Amish Friendship Yeast Starter
Submitted by gurlo
Amish friendship yeast starter, the classic 10-day fermented sweet starter you stir daily, feed with milk, flour, and sugar, then divide to bake friendship bread and share with friends.
YIELD
48 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
0 minREADY
12 daysThis is the starter behind the beloved tradition of Amish friendship bread, a living, bubbling sweet yeast culture you nurture for ten days, then split four ways: one to bake with, one to keep, and two to give away to friends with the recipe attached.
Unlike a tangy sourdough, this one is sweet, fed with equal parts milk, flour, and sugar on days five and nine. That sugar and milk feed the yeast and develop the mellow, lightly fermented flavor that gives friendship bread its character.
The daily ritual is simple: stir it well with a wooden spoon, not metal, and leave it out, uncovered, on the counter. The yeast needs air and warmth to stay active.
The reward comes on day twelve, when you finally bake. Patience really is the whole recipe, though there’s one warning sign to watch for.
Pro Tips
- Always use a glass or ceramic bowl and a wooden spoon. Metal can react with the active starter.
- Don’t seal it airtight or refrigerate during the 10-day count; the yeast needs to breathe and stay warm.
- Feed it the same kind of flour and milk each time for consistent results.
- If the starter ever turns pink, throw it out and start fresh. That’s a sign of bad bacteria, not healthy yeast.
Variations
- Refrigerate a portion and feed it every 10 days to keep it going indefinitely.
- Freeze extra starter, thawing before use, so you’re never without.
- Once active, use it as the base for friendship bread, muffins, or coffee cake.
Ingredients
Directions
DAY ONE: In a glass or ceramic bowl, mix 2 cups flour, warm water and yeast together thoroughly. Leave on the kitchen counter uncovered; don’t refrigerate it. (You may have received 1 cup of the starter from a friend. If so, and you wish to keep the starter going, continue with the following directions.
DAYS 2, 3 and 4: Stir well with wooden spoon.
DAY FIVE: Stir and add 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar.
DAYS 6, 7 and 8: Stir well with wooden spoon.
DAY NINE: Stir and add 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar; stir well.
DAYS 10 and 11: Stir well with wooden spoon.
DAY TWELVE: Ladle 1 cup starter into each of 4 containers and refrigerate. Use one cup to make one of the Friendship bread or cake recipes, keep one to use another time, and give two others to your friends. Don’t forget to include all the recipes (including this one) when giving the starter to friends.
You are ready to begin baking---at last! If you do not bake on this day, but want to have the starter handy, add 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and refrigerate the mixture; the sugar will feed the yeast and keep it alive. Date the jars and every 10 days remove the starter from the refrigerator, transfer it to a bowl and feed it the usual combination of 1 cup each of milk, flour, and sugar. Leave it outside the refrigerator uncovered for 2 days, then either bake it or divide it among friends, and always save some for yourself. (The starter can be discarded, or it can be divided and frozen; thaw before using.)
Note: if the starter turns pink, throw it out and start over. Also, use the same kind of flour and milk when adding the ingredients to the starter.
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