Amish Friendship Bread

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Learn how to make Amish Friendship Bread, a cinnamon-swirled sweet bread that uses a homemade sweet starer as its base.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 30

Cooling Time30

Total Time2 15

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Keyword: amish friendship bread, amish friendship bread recipe, amish friendship bread starter

Servings: serving

Author: Katerina | Easy Weeknight Recipes

Ingredients

Starter:

1 package active dry yeast or 2¼ teaspoons
¼ cup warm water about 110°F
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk

Feedings:

2 cups granulated sugar divided
2 cups all-purpose flour divided
2 cups milk divided

For the Bread:

1 cup starter
1 cup granulated white sugar
3 cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cups toasted chopped pecans

For the cinnamon sugar mixture:

⅓ cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Making the Starter

Day 1-4: Activating the Yeast. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water (110°F). Stir gently and let it sit for about 10 minutes until it becomes frothy. This indicates that the yeast is active and ready to use.
Feeding the Starter. In a large non-metallic bowl or container, combine 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1 cup of all-purpose flour, and 1 cup of milk. Stir well to combine. Add the frothy yeast mixture from Step 1 into the bowl. Stir thoroughly until all ingredients are incorporated.
Store. Cover the bowl loosely with a clean cloth or plastic wrap. Store the starter at room temperature, away from direct sunlight.
Day 5: First Feeding. By now, you should start to notice some fermentation activity in the starter, such as bubbles forming and a slight sour smell. It's time for the first feeding. Add 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1 cup of all-purpose flour, and 1 cup of milk to the starter. Stir until smooth and well combined. The mixture will become thicker and more gooey.
Day 6-9: Daily Stirring. For the next several days, continue to stir the starter once a day. This helps distribute the yeast and encourages fermentation. You may notice the starter becoming bubbly and increasing in volume.
Day 10: Final Feeding. On the 10th day, perform the final feeding before using the starter in your bread recipe. Add another 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1 cup of all-purpose flour, and 1 cup of milk to the starter. Mix thoroughly until smooth and well incorporated. The starter should now have a sweet-sour aroma and a thick, pancake batter-like consistency.

Preparing the Amish Friendship Bread

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.
In a large ceramic bowl, combine 1 cup of the starter with 1 cup of sugar and vegetable oil. Mix well with hand whisker.
Add eggs, vanilla extract, and buttermilk to the mixture. Mix until fully incorporated and smooth.
In a separate bowl, sift together 2 cups of flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring just until they are well combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Fold in the toasted chopped pecans.

Baking

Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon until well blended.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the top of the loaf.
Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 90 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Then transfer the loaves to wire racks to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Using the Starter:

Measure out 1 cup of the starter in your Amish Friendship Bread recipe. The remaining starter can be divided and shared with friends or used to start a new batch.

Storing the Starter:

Store any leftover starter in a non-metallic container with a loose lid or cover. Keep it in the refrigerator and feed it every 5-7 days to maintain its activity. Remember to stir before and after feeding.

Note: Throughout the process, if the starter develops an off smell (like rotten eggs) or shows signs of mold, discard it and start over with fresh ingredients.

Serving and Storing

Serve the Amish Friendship Bread slices plain or with butter and honey.
Store any leftover bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for longer storage.

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