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Sheltering in place? Fruit flies circling your bananas? This might be the recipe for you.
In a Nutshell
This is the first in a series of super fast and delicious Amish Friendship Bread recipes that you can make in a pinch. These recipes share a few common elements:
- Minimal number of ingredients (perfect for limited pantries or emergency situations)
- No special ingredients
- Requires only one bowl
- No time-consuming steps (no pre-mixing, separating dry from wet ingredients, no rise time)
- Substitutions in case you’re missing a key ingredient
- EASY AND FAST
- Absolutely delicious
This is the perfect recipe to chase away the blues if you’re stuck inside and can’t run to the store for ingredients. Chances are good that you’ll have all of these items on hand.
To make Easy Amish Friendship Bread Banana Bread, you need overripe bananas, eggs, Amish Friendship Bread starter, sugar, butter (melted or very soft), vanilla extract, flour, baking soda, cinnamon. Optional: chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans) or chocolate chips.
Mix everything together in one bowl, using one fork.
Pour the batter into greased pans. This recipe will make one 9″ x 5″ loaf or 4 mini loaves. Bang the pans gently on the counter (or if you’re feeling stressed, what the heck — go for it) to release any trapped air and level the batter.
Bake in a preheated 325° F (165° C) oven for one hour. If baking mini loaves, bake for 40 minutes. The lower temperature ensures that everything bakes evenly without overbrowning.
I made the recipe twice with the mini loaf pans and made some plain (banana only), some with chopped pecans (which I just broke up by hand), and some with mini chocolate chips (no explanation needed).
Substitutions
If you’re short on supplies, here are a few substitutions you can make. It will affect your final result, but are great options if you have a limited pantry:
- EGG: Swap one egg with ¼ cup oil OR swap ½ cup butter with 6 tablespoons oil
- VANILLA EXTRACT: Swap vanilla extract with equal amount maple syrup
- SUGAR: Swap sugar with light brown sugar (packed) OR swap 1 cup sugar for ¾ cup honey OR ¾ cup maple syrup OR ⅔ cup agave syrup OR 1 teaspoon stevia.
Kitchen Equipment
- One large mixing bowl
- Fork (I mixed the entire recipe with only this utensil)
- Measuring cups (1 cup, ½ cup)
- Measuring spoons (1 teaspoon, ½ teaspoon)
- Baking pans (one 9″ x 5″ loaf pan, or 4 mini loaf pans, which I used for easy gift giving)
Baking Adjustments
- Cook time for a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan is 1 hour
- Cook time for 4 mini loaf pans is 40-45 minutes
- In both cases, test with a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread and make sure it comes out clean
- Did you know? Amish Friendship Bread recipes generally bake at 325° F instead of 350° F to allow the starter to bake evenly so your bread doesn’t turn out gummy
Kitchen Tips
- To help remove air from the batter, bang the filled pans gently on the counter before putting into the oven
- Let the bread cool in the pans for at least 10 minutes before removing and continuing to cool on the rack.
- If you slice into the bread too early, too much moisture might escape and the bread will dry out.
- Banana Bread Preparedness: Peel and freeze extra overripe bananas so you can make the bread anytime.
Easy Amish Friendship Bread Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 large bananas overripe, mashed
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup Amish Friendship Bread
- ½ cup butter melted
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Optional
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon OR
- ½ cup chocolate chips OR
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F (165° C). Grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, add eggs and mash bananas with the back of a fork until smooth.
- Add starter, butter, sugar, and vanilla and continue to mix.
- Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Include cinnamon if using. Mix until just combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips or nuts if using.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bang pan gently on the counter to settle the batter and release any excess air.
- Bake for one hour or until the bread loosens evenly from the sides and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing.
- ENJOY!
Notes
- EGG: Swap one egg with ¼ cup oil OR swap ½ cup butter with 6 tablespoons oil
- VANILLA EXTRACT: Swap vanilla extract with equal amount maple syrup
- SUGAR: Swap sugar with light brown sugar (packed) OR swap 1 cup sugar for ¾ cup honey OR ¾ cup maple syrup OR ⅔ cup agave syrup OR 1 teaspoon stevia.
>> Have you tried this? Rate the recipe and leave a comment below to let me know how it worked for you!
