Julie Clark
Posted: Updated:
Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Use this Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe as a base for many sweet breads, dinner rolls, muffins and other baked goods. Hints for storing and using up the sourdough starter.
Download the Amish Friendship Bread Starter instructions here.
Click here to see how to bake the friendship bread.
Have I got a treat for you today! Classic Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe. Have you ever tried this sweet sourdough?
It’s one of those recipes that people seem to either love or hate. On one hand, you make a sweet sourdough that you have to keep dividing and using up, or passing out to your friends….or throw away. If you keep the starter going, it just…well…keeps going.
On the other hand, you make a sweet sourdough that is versatile and makes an amazing cinnamon quick bread. Quick bread that is so addicting that you can eat 6 loaves in a matter of 3 days.
Yeah….just please don’t ask. 🙂
Whether you make it this bread weekly, haven’t seen it in years, or are completely new to Amish Friendship Bread, my goal is to convince you to at least give easy sourdough recipe a try. I’m going to make it easy for you with hints! The recipe for the bread itself is coming soon, but first you need the starter.
How to Make Amish Friendship Bread Starter:
- Have Ziploc plastic bags (for easily storing the starter), glass bowls and wooden spoons on hand. For sourdough, you don’t want to use metal bowls or utensils. Sourdough is acidic and can dissolve some metals. It’s best to use anything but metal bowls and utensils.
- Write the directions right on the Ziploc bags using a permanent marker so you never have to go hunting for the directions.
- Make the starter recipe, then pour it into a Ziploc bag (with the directions written on it). You can also store this in a loosely covered glass bowl if you’d like. I just find it easier to use a Ziploc bag.
- While you are working your way through the 10-day process, store the starter at room temperature. If the Ziploc bag gets air in it, simply let it out.
- How much sourdough you end up with at the end of the 10 day process depends on how active your sourdough is. You’ll end up with about 5-6 cups.
- On Day 10 after you add last bit of flour, sugar and milk, separate out 1-cup portions into Ziploc bags (don’t forget those directions on the front!).
- At this point, you can give away some of those starter bags to friends along with the recipe and instructions so they can indulge in their own friendship bread.
- Keep a starter for yourself to continue the sourdough process (Day 10 is equal to Day 1), and make the Amish Friendship Bread with one of the other cups of starter.
- If you can’t find anyone who wants the sourdough starter, simply throw those 1-cup bags into the freezer until another time when you’d like to start the sourdough process our bake the bread. When you pull the sourdough out of the freezer, treat it as Day 1. Or just go ahead and use that cup to bake loaves of friendship bread!
You don’t have to feel like this is a never-ending recipe. Although it may seem that way, you can easily freeze the 1-cup sourdough portions at the end of the 10 days to make multiple recipes (that we’ll be sharing on our site soon!).
But this Amish cinnamon friendship bread? You’ll be wanting to make it. It’s the best in served warm with a slather of butter.
Although this sweet sourdough starter is very easy, you may have questions! Please comment below with your questions and I’ll update this article to answer your questions as you have them.
Other Recipes to Use our Starter in:
Download the Amish Friendship Bread Starter instructions here.
Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe
Use this Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe as a base for many sweet breads, dinner rolls, muffins and other baked goods. Hints for storing and using up the sourdough starter.
Servings 4 cups
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup warm water about 110 degrees
- 1 package active dry yeast* (2 ¼ teaspoons)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup milk (2% or higher fat)
Instructions
- Pour the warm water into a small glass bowl.
- Sprinkle the yeast over the water. Let this stand for 5-8 minutes to allow it to dissolve.
- In a larger glass bowl (or plastic bowl. Don’t use metal bowls or utensils for sourdough), mix together the flour and sugar with a wooden spoon.
- Stir in the milk and then the yeast mixture.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow it to stand until bubbly.
- Once the mixture is bubbly, pour it into a gallon-size zippered plastic bag and seal. Do not refrigerate. Allow the sourdough mixture to sit out at room temperature. This counts as Day 1.
