Feeding the Amish Friendship Bread Starter

By
Carroll Pellegrinelli
Carroll Pellegrinelli
Expert baker and published author, Carroll Pellegrinelli shares her knowledge of bread baking and desserts.
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Updated on 12/10/21
Jeff Nelson/Flickr
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Ten Days: 24 hrs
Total: 24 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 10 servings

Friendship Bread, aka Amish Friendship Bread, is what is made with a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag of Amish Friendship Bread starter and these directions. If you are the recipient of a bag of starter, these directions should come with the bag. If you are the person who gives out the starter, make sure to print off these instructions to go with it.

"To better keep up with the process of making this bread, add the actual dates to this recipe. Day1 is the date you first received (or made) the bag of starter. Day 10 is the day you can make some bread.

"Do not use any metal spoons or bowls with this recipe. It will interfere with the process of fermentation.

"To keep the bag of Amish Friendship Bread Starter from exploding, check it more than once a day. Be sure to release any excess air build-up.

"When told to knead the bag, do so carefully. Hold the resealable area in one hand, and use the other hand to knead the starter."

Ingredients

Day 6 (Feeding the Bag):

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

  • 2 cups sugar, divided

  • 2 cups milk, divided

Day 10 (Making the Bread):

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 5 ounces vanilla pudding mix

  • 1 cup vegetable oil

  • 1/2 cup milk

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1 bag Amish Friendship Starter

  • 1 cup chopped pecans, or walnuts, lightly toasted

Steps to Make It

Feeding the Amish Friendship Bread Starter


(Fill in the blanks with actual days of the month.)

Day 1 - ______________ - Do nothing to the bag of Starter.
Day 2 - ______________ - Knead the bag.
Day 3 - ______________ - Knead the bag.
Day 4 - ______________ - Knead the bag.
Day 5 - ______________ - Knead the bag.
Day 6 - ______________ - Feed the Starter
Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk to the bag. Knead bag until well mixed.
Day 7 - ______________ - Knead the bag
Day 8 - ______________ - Knead the bag
Day 9 - ______________ - Knead the bag
Day 10 - _____________ - Make the Bread
Pour the contents of resealable bag into non-metal bowl. Add remaining flour, sugar and milk. Stir with wooden or plastic spoon. Add 1 cup of the starter in each of the 3 resealable 1-gallon bags. Give these to friends. Use the remaining starter to make the bread.

Instructions for Baking the Bread


  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat the oven to 325 F and grease two 8x4-inch loaf pans.

  3. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla pudding mix in a large bowl, with a wire whisk (metal is okay when making a loaf of bread).

  4. Combine the vegetable oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Mix well.

  5. Add the leftover starter and wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Stir in the nuts.

  6. Carefully, pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour.

  7. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Carefully dump the bread out onto a wire rack for complete cooling.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
607 Calories
32g Fat
73g Carbs
9g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories 607
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 32g 41%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 57mg 19%
Sodium 475mg 21%
Total Carbohydrate 73g 27%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 34g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 89mg 7%
Iron 3mg 16%
Potassium 171mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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