Little did we know that the Amish Friendship Bread recipe that we posted 14 months ago would become the most-viewed post on MSK ever. The comment section has grown to 130 comments, all full of great questions and creative ideas for variations on Amish Friendship Bread. What amazing readers we have!
A few weeks ago, I got a wonderful email from a helpful cook named Anne with the following variations that I just need to share with you all. Anne writes:
Fortunately for me, all of my co-workers and neighbors like any variation I have done with this recipe. Some of them have every 10 days marked on their calendars! I have reduced the fat and sugar in all of the versions by using ½ c of oil and ½ c of applesauce, and only ½ c to ¾ c of sugar instead of 1 cup. Some of my co-workers’ favorite versions are:
Fresh Cherry White Chocolate Bread – to the basic Amish Bread recipe with reduced oil and ¾ c sugar, use either white chocolate or cheesecake instant pudding mix, pit fresh cherries and cut into quarters, use 1 c white chocolate chips, 1 – 2 cups toasted, coarsely chopped pecans. Bake as muffins. They are delicious!
Fresh Blueberry Peach Muffins – to the basic Amish Bread recipe with reduced oil and ¾ c sugar, use vanilla instant pudding mix, add 2 c fresh blueberries, 1 ½ c toasted, coarsely chopped pecans, 1 – 2 c chopped peaches (I used canned sliced peaches when peaches were out of season). Put in muffin pans. Top each muffin with streusel mix. Streusel mix – 1/3 c melted butter, ½ c brown sugar, ½ c sugar, 1 c quick oats, 1 – 1 ½ finely chopped nuts. Put approximately ½ tablespoon of streusel mix on each muffin batter. If you want to have peach muffins, just eliminate the blueberries.
Pistachio Mini Loaves – to the basic Amish Bread recipe with reduced oil and ¾ c sugar, use 2 small boxes instant pistachio pudding mix, add 1 c white chocolate chips, 1 – 2 c raw pistachio nuts, finely chopped, and 2 c crushed canned pineapple. Pour batter into mini loaf pans.
Peanut Butter Bread – to the basic Amish Bread recipe with reduced oil and ¾ c sugar, use 2 small boxes instant butterscotch pudding mix, add 1 c smooth peanut butter, ½ c brown sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, 1 c chocolate chips (I added semi-sweet), 1 c peanut butter chips. I had to add an additional ¼ c milk, as the batter was too stiff. Baked in a 9 x 13 pan for approximately 40 minutes at 350.
Chocolate Brownie – to the basic Amish Bread recipe with the reduced oil and ½ c sugar, use a large box of instant chocolate pudding mix (the chocolate with caramel is very good), add 3 heaping teaspoons of dark chocolate cocoa, 1 to 1 ½ c toasted coarsely chopped pecans, ¾ c dark chocolate chips, ¼ c semi sweet chocolate chips, ½ c milk chocolate chips to the dry ingredients. After mixing dry ingredients w/wet, pour approximately ½ of the batter into the pan and sprinkle ¾ of a bag of caramel bits over batter. Spread remaining batter over caramel bits and bake. I have made this in a 9 x 13 or in small bundt pans. This is the cake that is usually eaten first.
Anne of Brighton, Michigan.
Thanks so much to Anne for her great ideas!
Because I have a slow-ish computer with a slow-ish connection, it’s taking longer and longer to load the original post and all the comments. Therefore, we are closing the comments on the original AFB post and asking that any future comments be made on this post. We are NOT deleting all those valuable comments on the original Amish Friendship Bread post and again, we urge you to read through all the comments because most questions you might have about AFB can be found there.
Barb
Hi! I have been reading through all of the wonderful comments and suggestions about AFB here and have learned a lot! I was gifted some starter about 2 months ago by a friend. I had a starter several years ago, but we were overseas and I could not bring it back with me to the States. I knew that I needed to come up with a solution to deal with all of that extra starter that I am supposed to give away, but would quickly make my friends think it was Amish Nightmare Bread if I was constantly trying to foist it on them! My solution is to use part of the starter to make sourdough bread, which I then freeze to have on hand when needed. Now, if you use straight AFB starter to try to make bread, it is truely nasty-way too sweet! What I have been doing is to divide the starter in half at Day 5. To one half, I add half of the regular feeding ingredients (1/2 c. flour, 1/2/ c. sugar & 1/2 c. milk). To the other half I add 1/2 c. flour and 1/2 c. milk (the flour is enough to feed the starter). This essentially turns the second half into a sourdough starter. I usually deal with the sourdough bread on Day 9-just to make life easier! I do it in my bread maker-also to make life easier! On Day 9, I add
1/2 c. flour & 1/2 c. milk to the sourdough starter. This gives me a bit over 2 cups of starter with which to bake 2 loaves of sourdough bread.
The recipe that I have been using is:
SOURDOUGH BREAD for BREAD MACHINES
1 c. starter
1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 T butter
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. yeast
Put everything in the bread machine according to the order recommended by the manufacturer of the machine. I put it on the dough cycle so that I can shape the loaves myself, but you could just let the machine do all the work! If you do it on the dough cycle, take the dough out when it is done. Shape the dough into whatever shape you like. Put it on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degress for 40 minutes. Repeat with the other half of the starter. Serve a fresh loaf with dinner and freeze the other for later.