The winner of this month’s giveaway is Jamie Bogle! Jamie’s name was drawn at random from the qualified entries.
Congrats, Jamie!
It’s a Giveaway!
It’s easy to enter
Entrants must be 21 or older, only one entry per person. U.S. residents only, though if an international winner is pulled, they’ll receive a US$15 gift card instead from Amazon (or similar online e-tailer). I want everyone to feel like they have a chance at winning!
Simply leave a comment below about this recipe and let me know if there was anything helpful about this post. I want to make sure I’m sharing recipes and tips that are useful for YOU, especially during this challenging time. And if you do try the recipe, please rate it and share your experience with others!
This giveaway ends on April 10, 2020, at 11:59 pm PST. Good luck and stay healthy, everyone!
Yum, amazing and great substitution ideas!
I liked all the kitchen tips you gave. Thank you.
I taught my 17 year old son how to make biscuits this morning seeing that he needed some kitchen skills in baking. 😍Then tonight I got to thinking about years ago how I used to make this friendship bread and thought it would be a great lesson and a good recipe for him to use. I have a lot of frozen bananas that I could use. Seeing how it’s so hard to find yeast I thought making a starter will give me plenty to make and share during this time. My parents are elderly and giving them a loaf of this bread would cheer them up. I found this website from a link on YouTube. I am so excited to make this years later and have new ways to use the starter. 💕💕💕💕💕
My starter is just about ready to bake with! This might be the first recipe we try.
We just finished eating one loaf already, about to start in on the second loaf. I realized I wasn’t ready to give up my starters, so I went to your webpage to re-print a few more directions and came across all the great recipes! Banana Bread is my favorite so this is PERFECT!
My family loved this recipe. It’s a large loaf and we had enough to share with the grandparents. We had it for breakfast and dessert for a couple of days. One of the best things about this recipe is it’s all made in one bowl and you only need a fork to mix it up. Thanks for another great recipe!
Banana bread is always a favorite in my home! I appreciate the substitution options, because the pantry is dwindling during this pandemic!
Made this with my daughter and it was a hit with the family, we used banana, cinnamon AND chocolate chips. Delicious.
I will be trying this on Saturday when my starter is ready to use! It sounds delicious!
Thank you for posting a Sugar free option! We’re starting this in my neighborhood in Saratoga springs,Utah!
Love the substitutions, so helpful these days when I can’t/don’t want to just run to the store.
I’m loving all of your recipes! I’m having so much fun baking with my two little girls during this crazy time at home. My oldest isn’t a fan of bananas but LOVES your 30 min yeast rolls. Those will forever be a staple in our house from now on. My littlest and I are LOVING this banana bread for breakfast. 💗
Forgot once to tap out the air bubbles, but it still tasted good…
Lol…forgot once to tap the air bubbles out. Still tasted good though…
My husband and I are both diabetic. I have a batch of low sugar starter fermenting. When it is done, I am going to try a low sugar version of the bread. Bananas are plenty sweet and with a bit of stevia or other sugar substitute, the recipe should work for me.
I found an omission in the recipe that you might want to correct. The third ingredient down reads 1 cup Amish Friendship. If I am not mistaken, you meant 1 cup Amish Friendship Bread “starter”.
I am sure most people will figure this out on their own, but for those who are beginner cooks, it might be confusing.
I love your recipes and was so happy to find the low-sugar starter recipe yesterday which, by the way also had a broken link in it. The one that was supposed to take you to the recipe for Amish Friendship bread.
Thanks for the giveaway and good luck everyone…Blessings!
I love the idea and can’t wait to make them all!!!
My husbands new favorite banana bread, thank you for the recipe. I am looking forward to trying the other recipes soon.
Thank you for sharing all the options and substitutions. I had bought yeast several weeks ago and meant to start making Friendship Bread. No time like the present. Stay safe.
Connie
I’m waiting for one more ripe banana and then using this recipe next!
I just made my starter today and can’t wait to try the chocolate chip version! Thank you!!
As soon as I got home from university (subsequently leaving a lot of my friends and my boyfriend), I was looking for some kind of simple (and safe) way to spread some positivity. Immediately I thought of Amish Friendship Bread, and have since finished my first batch/round thanks to you. It gave me something to look forward to, a reason to leave the house (for deliveries), and honestly filled me with a bit of purpose. Thank you SO MUCH!!!
