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Soft & fluffy Amish friendship bread is covered in an irresistible cinnamon sugar mixture. Make this without a starter using buttermilk!

Amish friendship bread requires only a handful of ingredients and 10-15 minutes of prep! I don’t know about you, but that’s my kind of recipe. Bisquick Banana Bread, Lemon Poppy Seed Bread, and Blueberry Bread are a few of more of our favorite sweet breads!

Amish Friendship Bread sliced on a cutting board

What is Friendship Bread?

A long time ago a friend gave me a bag of mush and told me to follow the rules – to knead it, add things to it, and speak nice things to it, and one day it would turn into a glorious loaf of Amish Friendship Bread.

I did those things, and a few days later, it indeed, was a glorious loaf of Amish bread! And it even left me with more mush to give away to my friends, spreading love from one kitchen to another.

So, what is it? It’s a cake-like bread that is made with a starter that is shared in a manner similar to a chain letter.

For many years I thought If I wanted to taste that delicious bread again, I would need to be given a bag of mush (aka an Amish bread “starter”).

Then, I realized I could still make it from scratch – without the starter. And so today, I bring you this divine Amish Bread, that has been tried and proven true for your kitchen. Good news – it only takes an hour to make rather than days!

Making Amish friendship Bread Without Starter

You can thank the buttermilk for allowing you to have this delicious Amish Cinnamon Bread without a starter!

If you’re extra anxious to eat this bread, but don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can make your own using these tips!

TOPPING. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

MIX + DIVIDE. In another bowl, or in a stand mixer, cream together butter, sugar, and eggs and then add the buttermilk, flour, and baking soda. Divide 1/2 of the batter into two greased loaf pans (in other words, 1/4 of the mix in each pan). (I used two 5″ x 9″ metal loaf pans that are 3″ deep.)

LAYER. Sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the batter in each pan, reserving about 1/4 to sprinkle on the tops. Evenly add remaining batter to your two pans, and then sprinkle on the rest of your cinnamon topping.

BAKE. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until baked through. Cool for 20 minutes before removing from the pan. Enjoy!

TIP: Altitude, weather, oven and even the type of pan can all affect the bake time. If you find that your bread is taking longer to cook in the middle, use a piece of tin foil to tent over the top to keep the crust from getting too dark and crisp.

1/2 of the batter spread in a glass loaf pan

Recipe Variations

Variations: Here are a few ways to change up this recipe…

Add chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, nuts, raisins, cranberries… the possibilities are endless!
Substitute ½ the butter with an equal amount of applesauce.
Use a gluten free baking blend. Substitute the all purpose flour with a 1:1 ratio. You may need to add a touch more buttermilk.

Another variation is to make muffins: Divide half of the batter evenly into muffin tins. Fill the tins about 1/3 of the way full. Sprinkle on cinnamon sugar mix then add the remaining batter. Finally, top them with another layer of cinnamon sugar. Bake them at 350 degrees for 25-35 min. Check them after 25 with a toothpick through the middle.

Dough and cinnamon and sugar mixture layers in a glass loaf pan

Storing and Gifting Amish Bread

STORE at room temperature in an airtight container/Ziploc, or wrapped in plastic/foil for 2-3 days. For longer storage go ahead and tightly wrap the loaf with plastic wrap and again with foil. Label and store in the freezer for 1-2 months. Thaw before cutting.

Gift it: As mentioned one of the reasons this is called friendship bread is because you pass on a baggie of the starter to friends so they can make their own. To keep the spirit of friendship alive simply give a finished loaf to family, friends, neighbors, teachers, coworkers…anyone!

Pinterest has some amazing ideas for gifting bread. One of my favorites was to simply wrap the loaf with parchment paper, tie it with raffia, twine or string, then add a cute gift tag and even the recipe so they can make their own.

For more favorite (quick!) bread recipes:

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