I have been introduced to Amish Friendship Bread. All i can say is Oh My Lord I'm definitely addicted to this stuff.
This is my 6th time of baking bread. I get so excited to see what flavor I can come up with next. I don't see a end in site any time soon.
What is Amish Friendship Bread? It is a delicious sweet quick bread made with a live starter. You make the bread and then pass on the starter and the recipe to your friends so they can make the bread themselves.
That is why it is called "friendship bread." It's a great way of reaffirming friendships that originated with the Amish but is now practiced by persons of all nationalities and religious affiliations.
The is such a versatile bread, I have made notes at the bottom for different bread variations I've personally made myself.
It all starts with a Amish Friendship Bread Starter. I was lucky enough to have one given to me by a friend.
Amish Friendship Bread makes the perfect gift. Especially mini loaves, just slip each of them in little gift bags and tie on a pretty ribbon for a wonderful touch.
If you’d like to give the Amish Friendship Bread a try, but don’t have any Amish friends near by, it’s easy to start yourself.
Starter Recipe:
1 package active dry yeast
2 - cups warm water (110 degrees)
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
This is my 6th time of baking bread. I get so excited to see what flavor I can come up with next. I don't see a end in site any time soon.
What is Amish Friendship Bread? It is a delicious sweet quick bread made with a live starter. You make the bread and then pass on the starter and the recipe to your friends so they can make the bread themselves.
That is why it is called "friendship bread." It's a great way of reaffirming friendships that originated with the Amish but is now practiced by persons of all nationalities and religious affiliations.
The is such a versatile bread, I have made notes at the bottom for different bread variations I've personally made myself.
It all starts with a Amish Friendship Bread Starter. I was lucky enough to have one given to me by a friend.
Amish Friendship Bread makes the perfect gift. Especially mini loaves, just slip each of them in little gift bags and tie on a pretty ribbon for a wonderful touch.
If you’d like to give the Amish Friendship Bread a try, but don’t have any Amish friends near by, it’s easy to start yourself.
Starter Recipe:
1 package active dry yeast
2 - cups warm water (110 degrees)
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
For Amish Friendship Bread Starter: Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of the warm water in a deep glass container. Stir in remaining warm water, milk, flour and sugar. Beat until smooth.
Cover a large glass jar or bowl with a tight fitting lid works best for this. DO NOT REFRIGERATE! The starter requires 10 days for fermentation as follows:
DAYS 1, 2, 3 and 4:... Stir batter
DAY 5:................ Add 1 cup each milk, flour, sugar and stir
DAYS 6, 7, and 8,9..... Stir batter each day
DAY 10: ............. Add 1 cup each flour, sugar, milk; stir.
Put 1 cup of starter in each of three containers or larger zip lock bags.
Cover a large glass jar or bowl with a tight fitting lid works best for this. DO NOT REFRIGERATE! The starter requires 10 days for fermentation as follows:
DAYS 1, 2, 3 and 4:... Stir batter
DAY 5:................ Add 1 cup each milk, flour, sugar and stir
DAYS 6, 7, and 8,9..... Stir batter each day
DAY 10: ............. Add 1 cup each flour, sugar, milk; stir.
Put 1 cup of starter in each of three containers or larger zip lock bags.
Give away to friends and keep one. This will begin their Day 1.
Remember, don’t use a metal bowl, or metal utensils. It says ‘only the Amish know how to create the “starter”’ But I googled it and found it. So don’t stress about the starter. If you mess things up, you can always start a new one. Want to slow things down, feed your starter less frequently. Need a break, freeze your starter. You’ll know if things go bad if your starter turns orange or pink, or gets a funky smell.
Directions after you have your Starter:
Do not use any type of Metal Spoon or Bowl Mixing. Do Not Refrigerate.
It is normal for the batter to rise and ferment. Do not taste raw batter and Date Bag.
Day 1: Do Nothing.
Day 2: Mush the bag and let the air out
Day 3: Mush the bag and let the air out
Day 4: Mush the bag and let the air out
Day 5: Mush the bag and let the air out
Day 6: Add to the bag 1 Cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Mush the bag and let the air out.
