Amish Friendship Bread Recipe Variations (2024)

FAQs

Why can't you use a metal bowl for Amish Friendship Bread? ›

The original instructions for Amish Friendship Bread states that you should not use metal bowls or utensils. The original reason was because there's a chemical reaction that occurs between the fermenting starter and metal.

If too much moisture escapes, the bread could dry out. Check expiration dates and use fresh ingredients. For Amish Friendship Bread in particular, you'll want to make sure your yeast (if starting a starter from scratch), baking soda, and baking powder are fresh.

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.

The rule in the Friendship Bread Kitchen is: when in doubt, throw it out. To ensure you're never out of starter when one goes bad, consider keeping at least one bag of starter in the freezer.

Some good news. Amish Friendship Bread starter is pretty flexible, so if you miss a feeding by 1-3 days, you are probably in good shape.

First of all, one of the most common reasons quick breads (and layer cakes as well) sink is that the pan is overfilled. If the batter reaches the top of the pan and still needs to rise, it will collapse.

That sharp acetone smell isn't a bad thing exactly — it just means your starter is hungry. So feed it at the proper proportions (see paragraph above). If you have a lot of starter, say 3 cups, that means you need to feed it 3 cups flour, 3 cups sugar, 3 cups milk.

Feed your sourdough starter with a high protein bread flour, rather than all purpose flour. Add some rye flour to your sourdough starter - this is a great way to strengthen your sourdough starter and introduce some whole grains into your wild yeast colony. Rye starters will often produce those big, mousse like bubbles.

This is usually the case in cold environments (AC under 70F, winter kitchens). If your starter is barely bubbling or not bubbling at all 12-24 hours after the last feeding, simply stir it again and let the jar sit for a day or two. Then feed again and see if you get bubbles.

Active Amish friendship starter will keep for up to three months in the freezer. "You can also pop your starter in the fridge, but you can't forget about it like you can with freezing your starter," Gee says.

What is a farmhouse bread? ›

A Large Farmhouse is a traditional, split-top white loaf with a crispy crust and a soft texture inside. A popular loaf with a superior flavour, not to mention the aroma; simple, traditional baking at its best!

Remove 1 cup starter to make your first bread. Give 2 cups starter to friends (1 cup each) along with this recipe and your favorite Amish bread recipe. Store remaining 1 cup starter in a container in the refrigerator or begin the 10-day process over again (beginning with step 2).

If you missed one feeding

Don't worry — your starter is fine. Just pick back up with your typical routine and your starter will settle in easily. To be safe, give it one or two feedings before you bake with it to make sure it's at full strength.

Commercially baked breads and rolls can be stored at room temperature for 2 to 4 days or 7 to 14 days in the refrigerator. Bread products retain their quality when stored in the freezer for 3 months. Any breads containing meat or hard cooked eggs must be refrigerated within 2 hours.

When you've made your bread, you can give your friends a sample and the starter that made it! Then your friends can make their own and pass it along to their friends. This is why the bread is called "friendship bread".

And it can dissolve some metals. However, what happens when sourdough and metals contact each other depend on the metal and the length of exposure. If the metal is a stainless steel, there will be no problems.

Pros: Metal bowls are durable, resistant to scratches, and often dishwasher-safe. They can conduct heat, providing a warm environment for dough proofing. Cons: Certain metals may react with acidic ingredients in the dough. Choose stainless steel, which is safe for proofing.

A stainless steel bowl is fine. I'd avoid aluminum (and copper, if anyone makes a mixer with such a thing) due to them being reactive, especially if you're making sourdough. Yeast is very sensitive to metal ions. Fifty years ago, it was common sense not to use a metal spoon to stir bread dough.

Never allow any form of metal such as a spoon or lid to come into direct contact with the stored, un-used sourdough starter as it will cause a chemical reaction that will contaminate and blacken the implement and eventually in time will kill (loose all activity) the starter and a blackish blue or pink liquid will ...