Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Prep time: 30 min
Servings: 120
Yield: 120 servings

Description

This Amish friendship bread starter recipe combines yeast, sugar, milk, and flour to create a sweet fermented sourdough starter to share with friends.

Ingredients

1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 cups white sugar, divided
3 cups milk, divided

Directions

1 Gather all ingredients.
2 Dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl; let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
3 Combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar in a 2-quart container (glass, plastic, or ceramic); mix thoroughly. Stir in 1 cup milk and yeast mixture. Cover the container loosely and leave at room temperature until bubbly. This is day 1 of the 10-day process.
4 Days 2 through 4: Stir starter with a spoon.
5 Day 5: Stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk.
6 Days 6 through 9: Stir starter with a spoon.
7 Day 10: Stir in remaining 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. 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).