Amish Friendship Bread Starter

THIS IS THE RECIPE/NOTES THAT I GOT WITH THE BREAD THAT WAS PASSED TO ME AND IT'S QUITE DIFFERENT SO I'M CURIOUS HOW MUCH IT MATTERS??? Please note the following: Do not use any type of metal spoon or bowl. Do not refrigerate. If air gets into the bag, let it out. It is normal for the batter to rise and ferment. Day 1: Do nothing, this is the day you receive the batter. The bag is dated. Day 2: Mash the bag Day 3: Mash the bag Day 4: Mash the bag Day 5: Mash the bag Day 6: Add to the bag :1 C. flour 1 C. sugar and 1 C. cold milk. Mash the bag. Day 7: Mash the bag Day 8: Mash the bag Day 9: Mash the bag Day 10: Follow the directions below: 1. Pour the entire contents of the bag into a Non Metal Bowl. 2. Add 1 1/2 C. flour, 1 1/2 C. of sugar, 1 1/2 C. of milk 3. Measure out 4 separate batters (1 cup each) into 4 Ziplock (1 gallon bags). Keep a starter bag for yourself and give 3 to friends with a copy of the recipe. Note: If you keep a starter for yourself you will be baking every 10 days. Baking Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 2. To the remaining batter in the bowl add: 3 eggs 1 cup of oil 1/2 cup of milk 1 cup of sugar 2 tsp. of cinnamon 1/2 tsp. of vanilla 1 1/2 tsp. of baking powder 1/2 tsp. of baking soda 1/2 tsp. of salt 2 cups of flour 2 small boxes of pudding (optional) 1 cup of chopped nuts, raisins, dried fruit or chocolate chips 3. Grease 2 large loaf pans(may need 3 medium sized loaf pans) 4. Mix into separ

Sounds great but I need some answers before getting started .... if after 10 days you are going to start over with 1 cup of the starter (stir day 2-4, add ingredients day 5 etc) do you leave this 1 cup of starter at room temperature or follow the steps and leave it in the refrigerator? And how long will the starter store in the refrigerator before you need to stir it, use it or freeze it? As a newbie sourdough maker I thank you for any advice.

I made some Amish Friendship bread when I was 13 years old and I loved it. I was very happy to find a started recipe and now I have a question. I added the sugar, flour, and milk on the 6th day and my bag is no longer making bubbles. Did I do something wrong or is this normal. Before I added it the bag was fermenting and making bubbles and now it has stopped. I would appreciate any help. Thank You

yummo: what happens if you do use a metal bowl or spoon? Just curious because the person that gave me the starter kit did use a metal bowl on hers and they both turned out fine. Does anyone know why it says that? >>Metal is supposed to kill the yeast.

what happens if you do use a metal bowl or spoon? Just curious because the person that gave me the starter kit did use a metal bowl on hers and they both turned out fine. Does anyone know why it says that? By the way my bread came out delicious!! I also remember my mom making this bread. It is so easy, but it is just a pain having a plastic bad constantly sitting around. If I don't keep it out I will forget about it!

I love making this bread and giving it as gifts. The only problem is, I worked and baking during the week was a problem for me; also, no one wants the excess starter. I have solved these problems. I set my routine up on an 8-day cycle rather than a 10 day cycle and cut the feeding volumes down to 1/4 cup. DAY 1: Receive ¼ cup of starter (best if done on saturday or sunday, if you work weekdays) Store starter in a plastic sandwich baggie or quart size baggie. DAYS 1-3 (Sat-Sun-Mon): squeeze the bag several times (release air, if needed) DAY 4 (Tue): add ¼ cup each of flour, sugar, milk, squeeze bag to mix ingredients DAYS 5-7 (W-Th-F): squeeze the bag several times (release air, if needed) DAY 8 (Sat): baking day: pour batter into a large NON-METAL BOWL and add: ¼ cup each of: flour, sugar, milk; mix with a RUBBER SPATULA OR WOODEN SPOON. Pour ¼ cup of batter back into a new plastic bag to keep as your starter. Bake your bread as directed in recipe. This routine allows you to always do the bread baking on the weekend and the reduced amounts of feeding guarantees No excess starter to worry about forcing on friends! Works like a charm.

NEED HELP!! Day 6 I open my bag to let out the air and a vinegar smell comes out of the bag. Did something go wrong? Now that I look back at it my water may have been more than 110 as I did not test it. I added the extras today, in hopes that I can keep moving forward on this. Maybe I need to throw away and do-over in a plastic bowl with a loose lid to let air in?!?! PLEASE HELP!!!

