter and Bread Recipes

I have listed the starter recipe as well as many flavor variations and other recipes you can use with the starter other than the bread! I hope you enjoy and get some started!

There is also a printable recipe at the bottom!

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when making this. Do not use metal! There’s a chemical reaction that occurs between the fermenting starter and metal. If your metal utensils and bowls are stainless steel it will probably be fine…but if they are scratched up at all, it will spoil your starter.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110ish degrees F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110ish degrees F)

Directions:

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.
In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.
Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture until combined.
Pour into a one gallon sized plastic baggie (or a plastic container). The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle, or the day you receive the starter.
For the next 10 days handle starter according to the instructions for Amish Friendship Bread below.

NOTE: Do not refrigerate starter. It is normal for the batter to rise and ferment. If the bag starts to puff up, let some of the air out.

Day 1: Do nothing.

Day 2: Mash the bag.

Day 3: Mash the bag.

Day 4: Mash the bag.

Day 5: Mash the bag.

Day 6: Add to the bag: 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk. Mash the bag.

Day 7: Mash the bag.

Day 8: Mash the bag.

Day 9: Mash the bag.

Day 10: Follow the directions below:

Pour the entire bag into a nonmetal bowl.

Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk.

Measure out 1 cup of batter into 4 separate 1-gallon Ziploc bags.

Keep one of the bags for yourself, and give the other bags to 3 friends along with the recipe.

AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD Recipe # 1

1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter

3 eggs

1 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

1 large or 2 small boxes vanilla instant pudding

Directions

Preheat oven to 325° F

In a large mixing bowl, add ingredients as listed.

Grease two large loaf pans.

Dust the greased pans with a mixture of 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Pour the batter evenly into loaf or cake pans and sprinkle the remaining sugar-cinnamon mixture on the top.

Bake for one hour or until the bread loosens easily from the sides and a toothpick or knife blade inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD Recipe #2 (no pudding)

1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter

2/3 cup oil

3 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Using a fork beat by hand until well blended. You can add 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (optional).

Grease two loaf pans with butter, sprinkle with sugar instead of flour.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour (individual oven temperatures vary). Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans. Makes two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread.

Banana Amish Friendship Bread

Omit cinnamon and vanilla pudding in the basic recipe and add two bananas (mashed)

Chocolate Amish Friendship Bread

Omit cinnamon and vanilla pudding from the basic recipe and add 1 - (5.1 oz) box of instant chocolate pudding, 3 tsp. cocoa and 3/4 cup chocolate chips. Bake for 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours.

Apple Cinnamon Friendship Bread

add one cup of raisins and one small diced apple.

Butterscotch Amish Friendship Bread

Add 1 box of butterscotch pudding and 1 cup of butterscotch chips. We bake the cake in a 13" x 9" pan. It's my family's favorite cake! She adds "Don't forget to omit the vanilla pudding"

Chocolate  Amish Bread Ideas

     Replace the vanilla pudding with chocolate and add 1/2 cup each of chocolate chips and coconut. I use small (about 1 cup size) bundt pans and bake for 45 - 50 minutes

     Instead of using two loaf pans, bake it in a bundt pan. Another favorite is to use chocolate instant pudding, and add pecans, chocolate chips and coconut. Let your imagination and taste buds guide you.

     Substitute ALMOND flavoring (NOT Imitation) for the vanilla flavoring... substitute WHITE CHOCOLATE pudding For the vanilla pudding

     Use 1/4 cup cocoa, or even a little more (I prefer Hershey's European Chocolate), and either the vanilla or chocolate pudding can be used. I reduce the cinnamon to half (1 teaspoon). Everyone that tastes it thinks it is outstanding. The cinnamon gives it an even better taste than just using chocolate alone.

     1 to 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips - this is great if you put the chocolate chips in a bowl and shake 1/2 teaspoon extra cinnamon to coat them, and orange zest to taste.

Lemon Variations

Use lemon pudding and add 1/4 cup of poppy seeds. 

For lemon bread, I substitute lemon pudding mix and lemon extract, omit the cinnamon and nuts, and add poppy seeds.

 dried pineapple and lemon instant pudding.

Lemon-Poppyseed Variation: Use lemon pudding mix instead of vanilla pudding. Add 2-tsp. Lemon extract instead of vanilla. Eliminate cinnamon. Add 1/4 cup poppyseed.

Lemon Coconut - Delete cinnamon, nuts and vanilla. Use lemon flavored pudding, add 1-tsp. lemon extract and 2 cups coconut.

Lemon Walnut Friendship Bread: Omit Cinnamon, Vanilla Pudding in basic recipe and add 1 teaspoon lemon extract, 1 package lemon pudding and one cup of chopped walnuts.

