Amish Friendship Bread {Without Pudding Mix}
Amish friendship bread is a delicious cinnamon sweet bread that is made extra tasty with the addition of an Amish style sourdough starter!
I was in the kitchen, minding my own business, baking Amish friendship bread when I heard the sound of pre-teens.
You know… that silent padding around the house, mostly in the direction of the fridge and the tv room downstairs.
But this time, it was different, it was coming towards me!
Both of them, as if summoned, followed their nose to the kitchen at the same time saying “Dang, ma, whatcha cookin’?! Smells SO good”
This Amish friendship bread recipe is dedicated to making friends with your pre-teens!
Jump to:
What Is Amish Friendship Bread?
Amish friendship bread is an irresistible sweet bread. This delicious bread takes a little bit of time to make- like 10 days – but it is well worth the wait!
If you are looking for a yummy vanilla cinnamon sweet bread recipe, then this is the one for you!
This basic recipe gets its name from the starter, which is usually given to you by a friend! (Psst, if you don’t have a friend with a bubbling starter living on their counter, I have you covered with my friendship bread starter recipe!)
What Is Amish Friendship Bread Starter?
Amish friendship bread starter is a sweet sourdough starter that is made with flour, water, sugar, and yeast. The starter lives on your counter and is cared for in a 10 day process: it’s stirred daily, fed on day 1 and day 5, and fed and baked with on day 10!
Amish Friendship Bread starter can be used to make many different types of baked goods, including cinnamon rolls and coffee cake.
Tips + Tricks
No. 1 –> Don’t have an Amish friendship bread starter? I got you, babe! Check out my Amish friendship bread starter recipe!
No. 2 –> I love to let my batter sit after mixing for 30-45 minutes – kind of like my classic cornbread. I find it makes for a lighter, more airy loaf because it gives time for the baking powder to react with the acidic starter!
No. 3 –> This is a super simple recipe that requires nothing more than 2 bowls, a spoon, and a couple of loaf pans. I used 9×5.5 loaf pans for these photos, and my loaves were a little short, but they can easily be made in a 9×5 or 8×4 loaf pan too.
No. 4 –> This isn’t like all the AFB recipes out there! The majority of the recipes call for vanilla instant pudding mix in the batter. Personally, I prefer this recipe without that addition – if you must, you can add it, but the sweet bread is too sweet with it, in my opinion!
No. 5 –> Wait until the loaves are cooled before slicing! Slicing them before they are completely cooled can lead to the texture becoming drier.
Key Ingredients
Amish Friendship Bread Starter: Freshly fed starter is the key ingredient in this recipe! Without it, you cannot make cinnamon Amish friendship bread. The starter adds the perfect amount of acidity and sweetness to this sweet treat.
Cinnamon: This spice helps to give the bread its signature flavor. Be sure to use fresh cinnamon for the best flavor.
Sugar: Use granulated white sugar in this recipe, it’s perfect for letting the flavor of this bread shine with its neutral flavor and helps to tenderize while holding on to moisture!
All purpose flour: This is the type of flour that I use for almost all of my non-bread baking. Its got a lower protein content and forms less gluten in the baked goods which keeps them ultra-tender and delicious!
How To Make Amish Friendship Bread
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup Amish bread starter with 3 eggs. Then add 1 cup oil and beat until completely combined. The mixture may be separated, but it will come together with continued stirring.
- Add 1 cup sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and stir until combined.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the starter mixture. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350f and grease 2 9×5″ loaf pans with butter, margarine, or nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, make cinnamon sugar topping by combining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar with 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
- After 30 minutes, spoon about a quarter of the batter into each of the greased loaf pans – using about half in total, reserving the remaining batter.
- Sprinkle half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the batter.
- Split the remaining batter between both loaf pans, and spoon it on top.
- Sprinkle again with cinnamon sugar topping.
- Bake at 350f for 35-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Allow Amish friendship bread to cool in the loaf pan for 10 or so minutes before turning out and cooling on a wire rack or sharing with your hungry kids!
Batch + Storage
Batch:
This recipe makes 2 loaves of yummy quick bread. It can be halved to make one loaf, but it’s so delicious that you’ll want to make both!
Storage:
If you’re going to eat this sweet treat within a couple of days, you can store the loaves at room temperature. Simply allow them to cool completely before sliding them into resealable plastic bags or airtight containers for up to 3 days.
For longer-term storage, wrap each loaf in plastic wrap before sliding into a ziplock style freezer bag and storing it in the freezer for up to 3 months. (HA! As if it will last that long!)
More Sourdough Bread Recipes + Guides!
Variations + Substitutions:
I am a huge advocate of riffing on recipes. Tweak till your heart’s content. Unless it’s this one. I absolutely recommend baking this Amish bread recipe as written at least once – because it’s so darn tasty – before adjusting and tweaking!
But… If you’re so inclined to tweak, I have a few suggestions!
- add in a cup of chopped nuts, like pecans or walnuts
- toss a cup of dried fruit into the mix, like raisins, or craisins
- swap the cinnamon for another warming spice, like cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, or a mix of all of them!
- add 1 cup chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate
- add a box of vanilla pudding mix to the batter – while the original recipe does not call for this, many people like to add it!
- bake your friendship bread batter in a muffin tin – fill each cavity 2/3 full and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar and bake for around 25 minutes.
- make it a cake! Bake your AFB in a greased bundt pan instead of bread loaf pans.
Related: Sourdough Banana Bread!
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📖 Printable Recipe
Amish Friendship Bread {Original Recipe Without Pudding Mix}
Ingredients
Batter:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 cup Amish friendship starter
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup neutral cooking oil like canola
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cinnamon topping:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup Amish friendship bread starter with 3 large eggs. Then add 1 cup oil and beat until completely combined.
- Add 1 cup granulated sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and stir until combined.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the starter mixture. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350f and grease 2 9×5" loaf pans with butter, margarine, or nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, make cinnamon sugar topping by combining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar with 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
- After 30 minutes, spoon about a quarter of the batter into each of the greased loaf pans – using about half in total, reserving the remaining batter.
- Sprinkle half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the batter.
- Split the remaining batter between both loaf pans, and spoon it on top.
- Sprinkle again with cinnamon sugar topping.
- Bake at 350f for 35-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Allow Amish friendship bread to cool in the loaf pan for 10 or so minutes before turning out and cooling on a wire rack or sharing with your hungry kids!
Notes
Batch:
This recipe makes 2 loaves of yummy quick bread. It can be halved to make one loaf, but it's so delicious that you'll want to make both!Storage:
variations + substitutions:
- add in a cup of chopped nuts, like pecans or walnuts
- toss a cup of dried fruit into the mix, like raisins, or craisins
- swap the cinnamon for another warming spice, like cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, or a mix of all of them!
- add 1 cup chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate
- add a box of vanilla pudding mix to the batter – while the original recipe does not call for this, many people like to add it!
- bake your friendship bread batter in a muffin tin – fill each cavity 2/3 full and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar and bake for around 25 minutes.
- make it a cake! Bake your AFB in a greased bundt pan instead of bread loaf pans.