Day 7: Mush the bag and let the air out
Day 8: Mush the bag and let the air out
Day 9: Mush the bag and let the air out
Day 10: Mix and divide starter as follows. Pour the entire contents of the bag into a non metal bowl. Add 1 1/2 Cups Flour, 1 1/2 Cups Sugar, and 1 1/2 Cups Milk. Next measure 1 Cup Batter into 4 gallon size zip lock bags. Keep one for yourself and give the other 3 to friends along with a copy of the recipe. You will end up with 5 batches of bread (4 bags and 1 in the bowl)
I make a double batch yielding in (6 loaves) then i only have 2 starters left, one to give out and one to keep for myself and start all over again in 10 days.
Remember, don’t use a metal bowl, or metal utensils. It says ‘only the Amish know how to create the “starter”’ But I googled it and found it. So don’t stress about the starter. If you mess things up, you can always start a new one. Want to slow things down, feed your starter less frequently. Need a break, freeze your starter. You’ll know if things go bad if your starter turns orange or pink, or gets a funky smell.
Directions after you have your Starter:
Do not use any type of Metal Spoon or Bowl Mixing. Do Not Refrigerate.
It is normal for the batter to rise and ferment. Do not taste raw batter and Date Bag.
Day 1: Do Nothing.
Day 2: Mush the bag and let the air out
Day 3: Mush the bag and let the air out
Day 4: Mush the bag and let the air out
Day 5: Mush the bag and let the air out
Day 6: Add to the bag 1 Cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Mush the bag and let the air out.
Day 7: Mush the bag and let the air out
Day 8: Mush the bag and let the air out
Day 9: Mush the bag and let the air out
Day 10: Mix and divide starter as follows. Pour the entire contents of the bag into a non metal bowl. Add 1 1/2 Cups Flour, 1 1/2 Cups Sugar, and 1 1/2 Cups Milk. Next measure 1 Cup Batter into 4 gallon size zip lock bags. Keep one for yourself and give the other 3 to friends along with a copy of the recipe. You will end up with 5 batches of bread (4 bags and 1 in the bowl)
I make a double batch yielding in (6 loaves) then i only have 2 starters left, one to give out and one to keep for myself and start all over again in 10 days.
Amish Friendship Bread (to bake the bread)
Preheat oven to 325 degreesTo the remaining batter in the bowl (about 2 cups) add:
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 large box instant pudding (or 3.5 oz boxes)
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup oil
2 cups all purpose flour
Grease two large loaf pans or one 9x13 inch pan.
I use the disposable loaf pans, you get 3 loaf pans for $1.29.
Mix 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Dust the greased pans with half the mixture.
Pour batter into the pans and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon mixture on top.
Bake for about 1 hour cool until bread loosens from the pan.
Chocolate and Butterscotch Bread pictured above.
Banana Bread & Chocolate Bread Pictured
Be certain to tell the recipient which day the bag is given to them. The day you give them their bag of starter is day one for them. If you keep starter for yourself you will be baking every 10 days.
Only the Amish know how to make the starter so if you give your entire starter away, you will have to wait until someone gives you back a starter.
You can freeze some of the starter bags instead of giving them all away. The day you remove it from the freezer is day one.
Friendship Bread Variations:
Chocolate Bread: Use the basic mix recipe except use Chocolate Pudding instead of Vanilla make sure to add the 2 tsp cinnamon it really makes the bread taste the best.
Peanut Butter Cup:Used basic mix recipe, except use Chocolate pudding instead of Vanilla. Omit the 2 tsp cinnamon in the batter. Add 4 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter to the batter and one bag reeses peanut butter chips.
Cherry Cheese Cake or Strawberry Cheese:I used the basic mix, omitted the cinnamon and used two small boxes of cheese cake pudding instead of the vanilla and I added a small pack of cream cheese and 1/4 cup more milk. You also need a can of Cherry or Strawberry pie filling. After putting the batter into the pans dab teaspoons of cherries on top of them and swirl around with spoon to mix in the cherries. Cook at 325 until dark golden brown.
Cinnamon Struesel:Before I start the Amish bread I get my pans ready and make the streusel 1 stick butter or margarine at room temp.
2/3 C – 1 cup packed brown sugar 2/3 C – 1 cup flour cinnamon - as much as you like
Put the ingredients together. (1 C chopped pecans are optional.) This will make approx. 2 cups. If you like a little more, increase the sugar and flour to 1 cup each.
