Amish Friendship Bread
intro
A warm, cinnamon-kissed sweet sourdough bread rooted in Amish community tradition, made with a shared fermented starter, ideal for gifting and group gatherings.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep Oven and Pans
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack positioned in the center. Grease two 9x5 inch (23x13cm) loaf pans thoroughly with 1 teaspoon of softened butter per pan, then dust the inside of each pan with a mix of 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (2 teaspoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon total for both pans), tapping out excess to prevent sticking.
Combine Wet Ingredients
In a large 4-quart (3.8L) mixing bowl, add 2 cups (480ml) of bubbly, ready-to-use Amish friendship bread starter, 2/3 cup (160ml) neutral canola or sunflower oil, 3 room-temperature large eggs, 1/2 cup (120ml) room-temperature whole milk, and 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract. Whisk by hand for 45-60 seconds until the mixture is fully smooth with no streaks of egg remaining, taking care not to whip excess air into the batter.
Sift Dry Ingredients
In a separate medium 2-quart (1.9L) bowl, sift together 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour, the remaining granulated sugar (1 cup minus 2 teaspoons, about 192g), the remaining ground cinnamon (2 teaspoons minus 1/2 teaspoon, about 3g), 1.5 teaspoons (6g) baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5g) baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon (3g) fine table salt. Whisk the sifted mixture for 30 seconds to evenly distribute leaveners and spice for consistent flavor.
Fold Batter Evenly
Pour the dry ingredient mixture into the wet batter in 3 equal, roughly 1-cup batches, folding gently with a flexible silicone spatula after each addition. Stop mixing as soon as no dry flour streaks remain; the batter will be slightly lumpy, which is normal. If using, fold in 1/2 cup (60g) of chopped walnuts or golden raisins with the final batch of dry ingredients, taking no more than 2 minutes total mixing time to avoid developing tough gluten.
Bake the Loaves
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans, filling each pan no more than 2/3 full to leave room for the bread to rise as it bakes. Place the pans on the center oven rack, spaced 2 inches apart for even air flow, and bake for 55-60 minutes at 350°F (175°C). Test for doneness by inserting a wooden toothpick into the thickest center of each loaf: it should come out with 1-2 moist crumbs attached, no wet, raw batter.
Cool and Serve
Once baked, remove the loaves from the oven and let them rest in their pans on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes at room temperature. Run a thin butter knife around the inner edge of each pan to loosen the bread, then turn the loaves out directly onto the wire rack to cool completely for 45 minutes before slicing and serving. Reserve 1-cup portions of any unused starter to pass to friends, per traditional Amish friendship custom.
Tips
2.Use room-temperature eggs and milk for this recipe: cold ingredients do not emulsify smoothly, leading to uneven rising, a coarse crumb, and longer required bake times.
3.If you do not receive a starter from a friend, make your own by combining 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, and 2 1/4 teaspoons (7g) active dry yeast, then follow the traditional 10-day feeding cycle (adding equal parts flour, sugar, milk every 5 days) before baking.
OMG y’all, I made this for our church potluck last Sunday and people were practically fighting over the last slice! The cinnamon sugar crust is *chef’s kiss* and it was so easy even my 10 year old helped me stir the starter. SO good, I’m already prepping a second batch to give to my neighbors. 10/10 no notes!
I remember my grandma making Amish friendship bread when I was little, and this recipe tastes exactly like hers! The cook time was spot on, no burnt edges, perfectly moist in the middle. I was worried I’d mess up the starter but the instructions were so straightforward, total game changer for my weekend baking.
Great make-ahead option for day hikes! I sliced it up, wrapped individual pieces in parchment, and they held up perfectly in my pack for 3 days on the trail. Not too sweet, super filling, didn’t get all crumbly like other quick breads I’ve tried. Will be making this regularly for meal prep!
Okay, first time ever baking bread of any kind and I only messed up a tiny bit (forgot to let the starter sit an extra day oops) but it still turned out edible? Wait no, actually it was really good! My roommate ate half the loaf in one sitting lmao. Only note is I wish it said how long the starter stays good in the fridge?
Brought this to the teacher appreciation lunch at my kid’s middle school and all the staff were asking for the recipe! I added a little extra cinnamon because my family loves it, and it was perfect. Super easy to throw together even on a busy school night, no fancy ingredients needed.
This is the perfect pairing with my morning oat milk latte, I’m not even kidding. I keep a loaf in the freezer and toast a slice every morning before work — it defrosts in like 30 seconds in the microwave and tastes just as fresh as the day I baked it. Zero effort, maximum payoff.
Wait, has anyone tried making this with a 1:1 gluten free flour blend? I have celiac and I’m dying to make friendship bread again, I used to love it as a kid before my diagnosis!
Made this for our weekly family dinner last night and my picky 7 year old asked for seconds! That’s basically a Michelin star in my book, y’all. The only change I made was swapping half the sugar for brown sugar because I prefer that deeper flavor, and it was unreal. Will be in our regular rotation for sure.
As someone who only has a tiny dorm oven and literally zero baking supplies beyond a mixing bowl and a loaf pan, this was so doable! No fancy equipment, ingredients I could grab at the campus grocery store, and my whole floor came knocking when they smelled it baking. 10/10 for broke college students.
I’ve tried like 4 different Amish friendship bread recipes over the years and this one is hands down the best. No weird artificial vanilla aftertaste, perfectly moist, not cloyingly sweet like some versions I’ve made. Cook time was exactly right for my old wonky oven, which never happens for me!
Full transparency: I thought the whole friendship bread starter thing was a total gimmick, like those chain email recipes from the 90s. But my coworker gave me a bag of starter so I decided to give this recipe a shot, and wow. I get the hype now. I’m already dividing up starter to pass out to my friends, it’s so fun!
I make 4 loaves at a time every other Sunday for meal prep, slice them up, and keep them in the fridge for quick breakfasts and after-school snacks for the kids. It holds up for a full week no problem, and it’s way less sugary than the store-bought granola bars I used to buy. Total win for our busy schedule.
Threw in a half cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and a quarter cup of dried cranberries when I mixed the batter, and it was *chef’s kiss*. My husband said it’s the best thing I’ve baked all year, which is saying something because I bake at least once a week. So easy to customize to whatever add-ins you have on hand!
I hosted book club for the first time last month and panicked because I forgot to plan a dessert, so I threw this together in like 15 minutes before people showed up. Everyone raved about it! I thought for sure it would turn out a mess since I was rushing, but no, it came out perfect. Saved my hosting reputation fr.
I volunteer at our local senior center and we baked this with the activity group last week! All the folks loved it, even the ones who say they don’t like sweet breads. The easy instructions were perfect for people with varying skill levels, and we had so much fun mixing the batter together. We’re gonna make it again next month!
Made two loaves for our cross-country road trip last week and it was the perfect road snack. No messy crumbs all over the car, didn’t need to be refrigerated, kept us full between fast food stops. Way better than packing a bunch of processed snacks, will be our go-to road trip food from now on.
Tasted amazing, but I had to add an extra 20 minutes of cook time because the middle was totally jiggly after the listed 1 hour 15 minutes. My oven runs a little cool though, so that’s probably on me! End result was perfect once I let it bake longer, just a heads up for anyone else with a garbage old oven like mine.
I don’t have kids, but I gave a slice to my golden retriever when it cooled (don’t judge, he gets a little bite of all my bakes) and he did a happy dance on the kitchen floor. So if the dog approves, you know it’s good. Jokes aside, this is perfectly spiced, so moist, and I already gave a loaf to my next door neighbor who just had a baby. Perfect little welcome gift!