This bread is really good, but let's face it, at some point, you will run out of friends to give starters to. Here is a way to keep the cuture going for yourself without throwing any extra away: 1. begin with 1/3 cup of starter 2. add 1/3 cup milk, sugar, flower on day 5 and 10 (you will end up with 1.5 cups) 3. take one cup to make your bread, take 1/3 cup to start over again Everything else is the same. Actually you can scale the additions up too--all you are doing is expanding up the yeast, by giving it more sugar on day 5 and 10. there is no need to go so big if you don't need to give any away. (BTW, I work in a lab and grow all kinds of cells, including yeast. So I looked at this protocol just as I would in the lab!)

If you follow as directed and leave out the last 1c flour,1c sugar,1c milk usually added prior to dividing into 4 sections then you will have enough starter for what you are cooking and only 1 additional.I divide this starter in half and freeze the other half until I am ready to bake again. That way I am always replacing the 1 starter from the freezer that I am using and not creating more. Also I used powdered milk instead of reg. milk and that went bad if not cooked immediately. So I took a starter from the freezer and let it thaw then added what you would add on day 5 let sit over night and finished the next day. Bread was perfect so having it sit out for days is not necessary as long as the starter had a chance to start the furmentation process. Using these techniques has stopped my fattening chain letter that never goes away and made it manageable when you run out of friends willing to take it.

I got the starter from alady in my church and she also gave me some muffins she had made with it that were WONDERFUL! Everything was going fine until the end I mistakenly used metel, is it ruined? Can I still use it? If anyone has any advice I would appreciate it.

i love this recipe, and know you can freeze the starter. my question is, can you just go ahead and bake using the starter as soon as it's thawed or do you have to go through the whole 10 day process again, and the day that it's thawed is day 1?

I love this bread! I tried a couple of variations, like instead of the vanilla pudding i added banana and instead of cinnamon i tried raisins, chocolate chips, nuts. The only thing is i run out of people to give the starter too? does anyone know how you can split this recipe so that you only leave one starter and not four? Thanks!

I've been looking for something like this for a while. While living at home, my mom received the starter from someone she worked with and I used it all the time, keeping a starter on hand. My bread machine yeast worked great, and now I have 4 cups sitting in my freezer! My friends at work loved the basic bread I made and took a starter - and no one had ever heard of it! To JBLAWAT: when you give the starter away, it should theoretically be day 1, if that was your day 10. Example: I completed my day 10 (added my milk, sugar and flour and stirred), separated the individual 1-cup servings, reserved one 1-cup serving for myself and made my bread with it. I gave away my extra 1-cup servings and copies of the instructions. Since I have already stirred, I have actually completed day 1 for them. If no one is interested in "growing" their starter, they could actually take it home and just bake the bread.

Here are the instructions I pass along to friends who have trouble finding people to give starter to. This allows you to bake 4 loaves of bread each time, keep a starter for later, and either give away a starter or put one in the freezer. I give my neighbors loaves of baked bread and/or freeze the loaves, they are good thawed and eaten as well. (Also includes some tips on Amish bread baking) Amish Friendship Bread (Double) *Double allows you to have no bags of starter to give to friends, but freeze one bag each time. * Double also allows you to bake 4 loaves of bread, freezable after baking to pull from your freezer later. Do not use any type of metal spoons or bowls for the mixtures Do not refrigerate (during the 10 days) If air gets into the bag, let it out. It is normal for it to rise, bubble and ferment. Day 1 Do Nothing (This is the day the mixture was put in the bag) Day 2 Mush Bag Day 3 Mush Bag Day 4 Mush Bag Day 5 Mush Bag Day 6 Add to bag: 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk and mush bag. Day 7 Mush Bag Day 8 Mush Bag Day 9 Mush Bag Day 10 Follow directions below. 1) Pour batter into a large, non-metal bowl. 2) Add 1 ½ cup flour, 1 ½ cup sugar, 1 ½ cup milk and mix well with a wooden spoon. (this makes a total of 6 cups batter) 3) Get 2 gallon size ziplock baggies and label Day 1- (put today's date) Day 6- (put date in 5 days from today) Day 10- (put date 9 days from today) 4) Measure out 2 separate batters of 1 cup each into

Searched high and low for the starter recipe after I forgot to feed my last batch. I'm a DIE HARD fan. It makes THE BEST pancakes! (I'll try to upload the recipe) I'm so excited to start over!

I rate this a 5 star because everyone I have talked to before I found allrecipes, told me that the only way to get a starter was from someone who already had it. Now I don't have to search. What do I do, though, if my batter seems to loose its yeast affect? Do I now have to through away the four starters and start all over?

