Amish friendship bread is a sweet hybrid between traditional quickbreads and a form of super-sweet sourdough yeast starter. While the original recipe calls for continually adding milk, flour, and sugar to a starter and then giving away the excess, we felt that gluten free flour is too expensive, even at bulk prices, to make this a practical and sustainable method.

Instead we have taken our Sourdough Starter as a base and have adjusted it so that the bread can be made batch-by-batch without having incredible amounts of excess to give away or pitch. In addition, we’ve removed the dairy element to ensure that casein free people can enjoy this bread, too.

No worries, though! The taste and texture is just as good as you remember it!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease two 8×4 inch baking pans and coat with sugar (instead of flour).

Make your starter:

2/3 c Sourdough Starter, at least 48 hours old

1/3 c white sugar

Mix together these ingredients – this forms your ‘1c of friendship bread starter’. To this mixture add:

2/3 c oil

3 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

1 c sugar

2 c (8oz or 227g) Better Batter Gluten Free Flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Beat well, until smooth and well blended – mixture will be sticky! You may add up to 2 c total of any or all of the following: chopped nuts, raisins, dried fruit, chocolate chips.

Pour into greased and sugared pans. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until golden brown on top. Remove immediately from pan and let cool on a rack completely before slicing.