Julie Clark
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Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe
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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
I am not clear as to how you use a cup of the starter in order to make another batch of this? Do you add yeast to the mixture again on day 1 or wait for the 6 days and add flour, milk and sugar?
What if I Did not get around to baking or separating my natch on way 10. Will it be okay for 2 or 3 days later if do I then or should I throw it out and start over?
So after day 10 and starter is made. Can we bake one of the pieces divided or have to start over and wait another 10 days before we make the loaf of bread. Sorry is dumb question just want to make sure I do this correctly. If I dont have people to give starters to can i freeze them and make at another time? Again sorry if another silly question.
I have made your Sourdough Starter and wanted to see if I can take 1 cup of that recipe and use it to make this Amish Bread Starter? Have you ever done that? Just added the sugar and milk to it and started at day 1. Wondering if that would work or if I would have to start a brand new batch of starter!!
I have given out several of the bags, but lately I put it to sleep (in the freezer) and just start with day 1 with one of the bags I have frozen. Just last month I took one out of the freezer that had been in there almost a year and started the process again….the bread didn’t stand a chance once it was baked!
Can I bake the bread at day 9 instead of day 10?
I want to make the starter with my camp fire group for them to each take home. How long will it take to rise in the bowl before we can pop it into the ziploc? Thx
Can I use almond milk.
At day 10 when you divide up the starter, then start at day 1 again. Do you add 1 cup of each again for day 1 or skip that?
I went out of town and did not add ingredients on day 6 it is now day 8 should I discard this starter?
I made starter Bread. Four times now and each time around the holidays it was delicious I’m starting my starter kit tonight if anyone trying it for the first time I’m telling you this bread is very good it’s delicious , you won’t be sorry
On day 10, I want to make some bread. Do I take out 1 c. of batter for my bread & then add the sugar, milk and flour to continue the starter?
So after the 10 day process, I just storethe remainder in my cupboard and add milk, sugar and flour when it gets low? Won’t it spoil?
That’s what I was hoping you would say! Thank you!!
I would like to make a couple dozen mini loaves to give to coworkers and teachers. I have two starters that are both on day 3. Is there a ‘bake sale quantity’ recipe? I get 4 minis out of 1 starter in addition to the starters to share. Could I use the ‘new starters’ as the base for additional baking batches on day 10? Or do I need to go through the entire 10 day cycle again? Or what is the approximate volume left after removal of the portion to share? Not sure I am being clear but hopefully someone… Read more »