Choosing the right starter container for you Wondering what kind of container you should use to store your Amish Friendship Bread starter or sourdough starter? Not sure if you'll be keeping your starter on the counter, the fridge, or the freezer? Do you need easy and simple or are you all about aesthetics and pretty jars lined up in a row? I've got three great suggestions for you: bag, bowl, or jar. Over the course of a year, I will use all three, all for different reasons. Read on to … [Read more...]
Brown Sugar Icing
This brown sugar icing glaze goes well with any of our Amish Friendship Breads, especially this Orange Cinnamon Amish Friendship Bread Bundt cake or any of these scone recipes: pumpkin, maple pecan, or date and pecan scones. The key to this recipe is a quick whisk -- keep it moving until all ingredients are incorporated. To reach your desired consistency, add milk to make it thinner or confectioners' sugar to make it thicker. This icing sets quickly so be sure to have your cake ready to be … [Read more...]
FAQ – How often should I feed my starter?
Wondering how often you should feed your starter? Maybe you have one cup on your counter, maybe even two or three. Maybe your kitchen is cool, or maybe it's warm and toasty. Because every starter -- and every kitchen -- is different, the instructions for maintaining your starter may need to be tweaked to your circumstances. When it comes to sourdough starters, including Amish Friendship Bread starters, there's ONE RULE you must abide by. If your starter is hungry, feed it. This means … [Read more...]
FAQ – What is Starter Hooch?
If you wake up one morning and see that your Amish Friendship Bread or sourdough starter has separated or has an oily-looking film at the top, that's called hooch. Don't panic. Starter Hooch 101 Hooch is fermented alcohol that's released by the yeasts in your starter, and it's also a sign that your starter needs to be fed. Warmer kitchens will notice that the yeasts in their starters eat much faster than starters in cooler kitchens, which means you may need to adjust your feeding … [Read more...]
Easy Sourdough Starter (Made with Yeast)
If you're ready to dip your toe into sourdough baking, you'll need to make a starter. Here's a super easy, no-fail way to start your starter (sometimes called a "lazy" starter), and it takes less than 10 minutes. The trick is to use commercial yeast to kick off the fermentation process. After a few rounds of feeding, your starter will take on a life of its own and continue to thrive with the sugars in the flour and wild yeasts in the air. You'll be able to make traditional sourdough bread … [Read more...]
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...]
101 – Learn About Potato Flake Sourdough Starters
A potato flake sourdough starter is a type of fermented sourdough starter that uses potato flakes and sugar to feed the yeast. The starter recipe is gluten- and dairy-free, which means it behaves differently from traditional sourdough or Amish Friendship Bread starters. The potato flake starter is used to make loaves of soft, white bread and rolls. There's also a wonderful cake recipe you can make from the starter. As with all sourdough starters, potato flake starters can be kept … [Read more...]
FAQ – How soon can I use my Amish Friendship Bread starter?
If you're making Amish Friendship Bread for the first time, you might be wondering exactly when you can use your starter. Do you really have to wait 10 days? Or your question might look like any of the following: "How soon before I can use my Amish Friendship Bread starter?"“What happens if I bake with one cup after adding ingredients on Day 6?""I got my starter from a friend who said I could bake with it anytime. Is this true?""Once I go through the 10-day cycle, can I take out a cup … [Read more...]
Conversion Tables
Amish Friendship Bread No-Knead Sourdough Bread
This crusty No-Knead Sourdough Bread is easy to make and uses 1 cup of Amish Friendship Bread starter and NO added yeast. Start early and you can have it on the table by dinner, or prep it a day or two before. By now, you've probably heard everyone raving about Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread, which first appeared en masse at the New York Times Cooking website a couple of years ago. Everyone went nuts, and life was never the same again. The idea behind no-knead bread is that you don't need to … [Read more...]