I baked mine on the 11th day by accident. the bread smelled wonderful while it was baking but once it was done, it had a rancid chemical smell coming from the core and well, tasted awful, too, so make sure you follow the recipe carefully.

To those new to the recipe--when ready to cook, you can add just about anything. Any fruit,nuts,applesauce,chocolate chips,peanut butter,pudding mixes work great. You always get something different, yet delicious. My family likes it best when I add any kind of canned pie filling. It's always moist and tastes great heated up with butter on it. It makes a great coffee cake,dessert or snack. Enjoy!!

If you freeze a starter, it cannot be used to make more starters after it's unthawed. It can only be used to make the bread. (after unthawing, start at the step in your amish bread recipe where you start adding the ingredients for the bread - the step after separating out the new starters)

i make this bread a lot.i ran out of people to give it to .so i froze three starters in bags.left one out for myself.i skip everything go srtaight to main batter at day ten,do mush the bag and let the air out.i also use my hand mixer and metal pan ,i use only applesauce no oil.i even made the bread after two days in beeing in the bag and it came out the same.the amish didnt have metal or electric mixers this was in the olden days thats why it says not to use metal or your mixer.my bread allways turns out fine and when i come to my last one out of the freezer.i do the whole process ,and then i freeze my three bags again.i even make bigger loaves and cup cakes ,i add what my kiddos like .i also freeze the bread in parchment paper and foil.it allways tastes fresh.

The chain letter of baked-goods. The end result is yummy, but it's a pain to get it there. Living in a small town, you run out of people to give it to. Is there a quicker way of getting the bread without having to annoy any more families?

For safety reasons (the milk), I let this ferment at room temp for 24 hours and then refrigerated it for the remainder of the 10 days. Also, once you have the starter going, you shouldn't need to follow the 10 days every time. Just replenish as needed as you use it (like sourdough starter). I let it sit at room temp for an hour or so before refrigerating again. Give a friend a cup, tell them to double it the next day, and they're off and running.

I love this bread. Had forgotten about it, but am so glad I found it again. Juliamom42, I also ran out of people to pass it on to, so when adding ingredients, instead of adding 1 cup of each I only added 1/3 cup of each ingredient and this worked perfectly just for my family. Hope this helps!

I've enjoyed this bread throughout the years. I saw a few questions on the reviews for this recipe. I'm not an expert, so take or leave my advice. I've been feeding my amish bread for a couple of cycles recently, and it seems normal for the fermentation process to slow down when you "feed" the batter on day 6. The starter is also very forgiving. A few days here or there for feeding or baking doesn't make a difference.

It's great to find this recipe here : ). I was just given some starter, but the instructions are a bit different so I have some ?s. ?1) Is it better to use gallon bags, or plastic/glass bowls?; ?2) it says "if any air gets in the bag, let it out" I thought this batter was supposed to get air via an open ziploc or an open bowl. Which is it??; ?3) On Day 10 mine says to add 1 1/2 cups each of flour, sugar and milk, but that is 1/2 cup more of each ingredient compared to the recipe given here. Does this matter??; and ?4) The instructions I received say to bake at 325 not the 350 I see in the friendship bread recipes I see on this site. What have you experienced??? Thanks

What happens when you leave the starter languishing on the countertop for, say, 20 days? Okay, other than giving the bag the occasional mash, I was neglectful of duty. (End of school year rush, but that’s another story.) After observing few bubbles but no green/pink floaties on Day 16, I added the milk, sugar & flour. Some (very) mild bubbly activity thereafter, but again, on Day 20, the starter had no green/pink floaties and had passed the odor test. So I proceeded w/ baking. Bread turned out surprisingly delicious (based on family taste tests) though there was, expectantly, not a huge rise. I then softened a package of yeast in ¼ cup warm water, and split this mixture among three bags of baby starter that had been set aside from the original. Happy to report that all babies are alive and bubbling well on Day 2.

Great option if you have no one to give the starters to: usually you make 4 1c. starters which leaves you with 1c. in the bowl to make bread. Instead, take out only 1c. to make a starter for yourself to continue, which leaves 4 cups in the bowl. Separate 2c. into another mixing bowl, and make 2 separate DOUBLE batches of bread (double whatever Amish bread recipe you are using for EACH bowl). You can bake a ton of loaves at once and freeze them to use or give away later. This is a great option when baking these to give as Christmas gifts! In answer to some previous questions, sometimes the starter seems to die down days 6-9 -this is normal and the bread will bake fine Day 10. The next started will pick up again bubbling after Day 2...if it doesn't you can always allow more air (leave bag open if you are using a ziplock to let it start fermenting again).

