How to Make Amish Friendship Bread Starter from Scratch: Ingredients, Faq & Recipes
The crowning payoff of the 10-day cycle is a dense, fragrant quick bread with a crisp, crackly exterior. The fermented starter provides moisture and an underlying complexity that standard chemical leaveners cannot replicate on their own.
Prep time: 15 minutes | Bake time: 55, 60 minutes | Yield: Two 8.5 × 4.5-inch loaves
Dry Mix:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 packet (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
Wet Mix:
• 1 cup Day 10 friendship bread starter
• 3 large eggs (room temperature)
• 1 cup neutral oil (vegetable or canola)
• ½ cup whole milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Crust:
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 ½ tbsp ground cinnamon
Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Thoroughly grease two standard loaf pans with butter or cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon for the crust. Dust the interiors of both pans with half of this mixture, coating the bottom and sides evenly. Tap out the excess and reserve it for the top.
In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, oil, milk, vanilla, and the cup of starter until uniform. Pour the wet base into the dry ingredients. Stir with a silicone spatula just until the dry streaks vanish. Overmixing works the gluten, turning what should be a tender crumb into a tough, rubbery loaf.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Dust the remaining cinnamon sugar across the surface of both loaves. Bake at 325°F for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center emerges clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning the loaves out onto a wire rack. Slicing into the bread while piping hot collapses the delicate crumb structure; let it cool completely for clean, even slices.