Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe

Jump to 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.

amish-friendship-bread-starter-recipe

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. 🙂

amish-friendship-bread-starter-recipe

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.

amish-friendship-bread-starter-recipe

How to Make Amish Friendship Bread Starter:

  1. 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.
  2. Write the directions right on the Ziploc bags using a permanent marker so you never have to go hunting for the directions.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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!).
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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!
amish-friendship-bread-starter-recipe

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.

how to make amish friendship bread starter
how to make amish friendship bread starter

Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe

4.75 from 237 votes
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

Email Me This Recipe!
Enter your email and get the recipe sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week.

Ingredients
 

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
Course Breads
Cuisine American
Calories 337
Keyword amish sourdough, friendship bread starter, herman sourdough, sourdough starter recipe
You can’t resist a slice of this warm, cinnamon Amish Friendship Bread. This quick bread starts with a sweet sourdough and makes two loaves.
About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

Get 5 Classic Recipes with a Deliciously Secret Twist

You might also like

Join the Discussion

4.75 from 237 votes (171 ratings without comment)
Subscribe
Notify of

772 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Peggy
1 year ago

When can I start using my starter?

Michelle C
1 year ago

Can I use disposable metal tins for baking this? Not storing starter but only having contact while baking?

Nina
1 year ago

Can I use honey in the starter instead of sugar?

kYLA PRESTON
1 year ago

What should the starter smell like?? I missed day 10 and have had it out on the counter for two extra days before adding the other ingredients. Should I throw it out??

Kim Paige
1 year ago

5 stars
Can you make plain sourdough bread with this starter?

Kayla
1 year ago

What if I skipped a couple mashing days? I’m at day 10 or 11. Can I continue with it or do I need to start all over?

Ed m
1 year ago

How do you bake it. I’m on day 9 and I’m trying to get prepared. Long story short I don’t know how to bake this

Samantha
1 year ago

Can I make the whole batch on Day 10 and not keep any starters in order to have 4 loaves instead of 2? Do I just need to double the Day 10 ingredients?

carol
1 year ago

Hi there, thank you for the recipe. Would this work with oat milk? TIA

Kim
1 year ago

If i make bread once a week, do i keep a starter in the refrigerator, bring it out, feed it, let it sit on the counter over night then take 1 cup to make bread and refrigerate the rest until the next week and then start it over again the same way? This would be after the initial 10 days

TABITHA
2 years ago

4 stars
So I don’t plan on sharing my starters… Do I put them in the freezer? And when I’m ready to use them what do I need to do?

Rachel white
2 years ago

How do you make rolls out of my starter?

Karen
2 years ago

Dumb question…what are your solutions to leave the bag out on the counter? I don’t have a lot of counter space so having a perpetual bag on the counter is not going to work. Ideas?

Richard Hibbard
2 years ago

5 stars
Do you have to add more yeast to the starter after the ten days if not how does future breads rise without yeast.

Sue Buzard
2 years ago

5 stars
How long can you store starter in the freezer? I have had some for yeats.