One question I get asked often is how to freeze breads, cakes, cookies, or pretty much any recipe in our Recipe Box. Freezing is an excellent time-saver for busy bakers. It allows you to bake in bulk so you'll always have a treat on hand. How to Freeze Your Starter Before we begin, let me get this out of the way: yes, you can freeze your starter! Freezing excess (and well-fed) Amish Friendship Bread and sourdough starters preserves the active yeast. It puts the starter into a sort … [Read more...]
Search Results for: tutorial
Tutorial – How to Test or Proof Your Yeast for Freshness
Do you want to make an Amish Friendship Bread starter or kickstart your bread recipe with a little active dry yeast? Wondering if your yeast is still fresh or any good? Old or expired yeast risks recipe disappointment. Here's how to test your yeast to make sure it's fresh and ready to be added to a recipe. How to Check if Your Yeast is Fresh If you're like me, you might buy your yeast in a jar and freeze it past the expiration date. That's a great way to save money, but it also means … [Read more...]
Tutorial – Making an Amish Friendship Bread starter from a regular sourdough starter
If you already have a traditional sourdough starter on your counter and want to try your hand at some Amish Friendship Bread baking, it's easy to get an AFB starter going. The Benefits of Using an Amish Friendship Bread Starter It's ridiculously versatile. You can make over 200 recipes with 1 cup of Amish Friendship Bread starter.It's easy to start (less chance of failure).It's easy to maintain.It's easy to "put on hold."It's easy to freeze the excess.It's a great activity for young … [Read more...]
Tutorial – Keeping a Smaller Amish Friendship Bread Starter
If you want to keep an Amish Friendship Bread starter but don't want too much of it, or if you're keeping a careful eye on your pantry ingredients, here are three solutions to help you reduce your starter or keep a small amount of starter on hand: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, the Friendship Bread Kitchen may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Freeze excess starter to use when you're ready (recommended).Work on a 7-day, … [Read more...]
Tutorial – How to Get a Bubbly, Active Amish Friendship Bread Sourdough Starter
Whenever I post a picture of my Amish Friendship Bread starter on Facebook, you can be sure a flurry of comments will follow. "My starter has never been that bubbly before.""Your starter photos always show a large foam on top. Mine never gets that way.""My starter doesn't have the yeast life yours has.""I've had my starter for years and it's never looked like that.""I know my starter isn't spoiled but it never has that many bubbles. Ever!""What do I have to do to get my starter to look … [Read more...]
Tutorial – Maintaining a Healthy Amish Friendship Bread Starter
If you've fallen in love with Amish Friendship Bread and the many recipes you can make with the starter, you may to want to keep an active starter on your counter at all times. Why some starters make it, and others don't From time to time, I'll hear from someone whose once-thriving starter has fizzled out. Once that has happened, sadly, there's no getting it back. When you've put a lot of time and energy into growing a starter, this can be super discouraging. Follow the steps below, and … [Read more...]
Tutorial – Storing (Freezing) Amish Friendship Bread Starter for Future Use
This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, the Friendship Bread Kitchen may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support! If you love baking Amish Friendship Bread every now and then, but don't want to maintain a starter on your countertop, there's an easy solution: freeze your starter! Follow these steps and you'll have starter on hand, ready to use when YOU want to bake: Prior to freezing, your starter needs to be … [Read more...]
Tutorial – Good vs Not-So-Good Amish Friendship Bread Starter
How can you tell a good Amish Friendship Bread starter from a not-so-good Amish Friendship Bread starter? This is tricky for a number of reasons, because: every starter is different (i.e. if it's been passed on or if you've made it from scratch)every kitchen is different (drafty or warm, different wild yeasts in the air)ingredients may vary (i.e. milk can be whole, 2%, skim or non-dairy)maintenance may vary (you mix your starter daily or just giving the bag a small squeeze when you … [Read more...]
Tutorial – Separated Amish Friendship Bread Starter
Picture this: you wake up one morning and go to check your Amish Friendship Bread starter. And you see ... THIS: Okay, maybe that doesn't look so bad. Let's try another angle. Ew, right? Have no fear, it only means that your starter has separated, and it's your job to bring it back together. What IS that?! Looking at a separated starter for the first time, your brain may cease to function. It just doesn't look right, does it? You're convinced something is wrong and … [Read more...]
Tutorial – What Should Your Starter Smell Like?
What's that smell? Oh, it's your starter. 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. However, if you're noticing a smell that reminds you of nail polish remover or paint thinner, especially if your starter is looking a bit runny and … [Read more...]
Tutorial – Reviving Frozen Amish Friendship Bread Starter
If you've baked Amish Friendship Bread before, you know that it doesn't take long before you have Amish Friendship Bread starter coming out of your ears. You've run out of friends to give baggies to and you're all baked out. Plus the ongoing care and feeding of Amish Friendship Bread...yes, you need an AFB vacation. So you visit our FAQs and see that you can freeze the starter. What?! And once you freeze it, you can fuhgettaboutit. Seriously?! Yes, seriously. Not only that, the … [Read more...]
11 Amish Friendship Bread Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipes
What is it about homemade sandwich bread? The smell, the crunchy crusts with a soft, warm centers? “Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” —JAMES BEARD For decades, Amish Friendship Bread bakers have been using their starters to make the sweet cinnamon-sugar loaves that could be easily made and shared with others. But at the Friendship Bread Kitchen, you know how much we love to find new ways to use your … [Read more...]