Worked like a charm! I put mine in a plastic pitcher to make measuring on day 10 easier.

I received a gallon ziplock bag of this (or a nearly identical) starter. Day 10 fell on Christmas, so I baked the bread Christmas afternoon. Wonderful! I've given everyone interested the starter, and now have 2 humongous blobs of starter sitting on the counter...one in a ziplock bag & one in a plastic container. Today is day 10, and had I not read the timely & most welcome advice on how to refrigerate/freeze extra starter and how to keep it from multiplying too fast by not adding the flour + sugar + milk midway through and on Day 10, I would have dumped my poor starter into the garbage! My "Baby Blobs" thank you!

I was given this starter to do and the 1st day to add flour, milk, sugar I accidently put an egg in the milk. Will that hurt the recipe? Help !I dont know why I thought I read to put an egg .

in the recipe that I have it reads as follows...Day 2-5 Mash Bag...Day 6 add 1 c flour 1 c sugar 1 c milk and mash bag...Day 7-9 mash bag...Day 10 pour into glass bowl and add 1-1/2c flour 1 1/2c sugar 1 1/2c milk...separate 4-1cup portions into zip lock gallon bags....to remaining mixture in glass bowl add 3 eggs 1c oil (or 1/2c oil and 1/2c applesauce) 1/2c milk 1c sugar 2tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 1/2tsp baking soda 1/2tsp salt 2c flour 1 large box instant pudding any flavor and (optional 1c raisins, coconut, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, etc....Grease 2 large loaf pans and add batter evenly into pans...bake in preheated 325 oven for 1 hour

I use a variety of pudding flavors. With banana cream, I add walnuts. Pistatio is great and I add almonds and it's very Christmasy. Chocolate pudding and chocolate chips, coconut cream, butterscotch are also good! Even adding more cinnamon and some raisins makes a great breakfast bread. Be creative! this is a great recipe that my family loves! I haven't found anything that doesn't work!

I made this starter and used the amish friendship bread recipe without pudding on this web site. It was absolutely THE most INCREDIBLE bread I have ever tasted! The easiest way to make the starter would be in a large zip lock bag. Do not refrigerate the starter while in it's "cycle." After I made my first loaf, I threw the rest in the fridge. I took out another cup-- without starting the process over-- and successfully made more bread, however, I think you are actually supposed to start the 10 day cycle over before using it again :)

I gave it 5 stars because I love Amish Friendship Bread, but I have a question. I have a son who can't have milk, so I made a starter with soy milk instead. I saw where people had made the bread with soy milk and it turned out fine, but no one has mentioned making the starter out of it. The problem is that it keeps separating in the bag. Should I throw it out and start over or is it still good? Thanks!

This is my first bread starter and it was very easy. I brought the bread to work and everyone loves it. What else can I make with this starter?

Me and my mom make this bread all the time. With children and homework, it is hard to do the things on the days the recipe calls for. We have been a day or two late with adding everything. There is nothing wrong with it. I would just add the ingredients as soon as you remember.

Thanks for the starter recipe! Had made this years ago and someone just gave me one that I just whipped up, but my hubby accidentally took them all to work to give away. Also, I wasn't sure how to extend this past the 10-day marker and we were gearing up to go on vacation. Now I can make it any time! I've used all different flavors of instant pudding in our recipes - ranging from chocolate, banana (our fav), vanilla, butterscotch, etc. You're only limited by your imagination!

I've known this recipe for a long time now, and it's easy to deal with if you use quart sized zip-lock bags for growing and sharing starter, simply change "stir" to "squeeze", and burp the bag as needed. What I wonder is if this starter can be used to make a regular bread, not just a quick bread.

Thank you so much for this recipe. When My Husband saw the ziplock bag on the counter he looked at me and said not again!!! He told me you never know who had this stuff in their kitchen and what kind of conditions it had been in. Well with this there is no worry. After I started making the muffins I showed him that the whole recipe came from here. He did not say anything to that (which means really good!). Thanks for the great and useful recipe. Will be using this for years to come. Oh and by the way when my son put an older starter not this one, into the refrigerater it did not want to start back up. It had been in over night and I kept it out for 7 days and it never got bubbly. I assumed that it killed the yeast or active ingredients. Also metal spoons will cause it to do the same. Not from me personally but a friend had this happen to hers.

