Looking for starter for Amish Friendship Bread

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Andrew C

Assistant Cook
Joined
Apr 23, 2002
Messages
2
A friend gave me a starter of Amish Friendship Bread. I'm on day 10 and am ready to divide out and bake my share. But I opened the bag and it smells "bad". Is this normal? I've never done this before and want to be sure the batter is ok to use. :confused:
 
Hi Andrew!!!

I have never used or made the Amish Friendship Bread recipe but this is what I found. You see if you followed these directions:


Friendship Bread Starter

Ingredients for Starter:


1 package active dry yeast
1 cup cup milk
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar



Procedure to make Starter:


Note: DO NOT use metal bowls or spoons and DO NOT refrigerate.

Dissolve yeast in small amount of warm water. Mix all ingredients together in an ample sized bowl or jar (it WILL grow). This is Day 1 of the starter.

Day 1: The day you receive the starter - Do nothing.
Day 2, 3, 4: Stir with wooden spoon.
Day 5: Add 1 cup each - flour, sugar, milk. Stir.
Day 6, 7, 8: Stir with wooden spoon.
Day 9: Do nothing.
Day 10: Add 1 cup each - flour, sugar, milk. Stir. Pour into 3 containers (1 cup each). Give 2 containers to friends along with this recipe. Keep 1 cup for yourself.



Note:


When giving starter away, only half fill the container and provide for some ventilation (ie. small hole in top of jar). The starter does expand and unless the gases caused by the fermenting process are allowed to escape, they will build up and could cause the lid of the container to pop off.

Store the remaining starter in a container in the refrigerator and begin the 10 day process over again when ready. You can also freeze this starter in 1 cup measures for later use. Frozen starter will take at least 3 hours at room temperature to thaw before using.


*****I feel sure someone else will see this and actually know the answer. Check back this evening after everyone has a chance to get home. Thanks for stopping by and please, drop by any time.
 
It should smell slightly "sour" and look a little curdled.
Hope this helps
Linda
 
Amish Friendship Bread

Thanks for the help. The bread turned out GREAT!!! Probably the best homemade bread I've ever made.
 
Well, that's good to know Andrew. Now I have to find someone with some starter!! I did have some of the sourdough starter for awhile many years ago. It made 3 loaves every 3 days. Well, my roommate and I would make it. Then we switched "when" we were making it so it would be ready to bake in the morning before work. So, we were eating the 3 loaves over the course of 3 days. Then we tried making different things with it like cinnamon bread, cheese bread, dill bread, rolls, wheat bread. Well..........we got so good at it that we ended up eating ALL 3 loaves on the first day!!!! Needless to say we had to stop making it! So, maybe I won't find anyone afterall!!!!:rolleyes:
 
does anybody have a recipe to use this starter in? how can i incorporate this into my own recipe ie: replacing dry yeast....
 
Oh, dear - it's SO much harder to put these things on paper - or guess I should say "cyberpaper" - than to just show a person! But for all that . . . one way to use starter in place of the dry yeast in your recipe is to put your starter in a big bowl or other container (I use my ancient oval gray enamel roaster) and add all the liquid, all the sweetener, and enough of the flour called for in your recipe to make a batter that is somewhere just a bit west of muffin: a really gloppy batter that tries to hang onto your wooden spoon but can't quite. At this point your batter has become, offically (in some circles anyway!), a sponge. Cover your bowl, set it in a warm place and leave it until it gets bubbly and almost doubles in volume: usually one to three hours. I check mine after the first hour or so.

When your sponge is bubbly, nearly double, and looks active and feisty (sometimes you can actually HEAR it working, no kidding!!), stir it down with your wooden spoon. Scald out a jar that will hold twice as much starter as you began with. Half fill the jar with batter, set the jar lid on loosely, and put the jar in the refrigerator. This is your starter for next time. Check the jar after a couple of hours and stir it down; repeat the checking and stirring down until the batter convinces you it's going to hold still - this takes usually 3 stir-downs in all. I always let mine sit overnight and stir it down one last time before tightening the lid on the jar. I do not like jars springing surprises on me.

Now, back to the sponge! Add the salt, the fat, and the rest of the flour your recipe calls for, and proceed with your recipe as written. Your dough will usually rise much more quickly with this method owing to the head start it got from the sponge. And that's basically it.


A Few Notes:

If you want to double or triple your recipe, you don't need extra starter; it will just take longer for the sponge to double. If you're in a great tearing hurry, you can always give it a kick in the pants with some dry yeast, but it isn't necessary otherwise. Also, you can set your sponge--oops, I mean make your batter--the night before and put it in the fridge until you're ready to bake the next morning.

You can vary how fast your batter will rise and turn into a sponge by adjusting the amount of sweetener you mix into it at the beginning: less sweetener=slower rising; more sweetener=faster rising.

Oh, one more thing - I've never made a sponge using any liquid other than water. If my recipe calls for milk I use water for the sponge and then add powdered milk along with the flour etc when making the dough.

Sorry this is so long. The pictures in my head keep interfering with my digital communication! (See first sentence, 'waaaaaay back there!) :D
 
I have a cookbook with a ton of recipes for Amish Friendship Bread starter. The Friendship Cake is great. Also there are some for Friendship cornbread, cinnamon rolls, coffee cake and a few others. If you would like any of the recipes or the name of the cookbook please let me know.

Thanks
 
leigh...thank you so much for the info...its not too long *L* ....i always think more info is better.....i tend to be the same way...i'll try using the starter in my fave recipes...

c-freak....i would love the name of the book...i'll check my local library for a copy of it....
 
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