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5 from 3 votes

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

You can make a variety of breads and baked gooods using an Amish Friendship Bread starter as the base.
Prep Time10 minutes
Ready in10 days
Total Time10 days 10 minutes
Course: Friendship Bread Starter
Cuisine: American
Keyword: amish friendship bread,, Baking, Starter
Servings: 4 cups
Author: Amy

Equipment

  • Glass or Plastic Bowl
  • 1 cup measuring cup

Ingredients

  • .25 ounces Active Dry Yeast 1 packet
  • 1/4 cup warm water 110 degrees
  • 1 cup AP Flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup milk

Additional Needed for Feedings

  • 2 cups AP Flour
  • 2 cups Milk
  • 2 cups sugar

Instructions

Preparing the Initial Starter Mixture

  • In a small bowl, sprinke the yeast over the warm water to dissolve. Let stand for 10 minutes.
  • In a 2 quart glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine the flour and sugar. (Do not use metal).
  • Stir 1 cup of milk and the dissolved yeast mixture into your combined flour and sugar.
  • Cover loosely and let stand at room temperature until mixture is bubbly. This will be DAY 1 of your 10 day process.

Feeding Schedule

  • Day 2: Give it a stir, or if you store in a gallon ziplock bag, give it a mush
  • Day 3: Give it another stir, (or mush your bag)
  • Day 4: Give it another stir, (or mush your bag)
  • Day 5: Give it another stir, (or mush your bag)
  • Day 6: Feeding Day: Add 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, and one cup of milk. Give it a stir or seal and mash your bag.
  • Day 7: Give it another stir, (or mush your bag)
  • Day 8: Give it another stir, (or mush your bag)
  • Day 9: Give it another stir, (or mush your bag)

Final Feed and Bake/Divide

  • Day 10: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and one cup milk and mix well. If baking, remove 1 cup to bake with and divide the remaing starter into ziploc bags with 1 cup in each.
  • You can then save a bag for yourself to start over with and share the rest with friends or toss into the freezer until you are ready to bake again. (See notes on how to handle your frozen starter)

Notes

  • Starter should be loosely covered and left standing at room temperature.
  • Do not use metal bowls or utensils.
  • You may also store your Starter in a plastic ziploc bag. If the bag starts to get puffy, let the air out and reseal.
  • To start baking again if you have a bag in the freezer, just remove the bag from the freezer and treat it as day one.