I'm gluten intolerant (can't have wheat). I started my own rice flour starter and then usued my G-free flour mix for the bread! It was fun! My friends who aren't gluten intolerent used regular flour in their starter mix and it worked out fine!

Messy but handy! I love the breads that I made using this starter. Very convenient and easy to maintain. Thanks for the recipe! I use 1/4 cup of milk, sugar, and flour if I plan on making 1 bread for myself and keeping the rest as starter. Otherwise, I use 1 cup of milk, sugar, and flour so I can make 2 batch of bread.

I have been making Amish Friendship bread for many years and find it much easier to give away baked bread! Instead of adding a cup, a cup, & a cup, I add one third cup of everything all the time. Then when it is time to bake I keep (about)one cup of starter and put all the rest into the recipe. If you try it, let me know what you think. Also, I don't worry too much if I am off a day on the count unless I would always be off the same way - always too few or always too many days. This bread is just a staple at our home.

I baked mine on day 11, as I didn't have the time or recipe till day 11. It was wonderful. I used the pudding recipe W/ butterscotch pudding and everybody loved it. I, too am glad to find this starter recipe. I fondly remember my mother cooking this and pampering her "Herman" about 20 yrs ago. When I add dry ingredients, I use a nylon or plastic potato masher to smoosh it better, as I don't have a whisk that is non-metal. It works great. Josie, I think your doing it okay, or did it just not go anywhere after that addition? I would not be too concerned about the milk for safety reasons, sour cream and creme' fraise and sourdough starters all start this way. The culture is actually very healthy for you.

I got a starter from a friend and have kept it up for the last couple of months. All of my neighbors love it! I just gave one of my neighbors the recipe for the starter but I also found the original recipe that doesn't call for yeast, it makes its own. To do it this way, you'll need 1cup sugar, 1cup flour and 1cup milk. Mix in a plastic or glass bowl. Cover lightly, stir every day and then follow the usual directions. It works wonderfully!

The bread from my original starter turned out wonderful. Everyone commented how good it was. I tried freezing the starter and it did not bubble and have air in the bag while laying out for 10 days. I did not try bread with it so I don't if the starter is good or not.

I got a starter from my niece a few years back and we loved it!  And so did everyone I gave the baked bread to.  I just recently heard that you can freeze your starter in plastic ware or bags and the day after it thaws out, count that as your day 1.  Think I'll try that this time.  If you eat one piece of this bread you are guaranteed to want more.

Perhaps I'm missing something. The recipe looks like a basic quickbread; there is no kneading or rise time, so why the need for yeast? The baking powder and baking soda will provide all the leavening, and continue working long after the yeast have expired in the oven. I can see the starter adding some sourness from the acid produced during fermentation, but you can get this from other means, such as sour cream, buttermilk, even apple cider. Anyway, I received the starter from a friend, fed it properly, it was bubbly and happy and sour+sweet tasting. The baked bread tasted perfectly good, but no hint of the starter in there, and no different from other quick breads I've made. Just a good spice bread. Which would have gotten 4 stars if not for the trouble of keeping the useless starter around. As olga mentions elsewhere in the reviews, a real sourdough starter is much more fun to keep and use.

I have been making this bread for years and it is wonderful. My family loves it so much I try to keep the starter going as long as I can. I use it to make pancakes, waffles, biscuits, rolls, cinnamon rolls, cookies...the list goes on. I have found that with a little creativity and paceints you can make just about anything. I also got tired of the gallon sized bag on my counter so I invested in a pretty glass crock. For those of you having problems with bubbles...it might not be warm enough on your counter so try puting it in the oven overnight (my oven is always a little warm inside) ~JUST DON'T TURN IT ON!~ this will keep it free from drafts and the little bit of heat will help it ferment. Just don't forget to take it out in the morning. Happy baking!!!

This starter is amazing, and I love to use starters made the old fashioned way, but I have found an even easier way to achieve the results without having to have a starter at all, for those who posted about this. One day, I realized that I had allowed my culture to die and thought I'd have to throw it out, but then thought to substitute buttermilk for the milk in the recipe. I make my own buttermilk, but I'm sure any with live cultures would work. I kept the rest of the recipe the same and the bread is very close to the original. So, for this method, mix 3/4 cup each of flour, sugar, and milk, and then continue with the recipe, substituting buttermilk for the milk in the remainder of the recipe. I do a double batch each time, so if you only want 2 loaves instead of 4, you need to make the base with about a 1/3 of a cup for each ingredient. I hope this helps those who don't like to keep starters on the counter. :)

your yeast may have lost its effect if your water temp in the very beginning was over 110 degrees. the hotter the water, the less effective the yeast will be. you don't necessarily have to throw it away, it just won't rise as much. what other types of breads can this starter be used for? any suggestions?

