Amish Friendship Bread Recipe Variations (2024)

FAQs

How do I know if my Amish Friendship Bread starter is bad? ›

Yes, AFB starter is hardy, but it needs to be fed. If your starter turns pink or has pink splotches, throw it out. After feeding it, nothing happens. Again, every starter (and kitchen) is different so you don't want to be impatient.

In a large bowl, combine the Amish bread starter with oil, eggs, 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well. Pour into prepared loaf pans. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes.

Starters are usually kept at room temperature for the first 10 days or so to help them grow. Once they've matured, they can be stored in the fridge or freezer and fed every week or two to keep them alive.

Keep the oven door closed while your Amish Friendship Bread is baking. You may be tempted to peek, but sudden temperature drops can result in the bread collapsing in the middle.

A layer of grey liquid on top of sourdough starter usually occurs after the yeasts and bacteria have consumed the food in a starter. A few hours at room temperature may be enough time for the starter to consume the food fed to it and to show a layer of hooch (alcohol).

It is most pronounced when all the bubbles have subsided, all flour has been consumed, and a thin layer of clear liquid forms on the top of the starter (a.k.a., “hooch.”) A strong ethyl alcohol smell means your starter is starving and needs to be fed.

People making Amish Friendship Bread for the first time often ask what their starter should smell like. Your starter should have a lovely, yeasty smell, like getting a whiff of bread rising in a bakery, times five. If you stick your nose into your bag of starter, you'll get a pretty heady hit of yeast.

A Herman starter or Amish Friendship Bread Starter is typically made with milk, flour, sugar and commercial yeast. A sourdough starter is generally made only of flour and water. A Herman starter will be sweeter and more mellow flavored than a sourdough starter.

Keep it warm!

Cold kitchens are a bane to any Amish Friendship Bread starter or sourdough starter, especially if you're trying to rise dough. Keep the dough warm and draft-free.

One of the main differences between a regular sourdough starter and an Amish Friendship Bread starter is that the latter is sweet, so I made sure to stock up on sugar before making the bread. (I already had a giant Costco-sized tub of cinnamon on-hand, because cinnamon is life.)

Can I leave bread starter out overnight? ›

Can I leave my starter out overnight after feeding it? Yes, if you have just fed it. Since the night is rather long, feed it in a 1:4:4 ratio so that's not over fermented by the morning. If for example you use a 1:1:1 ratio, the starter would have peaked in the middle of the night, and collapse by the morning.

Just smear some fresh sourdough starter in a thin layer over a piece of parchment paper and let dry. Once dry, the starter will easily separate from the paper and can be ground up into small pieces and placed in a plastic ziplock bag. Store your starter in the freezer for as long as you like.

Any holes present should be attributable to steam leavening. The holes will have occurred during the baking process as a result of steam build up due to the water content of the mixture.

Bread will split because its rising and expanding gases need to escape. That is why instead of uncontrolled splitting we score the dough. A bit of splitting beyond the scoring can happen. If nothing too major then don't sweat it.

Most loaves of bread should cool for at least 2 hours before cutting. When cut too soon, bread can appear soggy with a heavy, dense texture. This is because the stream trapped inside hasn't had a chance to dissipate. Be patient with your bread.

Typical signs of food spoilage and mold include pink, orange, or green colors, white fuzzy spots, or sometimes areas that are darker with white areas on top. If you see any of these signs, I would recommend throwing your starter away and creating a new one.

It's usually pretty obvious when your starter has gone bad. You will either see mold or discoloration (generally pink or orange). If you see either of these things, you will need to toss your starter. The smell is usually a big give away.

Most likely, you will know if you have mold on your starter or not. It is often black and fuzzy growth on the side of the jar or on top of your starter. Bad bacteria can also appear as an orange tinge or pink streaks. However, if you see a brown liquid sitting on top of your sourdough starter that is called “hooch”.