Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe - The Rebel Chick (2024)

When I was a kid, my mom used to do a ton of cooking. She was always swapping recipes for unusual things with the ladies at her church, but of all those recipes she tried at home, one stands out...

it was this super awesome Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe that the ladies in the church made for what seems like years.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe - The Rebel Chick (1)

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Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe

I was thinking about baking some bread but was getting a little tired of banana bread. That's my favorite but you can only eat so much, ya know?

I started looking up recipes online and found a recipe on AllRecipes.com for the actual Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe.

You see, Amish Friendship bread isn't just something that you can whip up and enjoy on the same day.

It takes ten freaking days to make - and you have to know someone who has a starter already going, or make yours completely from scratch.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe - The Rebel Chick (2)

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If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips and similar recipe ideas, hit the Jump to Recipe button for the printable recipe card.

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Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe - The Rebel Chick (3)

You're Going to love this Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe

After I found the Amish Friendship Bread starter recipe on AllRecipes, that's just what I did!

Now, when you get an Amish Friendship Bread Starter from someone, your final product always tastes a little different. They say that the older the starter is, the better the Amish Friendship bread tastes.

I liked my bread once it was made, and my mom said it tasted really good, but that it did taste different then she remembered.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe - The Rebel Chick (4)

Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe

Ingredients

1 (.25 ounce) packageactive dry yeast
¼ cupwarm water
3 cups flour, divided into 3 cups
3 cupswhite sugar, divided into 3 cups
3 cupsmilk, divided into 3 cups

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Instructions

In a small bowl, dissolve your packet of yeast in warm water. Let it stand 10 minutes - it's supposed to get a little bubbly. In a 2 quart container glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup of the flour and 1 cup of the sugar.

Mix it up really thoroughly or your flour will get all lumpy when you add the cold milk.

Slowly stir in 1 cup milk into your dissolved yeast mixture. Cover it loosely and let stand until bubbly.

This if the first day of the 10 day cycle. Leave it loosely covered at room temperature.

Note: I used a big glass bowl and left it sitting on the kitchen counter. After reading lots of recipes, I actually found that it's best to keep it in a warmer location and to use a plastic bowl because it absorbs more heat that way.

I keep my house at 74 degrees, so our kitchen is never actually warm. When I make it again, I'll likely put the starter in a gallon sized Ziploc bag and leave it near a window. I read in a few places that it yields better results that way.

On days 2 through 4; stir your starter with a spoon. On day 5; add another cup of flour, sugar and milk. Stir well and then let sit again, loosely covered. On days 6 through 9, you only stir it.

On day 10; add in another cup of flour, sugar and milk. Stir well and then remove one cup to make your first bread, and separate three additional cups to give to friends with a copy of the recipe. This is where the "friendship" part of the recipe comes into play! It's meant t be shared, to passed around, and to be kept going between friends!

Store the remaining cup of Amish Friendship Bread starter in a container in the refrigerator, or begin the 10 day process over again (beginning with step 2).

Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe - The Rebel Chick (5)

Note: You can also freeze this extra cup of starter and begin with day one of the process whenever you want to start making another loaf!

Now that your starter is ready to be turned into an actual Amish Friendship Bread, it's time to bake!

You can also put into the fridge to help it cool down faster! That's what I always do so that my loafs don't crumble too much when I slice them.

How many cups does this starter make?

I ended up with five cups of starter on day ten. I was a little worried because most of the recipes I saw said that you would only have four cups. I finally found one article that said that when you are starting the Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe totally from scratch like I did, that it tends to yield more.
You can also end up with less or more batter depending on the activity of your yeast!

What kind of spoon should I use?

Note: DO NOT use aluminum when stirring your Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe. The metal will react and ruin your starter! I used a stainless steel spoon, but you can also use a wooden or plastic spoon.

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To print this Amish Friendship Bread Recipe, click the recipe card below!

I know that many people still like to print out recipes and keep them in a recipe binder, or simply have the printed recipe sitting in front of them when it comes time to cook!

Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe - The Rebel Chick (7)

Bake with Friends: Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe

Jennifer

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Course Breakfast

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of yourAmish Friendship Bread Starter
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup oil
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 1 5.5 ounce box of vanilla instant pudding

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325° F and grease two loaf pans and dust them with sugar.

  • Mix all of your ingredients until thoroughly combined. I used my Kitchenaid mixer, on low speed for about two minutes. The batter will be really thick!