I use a ziploc bag for the 10 days and it is so easy!! Also I have frozen this starter with no problems and made more starter out of that batch.

I made the Friendship Bread Starter as written, except for regular milk, I used acidophilus milk and another using Lactaid they both turned out perfect. A good tip to remember when dissolving active dry yeast, never stir the yeast with a spoon, let it dissolve on it's own without stirring or it will effect the outcome of yeast to liquid ratio.

I've been searching for this recipe for years! Thank you for sharing. I've given this out to my family and co-workers and we've all enjoyed baking the bread. I would suggest mixing the flour and sugar together before you add to the starter or else you'll end up with clumps.

Something went wrong and Im not sure what. I had the bubbles during the 10 days however when I made my first loafs, they turned out hard as a rock! Someone please help if you have suggestions. Tried the cinnamon bread. I have had Amish bread made by someone else so I know its very yummy... Just not sure where I went wrong! :(

I also wanted to let eveyone know that if you start out with the one cup Flour, 1 cup Sugar and 1 cup Milk and start when its the 10th day and make the bread it is wonderful and taste the same.

I was given the starter by a parent at my school. I have made the bread every 10 days since May! I am always searching for someone to take the three starters from me. I have found that if you make two batches of batter for Friendship Bread which makes four loaves of bread (using 1 cup starter each batch) and give a loaf of bread away with the starter and recipe, most people are happy to take it! That leaves one starter and two loaves of bread to enjoy! I also use the gallon ziploc method to mash daily and feed the starter. I put the date for day 6 with instructions to feed it 1 cup each of milk, flour, and sugar. I also put the date for day 10 with direcitons to feed it with 1 1/2 cups each milk, flour, and sugar as well as make the bread on the bag. A reminder NOT to refrigerate and mash daily is also helpful. I use 1 small box of sugar free vanilla pudding and use only skim milk when I made my bread. I have omitted dusting the loaf pans with cinnamon sugar and just use PAM spray to also reduce sugar. I can't wait to try using whole wheat flour, Splenda, applesauce to make it healthier! Gotta go! Two loaves of Friendship Bread ready to take out of the oven! Enjoy :)

This makes the best dessert bread I have ever tasted. From what I know about the starter, it needs to stay at room temperature and loosely covered so air can get to it. Adding the ingredients in the manner described causes the yeast culture to continue to thrive. It you keep the mix in an airtight container, the gases they release will eventually sufficate them. Also, cold will slow them down.

I know this may sound dumb but I cant remember what my mum use to do with the starter. Do you leave it out on the counter for 10 days or do you keep it in the fridge then stir and add as directed. Thanks for the help :)

Gina, I'm somewhat new to this but have been doing alot of reading up on how sourdough starters work. If you were given a starter from someone else then wether you use a air tight bag or a loosely covered glass/plastic container would be personal preference. I was given a starter that's been going around for awhile now and have baked two times now and keeping it in a closed plastic bag has been fine. As far as your question about letting the air out, you'll want to get that air out since that's what your baby bread has released and could sufficate it. The instructions that you were given are the ones that I have and followed the first two times. With adding 1 1/2 cups of flour, milk, and sugar I was left with enough for 4 1 cup portions and enough remaining to bake 2 loaves of bread or 1 bundt pan. Since I have no one to give it to I've frozen some of my starters and I'm now working on trying out different measurements that I've read on here to make enough for 2 loaves plus a 1 or 2 cup starter. As far as what temp to bake at I suppose that depends on your oven. If you've noticed that you burn stuff if baked at the temp and time on a recipe then you'll want to try it for less time or a lower temp or vise versa.

Thank you for this recipe. I was baby-tending the starter for my precious niece while she took an emergency trip, and let it die. I felt so badly! I called an Amish-Heritage friend and she told me to look here, as she had already faced this problem with another person. Thank you! You have saved family good-will!

So easy to make, but it stinks as it ages. I followed the advice of other reviewers here by covering the plastic bowl with a paper towel and using only wooden spoons to stir the recipe once per day. The mixture never stopped bubbling up for me. However, I used self-rising flour (as it was on hand), so I wonder if that made a difference. Update: I now know it should not smell bad, as a rancid smell would be bad bacteria taking hold. (I realized this actually from composting.) Many thanks for sharing this recipe, friend! I had been searching for it ever since someone had given me some starter many years ago (with a recipe I had since misplaced).

