Amish friendship bread

It has been suggested that this article be merged with Herman cake. (Discuss) Proposed since October 2024.

Amish friendship bread

A loaf of Amish cinnamon bread, fresh out of the oven
Type	Sweet bread
Place of origin	United States
Main ingredients	Sourdough starter, sugar, vegetable oil, cinnamon

Amish friendship bread is a type of bread or cake made from a sourdough starter that is often shared in a manner similar to a chain letter.^[1] The starter is a substitute for baking yeast and can be used to make many kinds of yeast-based breads, shared with friends, or frozen for future use. The sweet, cake-like Amish cinnamon bread is a common bread that is made from this starter; it is a simple, stirred quick bread that includes a substantial amount of sugar and vegetable oil, with a mild cinnamon flavor. It has characteristics of both pound cake and coffee cake. The flavor of the finished product can be altered by cinnamon being omitted.

A common recipe using this starter suggests using one cup (240 ml) of it to make bread, keeping one cup to start a new cycle, and giving the remaining three cups to friends. The process of sharing the starter makes it somewhat like a chain letter. One cup of starter makes one standard loaf of bread.