- Day 2: Mash the bag.
- Day 3: Mash the bag.
- Day 4: Mash the bag.
- Day 5: Mash the bag.
- Day 6: Add 1 cup each of flour, sugar and milk. Mash the bag until it is mixed well.
- Day 7: Mash the bag.
- Day 8: Mash the bag.
- Day 9: Mash the bag.
- Day 10: Pour the sourdough into a glass (or other nonmetal) bowl. Add ½ cup each of all-purpose flour, granulated sugar and milk. Mix well with a wooden spoon.
- Divide out 1 cup portions of the starter, placing each one-cup portion in separate zippered plastic bags. You’ll get about 4-5 bags.
- Seal the bags, and give the starter away to friends along with the instructions, keeping one for yourself if desired. The starter then goes back to Day 1.
- Keep one starter for yourself.
Video
Notes
*Instant yeast will work as well.
**Calorie count shown above is for the friendship bread starter only and measures the calories in an entire cup. You use 1 cup of starter per two loaves of bread.
Nutrition
Calories: 337kcal
How long should we expect it to take to get bubbly? Or at what point should we just transfer from bowl to bag?
do you bake this using just one cup in the pan. It doesn’t seem like much dough. I know you can add chocolate chips and nuts if you want,however, it still doesn’t seem like much dough to make a cake, even in a banana nut bread pan?
I have a question. I just put everything together for my Amish Friendship Bread Starter yesterday. It remains in the bowl, loosely covered with saran wrap, waiting for it to bubble. Yet, it still hasn’t happened. It’s been about 18 hours since I put all the ingredients together.
I double checked to make sure I used the correct the yeast, (made sure the water temp was 110 degrees)
& double checked all the other ingredients. I even made a 2nd batch.
What could be the problem?
Hi…can’t wait to start this! Thank you. Is all active dry yeast created equal? If not…what should I look for…
Hi,
My husband and myself both added milk,sugar, flour. On day 5…
Yes our communication lacks….will my starter be o.k.?
Thanks
So you never put it in the starter in the refrigerator?
Hello. My husband and I have read the instructions 4 times and watched the video. Nowhere do we see the temp to back or for how long. I saw in the comments someone else ask, and they were just provided a link which takes you back to the top of the page. Can you please provide the baking instructions?
What temp do you bake it at and for how long?
I’ve baked the amish friendship bread before , but never made the starter. Do you use all purpose flour or self rising?
I apologize if this was already asked… I live on the other side of the state from my family. Do you think I could mail the starter? It takes around 3 days for them to receive packages. Should I put it in a container instead of bag? And would they consider it day when they receive it? Thanks! Can’t wait to get started!!
I want to make several batches at one time without giving the starter away so I can give as a gift. Can I just save one bag for later and make multiple batches with what’s left? If so, what do I need to do?
Today is day 10 for me. I have multiple bags so I don’t want to continue with all of them. How can I bake off a bag and not split it up?
When I take the 1 cup of starter out of the freezer, do I add 1C milk, 1C sugar and 1C of flour, once it reaches room temperature, to start the process over again. OR do I add the 1-1-1C to the 1 C of starter on day 6?
Good afternoon, I have made my own Amish starter from a recipe I have. I have so much now and I have fed it and am ready to bake or separate. I have fed it the 1 1/2 cups of each of flour, sugar and milk. I now have 6 cups of goop. How much does it take for 1 batch (2) loaves of bread take? I have 9×5 pans.
Can’t wait to make this, used to make it all the time, but used the last of the starter and didn’t know how to start it again. It’s been a long time, and I thought I got it, but after reading the comments I got confused on day 10, baking day. I’m confused as to when the 1 cup for baking is taken out before or after adding the additional ingredients. 1. Add the additional ingredients and mix. AFTER adding the additional ingredients measure out 1 cup to bake with and 1 cup for each starter bag. ~0r~ 2. Measure… Read more »