Amish Friendship Bread Recipe

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Got it! Since you mentioned your Amish buddy, one of the most beloved Amish treats is Amish Friendship Bread. It’s sweet, comforting, and rooted in tradition. Let me create a big, detailed recipe write-up with everything you asked for: introduction, ingredients, instructions, methods, history, benefits, formation, nutrition, and conclusion with “lovers.”

🍞 Amish Friendship Bread Recipe

📖 Introduction

Amish Friendship Bread is more than just a dessert—it’s a tradition, a story, and a way of bonding with family and friends. This tender, cinnamon-sugar loaf has roots in Amish culture and is often shared through a “starter,” a living yeast mixture that grows with time and care. The beauty lies in its cycle: you bake one loaf, save some starter, and pass it along to loved ones so they can carry on the tradition. Sweet, moist, and lightly spiced, this bread is as much about connection as it is about flavor.

🛒 Ingredients

For the Starter (Day 1 – the base):

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup milk

For Feeding the Starter (Day 5 & 10):

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup milk

For the Bread (using 1 cup of starter):

  • 1 cup Amish friendship bread starter
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 small box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix (or butterscotch for variety)
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips (optional)

Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

👩‍🍳 Instructions & Methods

Step 1: Preparing the Starter

  1. In a glass or plastic bowl, mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk until smooth.
  2. Pour into a large Ziploc bag or non-metal container. This is Day 1.
  3. Leave it at room temperature. Do not refrigerate.

Step 2: Feeding the Starter

  • On Day 5: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk. Mix well.
  • On Day 10: Add again the same (1 cup each flour, sugar, milk). Stir.
  • After Day 10, you’ll have enough starter to:
    • Bake one loaf.
    • Save one portion for yourself.
    • Share portions with friends (that’s the Amish tradition).

Step 3: Making the Bread

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Grease two loaf pans with butter and dust with cinnamon sugar.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together starter, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
  4. Mix in flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, pudding mix, and milk. Stir gently until smooth.
  5. Fold in nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips if desired.
  6. Pour batter into prepared pans. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon sugar mixture.
  7. Bake for 45–55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
  8. Cool slightly, slice, and enjoy warm!

🕰️ History

The Amish Friendship Bread is said to trace back to Amish and Mennonite communities, where food and faith go hand in hand. It became especially popular in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s, when chain-letter-style recipe sharing was a household trend. People loved the idea of passing on both a recipe and a living starter—a symbol of generosity, community, and care.

🌿 Benefits

  • Community bonding: Encourages sharing with neighbors and family.
  • Gut-friendly: The starter uses natural fermentation, aiding digestion.
  • Versatile: Can be flavored with chocolate, fruit, or nuts.
  • Comfort food: Sweet, warm, and homey.

🏗️ Formation (How it’s created & passed on)

  1. The starter ferments at room temperature, creating natural yeasts.
  2. The baker keeps a portion, bakes with one, and shares the rest.
  3. The cycle continues, forming a “friendship chain” through baking.

🍽️ Nutrition (per slice, approx. from a loaf of 12)

  • Calories: ~220
  • Fat: 8 g
  • Carbs: 33 g
  • Sugar: 18 g
  • Protein: 3 g
  • Fiber: 1 g

(Values may vary based on mix-ins and substitutions.)

💕 Conclusion with Lovers

Amish Friendship Bread is more than a recipe—it’s love baked into every slice. Lovers of this bread cherish it not only for its sweet, cinnamon-kissed flavor but also for the tradition it carries. It’s about slowing down, tending to something living, and then sharing it with those you care for. In a world that moves too fast, Amish Friendship Bread reminds us that the best things in life are made with patience, kindness, and love.

👉 Would you like me to also give you 3 popular variations (like chocolate chip, lemon-poppy seed, or apple-cinnamon) so you can surprise your friends with different flavors?

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