How to Use Amish Friendship Bread Starter + Free Printable

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Amish Friendship Bread is a such a delicious treat and it’s fun to share with friends! If you’ve received a baggie of the starter from a friend, you may be wondering how to use Amish Friendship Bread Starter.

If you have been feeding your Amish Friendship Bread starter and are ready to bake your bread, you may want to share your starter with friends and family. It’s handy to have printable Amish Friendship Bread Instructions you can include with your starter.

How to Use Amish Friendship Bread Starter with Printable Instructions @ AVirtuousWoman.org
Originally published 2013. Updated April 2023.

I received my Amish Friendship Bread starter in a gallon size baggie many, many years ago. I actually asked for some when I tasted the basic Sweet Cinnamon Bread a neighbor shared with me. It’s soooo good!

Be sure to read my Amish Friendship Bread Tutorial. It really is the ultimate guide where I share all my best secrets no one else will tell you about Amish Friendship Bread.

Having a printable Amish Friendship Bread instructions makes it so much easier to share because you don’t have to write all the steps out by hand each time you share the starer.

How to Use Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Okay, so let’s get into how to use Amish Friendship Bread Starter. It’s really not hard!

Day One: You receive a baggie of Amish Friendship Bread starter. Do nothing.

Note: You can transfer the starter to a quart size jar or leave in the gallon size bag. If you transfer your starter to a jar or bowl (cover with a tea towel), you can use a wooden spoon to stir the starter each day.

Day Two: Mush the bag. If gasses build up inside the baggie, you can let the air out and reseal the baggie.

Day Three: Mush the bag.

Day Four: Mush the bag.

Day Five: Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk and 1 cup sugar in a bowl. Add to bag.

Day Six: Mush the bag.

Day Seven: Mush the bag

Day Eight: Mush the bag.

Day Nine: Mush the bag.

Day Ten: Combine in a large bowl: batter, 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour, and 1 cup sugar. Stir and put 1 cup of starter in four gallon sized bags. Keep one for yourself and give the recipe and one starter bag to three friends.

Tips for using your Amish Friendship Bread Starter

  • Don’t use a metal spoon or bowl when feeding your Amish Friendship Bread Starter or when making the bread.
  • Use a wooden spoon and glass or plastic bowl.
  • Read my Amish Friendship Bread Tutorial for all my secrets!

Printable Instructions for Amish Friendship Bread You can Share

Print out my Amish Friendship Bread Instructions below to keep on hand for when you are feeding your starter or to include with a bag of starter you share with a friend.

Also, be sure to print out the recipe below for my most popular Amish Friendship Bread recipe, the Sweet Cinnamon Bread, to share with your friends as well!

Amish Friendship Bread Tutorial and Starter Recipe @ AVirtuousWoman.org

Amish Friendship Bread

Once you receive your Amish Friendship Bread Starter, follow the instructions below to feed your starter!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup sugar

Instructions

Day One: You receive a baggie of Amish Friendship Bread starter. Do nothing. You can transfer the starter to a quart size jar or leave in the gallon size bag.

Day Two: Mush the bag. If gasses build up inside the baggie, you can let the air out and reseal the baggie.

Day Three: Mush the bag.

Day Four: Mush the bag.

Day Five: Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk and 1 cup sugar in a bowl. Add to bag.

Day Six: Mush the bag.

Day Seven: Mush the bag

Day Eight: Mush the bag.

Day Nine: Mush the bag.

Day Ten: Combine in a large bowl: batter, 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour, and 1 cup sugar. Stir and put 1 cup of starter in four gallon sized bags. Keep one for yourself and give the recipe and one starter bag to three friends.

Notes

  1. If you have two friends to give some of the starter, take 1 cup each and put into gallon size zipper bags to give away.
  2. If you only take out 1 cup of starter to save for the next batch, you will have enough starter left to make 4 loaves of the basic Sweet Cinnamon Bread.
  3. If you take out your starter and the two starters for your friends, you will only have enough left over to make 2 loaves of your quick sweet bread.
  4. Should you forget to feed the starter or miss a day or two because you weren’t able to bake the bread on day 10, don’t fret! I have actually gone several days without baking the bread and it works fine. My hectic schedule does not always permit me to bake bread “on schedule.”
  5. If you do not have a friend to share the starter with, bake a double batch of bread or other sourdough recipes or throw the starter out, or place it in the freezer to use at a later date.
  6. Don’t feel like you have the keep three starters going. There is no way to keep up with it!
  7. And, are you ready for my ONE BEST SECRET? You do NOT have to feed your started a full cup of each flour, sugar, and milk. Instead, you can feed your starter 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup milk, and 1/3 cup sugar, leaving you with 2/3 less starter on baking day.

Sweet Cinnamon Bread Recipe for Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Below you’ll find my recipe for the most post and well known Sweet Cinnamon Bread that most people associate with Amish Friendship Bread. You can print out this recipe to include with your Amish Friendship Bread Starter Instructions above.

Amish Friendship Bread Tutorial and Starter Recipe @ AVirtuousWoman.org

Sweet Cinnamon Bread

This is the basic and most popular Sweet Cinnamon Bread recipe using the Amish Friendship Bread starter.

Ingredients

To the 2 cups of starter you will add the following:

  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup oil

Topping

  • 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Mix all ingredients together well.
  3. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes and sprinkle the tops of the bread with cinnamon sugar generously.
  5. Continue baking for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown or until a cake tester comes out clean.
  6. If you have 4 cups of starter simply double the recipe.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 365Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 186mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 1gSugar: 25gProtein: 4g

I hope you enjoy learning how to use Amish Friendship Bread starter. It’s so much for fun to share this yummy recipe with your friends and family!

Do you have any questions about Amish Friendship Bread? Be sure to let me know in the comments below.

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2 Comments

  1. Hello, I followed the instructions to make the starter with flour yeast sugar vinegar water and milk this past Sunday. It is now Tuesday evening. Is it day 3 or day 1 for the Amish bread starter? Thank you for the recipe.

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