Put the ingredients together. (1 C chopped pecans are optional.) This will make approx. 2 cups. If you like a little more, increase the sugar and flour to 1 cup each.
Make your Amish bread according to directions. Use French Vanilla pudding or Vanilla Pudding. Put approx. 1-1/2 C batter in the bottom of each pan and spread into the corners. (Batter will not be runny - sort of a heavy batter.) Top with 1/2 C streusel, remaining batter and remaining streusel.
Banana Nut Bread:Use the basic mix with 1 cup of walnuts or pecans , 2 large mashed bananas and 1 large box of banana cream pudding instead of vanilla pudding.
Lemon Bread:Substitute lemon pudding mix and use 2 tsp lemon extract instead of vanilla, omit the cinnamon and nuts. For Lemon Poppy Seed Just add some poppy seeds.
Butterscotch Bread:
Add 1 Large box of butterscotch pudding and 1 1/2 cups of butterscotch chips. Omit cinnamon.
proceed with recipe.
Apple Cinnamon Bread:Make the streusel 1 stick butter or margarine at room temp. 2/3 C – 1 cup packed brown sugar2/3 C – 1 cup flour cinnamon - as much as you like Put the ingredients together. (1 C chopped pecans are optional.)
This will make approx. 2 cups. If you like a little more, increase the sugar and flour to 1C each. Make your Amish bread according to directions. Use Vanilla or French Vanilla pudding. Put approx. 1-1/2 C batter in the bottom of each pan and spread into the corners.
(Batter will not be runny - sort of a heavy batter.) Add 1 can apple pie filling evenly throughout the each loaf. Top each loaf with reamaing batter and the Add streusel topping last, bake as directed.
So you see there are so many variations. If you have a variation not listed leave me a comment and tell me what it is. I love new friendship bread flavors.
30 comments:
I'm so glad you posted the starter recipe! I have had this friendship bread a few times, but didn't keep any starter for myself. Now I can make some and have the bread whenever I want! Hooray!
I have made this bread for years. I actually used to make about 700-1,000 mini loaves a year and would donate the proceeds to Light the Night for Leukemia & Lymphoma research.
However the last couple of years I have been making the bread to help raise money for our adoption. My husband and I recently adopted a 2 year old boy from China.
This bread is so amazing and extremely addictive to all those that try it. I have people that even if I am not making the bread want to place orders, especially around Christmas time to give as gifts or to take as a dish to pass.
I have a couple of other variations that you may want to try.
Orange Pecan:
Use Orange extract (I use about 4 Tbsp). You can also add 1/3 c. of orange juice and use only 2/3 c. of the oil. I have also used Orange Zest as well and then use the juice of the orange instead of juice. I have used chopped peacans and have also done it with toasted Almonds as well.
Tropical paradise:
I used the Cheesecake pudding
1 small can of mandarin oranges
1 small can of crushed pineapple
(I mix the oranges and pineapple together to equal about 1/2-3/4 c. of fruit)
1/4 c. coconut
1/2 c. white chocolate chips
1/2 c. Chopped macadamia nuts
This bread is so moist you have to cook it a little longer than usual.
German Chocolate:
I use the chocolate pudding instead of vanilla.
Take a can of German Chocolate frosting and cut it into the pans using a knife.
This takes a little longer to bake as well.
I love this recipe because it is so versitile and so forgiving. I have never had a batch fail.
I like your site just fine and was linked here from Southern Plate. Just a grammar police moment. The link on the right side of the page that says "Family Photo’s" doesn't need the apostrophe. You want the plural of photo to be photos and not the possessive photo's.
I'm looking for recipe variations that do not include pudding. I have made the sour dough bread recipe, but we found it too sweet, so I cut down the sugar. Also a huge hit in my house is the cinnamon rolls. My family loves them!! The only thing I did to fix that recipe is I put 3 teaspoons of cinnamon right in the batter. And I used brown sugar instead of white sugar in the filling.
So does anyone have any other non-pudding variations?
This has always been one of my favorites....and it is soooooo addicting..I have made mine as coffee cakes..one tip...you can freeze a baggie of starter for later use..and it works wonderfully!
I cant wait to try this recipe.My mom used to make bread from a starter when I was young, and I have not eaten it since. I loved that bread. Thanks for posting the recipe, its great, brings back alot of memories.