Banana and Zucchini Bread Variations

Use banana cream pie pudding and two mashed bananas. I have also added 1/4 cup of chocolate chip to this on occasion, omit the cinnamon. 

Add 1 cup of grated zucchini. Make sure you squeeze out the excess liquid. bake for about 75 minutes but start checking after 50 minutes.

Cranberry Variations

a cup of dried cranberries and a tsp of orange zest, along with a cup of chopped nuts, makes a nice holiday variation to the cake!

used the basic cinnamon amish bread recipe and added 1 cup of craisins (dried cranberries) as well as the pecans.

add Craisins(dried sweetened cranberries) and chocolate covered raisins to our mix. We also like the bread with chocolate pudding instead of vanilla. 

Miscellaneous Variations

1.)  make Friendship Bread with dried apples and caramel instant pudding (makes it like caramel apples).

2.) 3/4 cup white chocolate chips, 3/4 cup macadamia nuts and used cheesecake pudding. Delicious!!!

3.) Substitute 2 tablespoons molasses for equal amount of sugar and add spices to make gingerbread.

4.) throw in a box of chopped dates and a cup of chopped pecans. Then, instead of using two loaf pans, I bake it in a bundt pan.

5.) add 1 cup of drained crushed pineapple, 1 cup shredded coconut and pistachio pudding (instead of vanilla). Very yummy.

6.)  use 1 small box of orange jello, 1 c. drained mandarin oranges

7.) use 1 small box of strawberry jello, 1 c. thawed strawberries. 

8.) Use Cheesecake pudding instead of vanilla pudding and add chopped maraschino cherries (about 6 with some juice). 

9.) "to make it more healthy I've had great success with using 1/2 c oil and 1/2 c unsweetened applesauce instead of 1c of oil. I also use sugar free pudding. I made my last batch with vanilla pudding and 2c frozen blueberries--wow! "

10.) use a small can of well drained pineapple in one of my variations with 2Tb. coconut scattered over the top half way through the baking.

11.) favorite twist on this bread is to use banana cream pudding, with shredded coconut. I also like using coconut cream pie pudding with crushed pineapple.

12.) Use cappicino pudding , 1/2 C. chocolate chips and 1/2 C. nuts of choice.

Amish Cornbread

1 cup Amish batter *

2 eggs

1-1/2 c. milk

2 tsp sugar

1/2 cup flour

1-1/2 c. cornmeal

Combine in large bowl. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.

Add:

1/4 cup oil 

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

Mix well. Pour in well-greased 9" pan. Bake at 425 degreesF 25-30 minutes.

* Note: This recipe requires the Amish basic batter. This is the batter that results after day 10 in the basic Amish Friendship Bread recipe

Amish Pancakes & Waffles

Pancakes

Combine in large bowl:

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Combine in smaller bowl:

2 TBS oil 

2 cups Amish batter *

1/2 cup milk (plus/minus 1/4 cup)

1 egg

Add ingredients of smaller bowl to ingredients of large bowl and mix on medium speed.

Spoon batter onto greased griddle.

Waffles

Prepare batter for pancakes except increase oil to 1/4 cup.

* Note: This recipe requires the Amish basic batter. This is the batter that results after day 10 in the basic Amish Friendship Bread recipe

Sourdough-Style Biscuits

Dry Ingredients:
3-3/4 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 1 TBS oleo/margarine
Blend dry ingredients with oleo until the oleo is well cut in.
Add:
3/4 cup milk or buttermilk
1-1/2 cups of Amish starter *

Knead, roll, and cut. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes. Makes 1-1/2 dozen biscuits. Happy Baking!

Amish Sourdough Bread

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp salt
1 - 1/2 cups warm water
1 cup Amish batter
6 cups bread flour

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Oil bottom & sides of large bowl & put bread dough in. Let stand overnight at room temperature. In morning, punch dough down 4-5 times and divide into 3 equal balls. Kneed each ball 8-10 times and put into 3 greased and floured loaf pans. Brush tops with oil and cover with oiled foil. Let stand 4-5 hours or all day. (If dough has not risen well, put small pan of water on bottom rack in oven, heat to 200 degrees, turn off oven. Put dough on top rack for 1-2 hours.) Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. (Cover with foil after lightly browned.)

Amish Biscuits

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
Combine all above ingredients in a large bowl. With spoon make well (dent) in center.
Combine:
2 eggs
1 cup Amish batter *
1/4 cup oil

Beat 2 minutes on medium speed. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture all at once. Stir and add additional flour a tablespoon at a time until dough cleans sides of bowl. Pour on floured board. Roll 1/2" thick. Cut out biscuit using circle cutter. Place biscuits close together on greased cookie sheet. Brush tops of biscuits with melted butter. Cover, let rise in warm place for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.

PRINTABLE RECIPE