SO I made this recipe right away because I had really brown bananas but I only had 2. It still work just fine. This kids will probably devour this at lunch. As a side note: The last email you sent about starter being safe to share didn’t have a link to the article you referred to. But I was so glad to here that someone did the research and found it was because I wondered. Thank you.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks for all the wonderful ideas/recipes.
I found you’re site when I was looking for a good alternative to utilize what little yeast I had left. Times are tough right now, and it seems yeast is one of the most sought after ingredients! So it has been next to impossible to find in store, I had made Amish Friendship bread years ago, and forgot about how amazing it is. I’ve sent your website to all of my family, as I believe it is the holy grail to all things Friendship Bread. Thanks for all you do!!
I just made an Amish Friendship bread starter
And happened on this post… i appreciate the tips such as how long to bake mini loaves instead of regular loaves. Thank you❣️
Thank you for this. I just started a starter, I’ll be referring back to this page for ideas in 9 days for sure!
I am excited to try this with the chocolate chips. Thanks for sharing.
Looks great. Will definitely be trying it out.
Really love tge substation list ❤
Love the substitutions listed. This is always so helpful when you don’t have the exact ingredients on hand.
I’ll be making this today in the mini loaf pans for co-workers. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
This sounds amazing! I absolutely love that you added so many substitutions! Super handy when we can’t just go there the store! Thank you!
love this site! i am new and i havent figured out how to sign in yet! lol. cant wait to make some of these. stay safe and healthy! thanks
I read your novel “Friendship Bread” & loved it three weeks ago which inspired me to get a batch of starter going again. I used to make this many decades ago but hadn’t even thought about it in years. The timing was fortuitous since we have been sheltering in place with our grandchildren for two weeks now. Keeping the starter going & baking all different kinds of goodies has been a welcome distraction for them. I appreciate your tips here about substitutions because getting groceries is a challenge now. Thankfully, I had frozen some ripe bananas!
What a great recipe, perfect use for my starter and those bananas that have been needed a purpose 🙂 I look forward to trying the recipe out!
Starting my first starter today, wish me luck.
Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for the recipe!
I can’t wait to try this banana bread!! It looks amazing and I love how it’s all done in one bowl with a fork! I have not had the best of luck with banana bread. I believe I mix too much so it sinks in the middle. I am going to try this one for sure. It looks so moist and delicious! I love banana bread as well as my whole family and I really believe they are going to go “banana’s” over this recipe 🙂 Thank you thank you for all your awesome tips and recipes!!!
It’s me again. Just wanted to write an update. I made this recipe and it is phenomenal!!!! It came out beautiful and is delicious!!! I finally have found a fabulous banana bread and it didn’t sink in the middle like what normally happens to me. I am so excited!!! I put some chopped pecans and chocolate chips in mine. Thank you thank you for a great recipe and the helpful hints. One bowl and a fork was great!!
Love it. Saved it for future baking.
Can’t wait to try this recipe with my grandkids. Thank you
Awsome post! I loved all the different variations and also the list of ingredient substitutions. I was given a starter by my daughter-in-law and will be returning the favor. My husband loved it and since I am trying to fatten him up this recipe came in handy. I will be making different variations every time a starter is ready. Also, plan to give loaves of bread and starter to my friends. Thanks for a great post.
Can’t wait to try this banana bread with the Amish Friendship starter! I make banana bread a lot, but this sound scrumptious! Thanks for all these wonderful recipes!
Love the recipe and substitutions. Can’t wait to start baking.
Sounds really yummy! I haven’t made Friendship Bread for a while. This recipe has inspired me to get a starter going!
All the variations!
This was a great incentive to start a new starter! Thank you
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Yes!! We can into 11 bunches of green bananas and now I will make bread!
WOW! Perfect timing. I can’t wait to get my starter started and make this banana bread! Will use the chocolate chips 😀 Love the substitutions, so very helpful! Thank you and please stay healthy in these crazy times!
This recipe looks delicious. I love Amish Frendship bread. I have been making it for 40+ years. Thanks for the wonderful recipes and helpful hints.
I’m sharing this recipe with my foods and culinary students, along with the Amish potato flake starter. Thank you! I hope to give my students options when they are working with limited supplies.
Truly appreciate the list of substitutions. I never seem to have everything I need for a recipe.