Thank you for posting the starter recipe! I've had the bread recipe for many years, but without a starter I couldn't make it.
I always keep my starter in a quart canning jar covered with a loose weave fabric and stir with a wooden spoon.
I made this stuff like it was going out of style a few winters ago - my favorite flavor variation is Chocolate Almond Cherry: use choc pudding, almond extract instead of vanilla, cinnamon optional, and dried or frozen cherries and chocolate chips mixed in. Almond slivers on top make it look exquisite! I just wish I could do this w/o pudding mix too - haven't tried it, but I have a hunch you could just omit it and add a little cocoa or something. I doubt the Amish rely on pudding mixes! (Too processed for my food snobbery nowadays.)
:) Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship
I have a question about the amish starter bread. I am teaching a science class this Friday that we want to do the starter bread in class with young students. Will we be able to mix all the ingredients together and seal the bags right away and send them home with their zip lock gallon bag of starter bread in 55 minutes? Or does it take longer to do this, then one class period?
I have made Amish Friendship Bread for years. I keep several bags of starter in the freezer, at day 1, 6, and 10. I always have one I can pull out and make the bread. Our church gives small loaves of breads to visitors, and I can make about 40 loaves at a time.
I got busy and forgot about my starter for a few days during the process... so instead of 10 days, I ended up finishing in about 15 days.
The bread tastes pretty good, but I'm hoping I didn't ruin the starters I gave out to my friends. What do you think?
I have a question on the starter - where does it say to add the milk? Dissolve yeast-it shows adding rest of warm water, flour and sugar - when does the milk go in for the starter?
I use pistachio pudding in my breads. Its nice for Christmas and St. Pats day. I had made quite a few loaves and put in my freezer. I was shocked to find them gone. Found out my 20 year old had had them for snacks. Time to do more baking thanks to my nephew who gave me a starter. So, happy to find all the variations to the bread. Can't wait to start baking.
Cindi A.
How do you vary the cooking time and/or degrees when using mini loaf pans?
For the mini loveas I bake at the same temperature but only bake for about 20 minutes.
I have actually just started this starter today and have a post of it on my blogsite http://www.homemadebaking.blogspot.com. I hope this starter turns out well as this is my first time in making a starter or even a bread that has yeast in it.
For the question regarding where to add in the milk, add it in with the dissolved yeast mixture.
I made a pumpkin bread that was better than pumpking pie. You omit the pudding and use libby's pumpkin, instead of cinnamon you use pumpkin pie spice, and instead of white sugar, use brown, also use 1/2 cup of oil, and 1/2 cup of applesauce instead of a whole cup of oil
Does anyone know how to make the recipe without creating any new starters.
Hi Tina,
We added your Amish Friendship Bread photos to Friendship Bread Kitchen. Thank you for your permission.
Do you know how many ounces the large vanilla pudding is?? :)
One large pudding mix is 5 0z.
How much pumpkin do you put in the pumpkin amish bread?
I don't have a pumpkin variation listed. I found a version at the friendship bread kitchen and here is the link:
Pumpkin Friendship Bread
http://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/pantry/pumpkin-spice-amish-friendship-bread
How much libby`s pumpkin do you put in the pumpkin bread?
I think Anonymous was talking about Cassandra's comment where she gave a recipe for pumpkin bread in November of 2011. It says substitute Libbys pumpkin for the vanilla pudding but doesnt say how much to use.
Thank you Tracy Vajda. That is what I was talking about. I just want to know how much pumpkin Cassandra put in her pumpkin bread. Thank you Tina for the pumkpin bread link. Thanks again.
How long is the starter good for when it's been kept frozen? My mom has some inner freezer from several years ago and I was wandering if it would still be good!
In regards to the Pumpkin Bread variation, I have a recipe that states to use 1 cup Libby's canned Pumpkin as the last ingredient that you stir in before baking. I don't remember which site I found it on
why doesn,t the milk go bad?
Hi! I used to make Amish Friendship Cake all the time...I'd bake the cake in bundt pans and freeze them and give them away as gifts at the holidays or any time. For the Lemon cake I made a lemon poppyseed cake that was beautiful and delicions! Just add poppyseeds to the recipe! So pretty!
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