  • Pour into your greased and sugared loaf pans and bake for one hour. Cool your bread in the pan for about half an hour before trying to remove, and slide the blade of a butter knife around all edges to help it come loose.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Recipes adapted from AllRecipes.com and my mom's advice.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe - The Rebel Chick (2024)

FAQs

How to tell if amish friendship bread starter is bad? ›

Yes, AFB starter is hardy, but it needs to be fed. If your starter turns pink or has pink splotches, throw it out. After feeding it, nothing happens. Again, every starter (and kitchen) is different so you don't want to be impatient.

What is the difference between sourdough starter and Amish friendship bread starter? ›

A Herman starter or Amish Friendship Bread Starter is typically made with milk, flour, sugar and commercial yeast. A sourdough starter is generally made only of flour and water. A Herman starter will be sweeter and more mellow flavored than a sourdough starter.

Does Amish Friendship Bread Starter need to be refrigerated? ›

You should store your starter in the fridge if: You plan to bake 2-4x a month. If you don't have a plan to regularly bake, then freeze your starter. Refrigerated starters still have to be fed regularly, and if you are not using it, you'll need to discard some starter regularly as well.

Should my Amish Friendship bread starter smell like alcohol? ›

Your starter should smell like yeasty–sweet, tangy, and fermented. It reminds some people of beer.

How do you know if your bread starter is bad? ›

Typical signs of food spoilage and mold include pink, orange, or green colors, white fuzzy spots, or sometimes areas that are darker with white areas on top. If you see any of these signs, I would recommend throwing your starter away and creating a new one.

Is my sourdough starter rancid? ›

As you can see (or smell!), a sourdough starter should have a sour, tangy, and yeasty aroma, with subtle undertones depending on the type of flour used. However, offensive or foul odours such as rancid, putrid, or mouldy smells are signs that something has gone wrong with the starter.

What should Amish Friendship Bread starter smell like? ›

People making Amish Friendship Bread for the first time often ask what their starter should smell like. Your starter should have a lovely, yeasty smell, like getting a whiff of bread rising in a bakery, times five. If you stick your nose into your bag of starter, you'll get a pretty heady hit of yeast.

How long can you keep an Amish Friendship bread starter? ›

If it's properly cared for, Amish friendship starter can be maintained indefinitely. "It is heartier than most sourdough starters because the sugars in the added milk and sugar give the yeasts extra food to survive, but other things like ambient temperature and contamination could alter your starter," Gee says.

What is the healthiest sourdough starter? ›

Compared to whole wheat flour, rye flour is said to be the most nutrient- and amylase-dense option for a sourdough starter.

What if I forgot to feed my Amish bread starter? ›

Some good news. Amish Friendship Bread starter is pretty flexible, so if you miss a feeding by 1-3 days, you are probably in good shape.

Can I leave bread starter out overnight? ›

Can I leave my starter out overnight after feeding it? Yes, if you have just fed it. Since the night is rather long, feed it in a 1:4:4 ratio so that's not over fermented by the morning. If for example you use a 1:1:1 ratio, the starter would have peaked in the middle of the night, and collapse by the morning.

Why does my Amish Friendship Bread sink in the middle? ›

Keep the oven door closed while your Amish Friendship Bread is baking. You may be tempted to peek, but sudden temperature drops can result in the bread collapsing in the middle.

Why does my starter smell alcoholic? ›

If you smell it, you will smell that it is alcohol, a common byproduct of the yeast when it has consumed all of the available food. How to Recover a Neglected Starter: If your starter is covered with a layer of gray liquid (a.k.a. “hooch”) pour off that liquid, then scrape off the gray layer on top.

How do you know if a bread starter is good? ›

Generally, when a starter is ripe, it has risen, is bubbly on top, has a sour aroma, and has a looser consistency. Typical signs your starter is ripe and ready to be used: Some rise. Bubbles on top and at the sides.

What happens if my starter smells like alcohol? ›

When the sourdough starter isn't fed often enough or feedings are skipped, it is common for an alcohol odor to develop. Increasing feeding frequency can help; however, if the starter has been neglected for a while, it may require more effort to revive it.

How to revive amish friendship bread starter? ›

Treat it like it's Day 10: Once the starter is thawed, about three to six hours, add 1 ½ cup each sugar, milk and flour. Mix well then divide into 1 cup bags to give away (or re-freeze). Continue following the instructions for baking (result: immediate gratification with starter to keep or give away).

How do I know if my starter is moldy? ›

While there are many different reasons that you might be wary of some kind of strange growth on your starter, mold really is worth worrying over. It's also pretty easy to recognize. The characteristic furry, fuzzy, hairy colors sprouting on the surface are a sure sign you should throw it out.

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