I put the starter in a freezer bag. Makes it easy to stir, just squeeze the bag. Just remember to let the air out each day. It's also a good way to store it in the fridge or freezer.

Not bad! I got some starter from my SIL, as it made the rounds at my church, and ran out of people to give it to! I have 2 bags stashed in the freezer. As a bit of a foodie, I found the bread good, but not the best bread ever. More of a novelty than anything! I prefer my regular sourdough starter! By the way, I find it amusing that the picture here shows the starter in a METAL bowl and a METAL wisk, when you aren't supposed to use metal anything...

this is great. i set aside one day for baking. put one starter in the freezer. and make 4 different batches/flavors of bread. that way i don't have to give any away. the plastic bag works, i just let air into it every day. jilljill51

I LOVE this recipe. Sometime I just make extras and freeze them. when i want to make some bread i take it out of the freezer that morning and my time i am ready to bake, it is thawed out. I go ahead and act like it is day 10. Use that starter and make the bread. sometimes when I take it to work I bake it in a 9 by 13 pan it serves a lot more people. It doesn't last long where i work.

This is a wonderful recipe!!! I have also made friendship MUFFINS with this recipe. It makes about 18 muffins. Bake for 20 minutes. Delicious!!! Great for parties, bake sales and the kids LOVE to eat it!

Question, when you pass the one cup of starter on what information do you give them as to where to start?

I was looking online for the starter and finally i will stick to this one. My sister gave me a starter about 4 months ago and I made so much bread because I ran out of friends to give out starters too. So now i have no starter and my family is anxious to eat Amish bread again for months in a row lol.....This is the best starter. Thanks.

I didn't add the yeast, just the sugar, milk and flour and it still turned out great!

I love making this bread, and I'm out of starter, so I'm delighted to see the makings of it. One variation we love is instead of adding raisins - I add 1 cup canned pumpkin (not the pie filling), a few dashes of allspice and cinnamon, and toss chocolate chips with a little flour and fold them in - and it's delicious - a real keeper!

I have just started baking with mine and am so pleased. I've made some cinnamon bread and have sourdough rising in the kitchen now. The only sad thing is I won't be able to keep it up over the holidays... too much traveling.

Thank you so much! So far so good :) I botched my last batch of bread and was so worried because I didn't have another starter... Thank you!!!

I am so glad I found this! A friend of mine had given me some starter and I had made two batches that I had given away. Then I forgot to maintain it for a week and it went bad. The friend who had given it to me did the same thing and we couldn't find anyone who had kept up with the starter. This is fun and easy. I make my bread into four mini loves and give this as a gift with the recipe, starter and one of the mini loaves in a pretty hand stamped bag. My friends have all loved it! I am going to give one to each of my boy’s teachers as teacher gifts! Also, I put my starter into ziploc bags and massage the bag instaed of keeping it in a bowl and stirring.

I like to try to be health conscious and lower calorie. I used whole wheat flour, Splenda (generic brand), and fat free milk throughout. Also, when baking day came I used those things and rather than using the oil, I used applesauce and sugar free/fat free instant vanilla pudding. Someone may have already said this but I just though I would add!

Great starter! I just made some and took it out of the oven. Yum! I used a recipe that a friend gave me that uses vanilla pudding. I did a big OOPS and used a metal whisk, but as soon as I realized what I was doing I removed the metal whisk and used a bamboo spoon. The bread still turned out fantastic! Also, I was away for two days over the weekend and just left the starter at room temp during days 6 & 7 and then picked up where I left off when I got back from vacation. No problems seemed to arise from being gone.

I am so glad I finally found this recipe, had it as a child and can't wait to start on it again. I remember keeping it in plastic "Ziploc" bags and just kneading it in the bag, less mess and easier to store, etc. I am going to try that with this recipe, should work out fine. I will update you all if it doesn't

I just made my first loaves of this bread and it was gone in a flash. My future daughter-in-law sent it to me as a Christmas gift. I see that it can be frozen, my questions is does it matter when you freeze the starter? I was thinking of popping one in to freeze for later use on day one? Also you can add things to it like nuts, chocolate chips etc..before baking.

I make my bread with chocolate pudding and chocolate chips! I use the loaves to cater weddings and family affairs! The kids love it! Thanks so much for posting this recipe! You are a life saver!

This is a good recipe, but if you add the ingredients on the 10th day, you end up with 7 cups of starter instead of 4. I don't think you are supposed to add on the 10th day. Just bake.

Just wanted to give you an update on the how the recipe turned out (smile). GREAT!!!!! So much so that I saved one of the starter bags for myself to make more. The second time I included raisins, pecans and more cinnamon. Everyone totally loved it! I'm in the process of doing the friendship bread and I didn't know about getting the air out when I first received it and I received it on day FOUR!!! I'll see what happens.

I've been using this recipe for years, love the ease of this starter and all the bread variations that can be made from it.

It's just too bad you have to wait 10 days to eat this delicious bread!! We love and will continue to make this one!!

Can I use spenda in place of sugar for the starter?

This recipe is THE BEST. #1 for how easy it is, and #2 for how versatile it is. I hadn't made it in years and hubby came home from work about 10 days ago (LOL) with a starter from a co-worker. I'm now at home full time but have 3 son-in-laws all in the military. So I've decided to use up all of my batter except the re-starter 1-cup and bake breads & muffins to send over to the troops!! (providing that the boys share LOL) So if anyone else wants to bake for the troops and don't know a good recipient, I have several addresses to share. Happy baking everyone!

My mother and I have been making Amish Friendship Bread for years. She and I have made several variations and haven't been disappointed by a single batch! This starter makes delicious bread, and is fun to make and share with friends. Instead of using a mixing bowl, I combine the ingredients in a gallon ziplock bag kneading the outside rather than mixing with a spoon. It works great and requires less clean up!

I ended up with a lot more than 4 cups starter at the end of the ten days. Also, at the end of 40 minutes, mine was burned. I know my oven is a little off, but not enough to justify the 10-20 minute cooking time difference.

very good and easy. if you don't want to continue the starter after the first cycle, freeze it and use it when you are ready.

Hi - love this bread but has anyone tried it with perhaps Splenda and whole wheat flour? The calorie and carb count on this is pretty scary! I wonder if it would work (and taste as good!) by substituing healthier ingredients? Any ideas? Now that I check again this count "per serving" must mean the whole starter not per serving of bread after baked because the Amish Friendship Bread Starter I has a much better count per serving after being made with the same recipe of starter! Whew!!

Not only was I happy to find a recipe for the starter, I was so grateful to see the tips on how to store it for long term. Thank you!

Metal containers are fine. I use my electric mixer and bake about 10-12 loaves at a time. My family loves this bread and its so versatile.

I was given this recently and wishing I had the recipe for the starter-thanks. I have passed it on to my Mom and neighbors and they all enjoyed it very much. I was kind of dreading it hanging around my kitchen, but I have acutually enjoyed the whole experience very much.

My husband makes starter bread every 10 days and gives it away. We have no one to give the starters to so he doubles the recipe and it turns out just fine. He varies the flavoring from week to week so that his gifts don't get boring by adding pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, cake spice, ect. He always adds 1/2 the cinnamon and then 1/2 the other flavor. Also, he always doubles the vanilla.

Best starter recipe I have tried. Easy and fun to make... and it smells sooooooo good! When milk is needed, I try it to be at room temperature, like sugar and flour, for I think it is better in order to create activity in the starter.

I was given a bag of the starter for the amish bread, I made it , it was very good, but I forgot and used a wire wish, did not hurt it at all, I gave 3 bags of starter to friends and they also had great bread, i think the amish just does not want to use metal, and the reason you burp the air out of the bag makes a difference, if you don't it will spoil. i read somewhere on here that you let the air in, it is to let the air or gas out

I loved the recipe! Had no problem getting it done the first time. I have one 1 cup of the starter remaining which I froze. I want to keepon making starters but am not sure if I can used the frozen cup I have to keep on making starters instead of using it for baking. Please let me know, anybody. Thanks, yeyi1922

I was just recently introduced to Amish Friendship Bread--and I've lost all of my starters! I'm excited to see this recipe on here and can't wait to get started again.

I love using this friendship starter. I have some starter frozen for quick bread. I also baked and froze several mini loaves and for a quick dessert. SMC

Very easy and forgiving. for the feeding on day five I subbed hi gluten bread flour for the all purpose flour and brown sugar for the white sugar in the same amounts with great results. The starter comes out darker and has a more mild flavor! It's a keeper!

I was SOO sceptical about this recipe because whenever I opened up the ziploc bag that I mixed the ingredients in, the starter smelled sour and gross! I was so close to throwing it away because I thought that I must have messed something up, but I decided to just stick to it. I AM SO GLAD THAT I KEPT IT! THIS STARTER MADE THE BEST BREAD EVER! I used it with the recipe, Amish Cinnamon Bread, found on this website and gave it away to my mother-in-law. I also love that I can just freeze the leftover starter so I can make some yummy bread every weekend.