On Day 10, I deal with the AFB starter. I mix it with a half cup each of flour, sugar and milk. I then take out the 1 cup for next time and then use the remainder to make one recipe of AFB. I am left with no starter to torture friends with! If a friend asks for some, then I will just do it the normal way and gift them with some at the end of the 10 days. If my freezer fills up with sourdough bread, I feed the starter in the recommended manner and at the end of 10 days, I use the starter to make yummy pancakes!
AMISH PANCAKES
Combine in a large bowl:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
Combine in a smaller bowl:
2 T. oil
2 cups Amish starter
1/2 cup milk (+/- 1/4 cup)
1 egg
Add ingredients on the smaller bowl to the large bowl and mix on medium speed.
Spoon batter onto greased griddle.
To make waffles, increase the oil to 1/4 cup.
Hi, Holly Six, I first discovered “My Sister’s Kitchen and Amish Bread” just a few weeks ago. I have discovered many different ways of making my Amish Bread by adding various ingredients. I also make “Potato Bread” from a starter but I don’t use a bread machine. After reading your blog just now (dated May 15, 2008), I am excited to try your version of Sour Dough Bread using 1/2 of your AB starter! However, I will not be using a bread machine so it may be trial and error! Your sour dough method sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing! Mary
Hi Mary-I see you have made potato bread with your starter. Would you share your recipe? I am running out of ideas of what to do with my 7 bags of starter. No one wants anymore. I did get Holly Six’s Sour Dough recipe and Amish Pancakes and am also going to freeze some. I would love to try making savory herb breads as well. Does anyone have recipes for those? Thanks to all for sharing. Alot of my questions have been answered. Tanya
Dear Holly,
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes! I agree that the idea of using the straight starter for making bread sounds wayyyyyyy too sweet….but your variation on Day 5 changes everything! What a great idea! Thanks for sharing.
Barb
Why do the Amish get all the good stuff?
Hi Barb and Laura,
I’ve read all the comments and don’t see this discussed much: replacing pudding with other ingredients to obtain the same texture. My daughter is allergic to vanillin, so I can’t use commercial pudding mixes, but I still would like the texture it gives. We are on Day 9 of a new starter and I haven’t tried AFB before (I threw away the starter once because it sounded like too much of a commitment). I’m wondering if using a softer flour like cake flour or spelt flour would help, and also using a tsp. or so of cream of tarter (which is the magic ingredient that makes biscuits light and tender). Since I can’t make it the regular way with pudding, I won’t have anything to compare to. Has anyone tried leaving out the pudding but adding other ingredients to achieve the same texture?
Thanks. Love the website.
I actually NEVER use the pudding at all. I have been using this for about 6-8 months now, and after the first couple of batches, just started leaving it out because it hit me that I was making a from scratch recipie and adding something that was all artificial. There is a slight difference in texture, but I can live with that.In the interest of making it healthier, I use skim milk, substitute unsweetened applesauce for ALL of the oil, and use damerra sugar on parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. My kids love it! In the blog I read that someone used plain yogurt in place of the pudding and left out 1/2 c of the milk and got the desired texture that way, so I intend to try that.
I left out the pudding and added 2 mashed bananas instead. It’s DELICIOUS!
I love reading this…thanks for letting us know. Any time I can drop a pre-packaged ingredient in favor of something more healthy and/or more natural, I LIKE that!
Hi Tammy
I went back through the comments on the original post, looking specifically for information on eliminating the pudding mix. Several readers mentioned that they just left the pudding out and it turned out just fine. One reader substituted a cup of plain yogurt. I’m guessing that that variation requires a little extra baking time because it will be moister. One reader suggested reducing the milk by 1/2 c. if you leave out the pudding mix. Several readers substituted applesauce, fresh pumpkin, or bananas.
The pudding mainly affects the texture. One thing that I’ve considered doing is researching what dry ingredients go into making homemade pudding and adding those ingredients.
Good luck on your “research”!
Barbara
Hi! I’ve enjoyed reading all the comments and variations on AFB. I baked my first one last week and really enjoyed it. My question is about the original starter. I’ve read through all the comments but am a little confused. Is the original starter 1 cup milk, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup flour? Or is it those ingredients plus 1 T yeast? I have a friend who’d like to try it but can’t eat anything with yeast. If you do the starter without yeast is the process any different? Thanks.
I agree with this person. I read the first portion of your web site and could not figure out how to make the “initial starter” in the ziploc bag.
Someone gave me the starter and the items to add. The final product is beyond excellent. But, please, I can not seem to figure out ingredients for the ziploc bag.
Just reporting back…our school was having a bake sale, so I experimented with several loaves to get a tender texture without using pudding. I made one just leaving out the pudding, to compare with, and my daughter made one with chocolate pudding. Mine was good but dry and coarsely textured. I also made one with 2 apples, shredded and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, and it was very moist because of the apple. In other loaves, I tried spelt flour (similar to cake flour), cream of tarter, and arrowroot powder in various combinations and amounts.
Today is baking day again, and I have just taken out the best loaf so far. I used the regular recipe with all-purpose flour, but instead of the pudding, I substituted 2 heaping tablespoons of arrowroot powder and 1/4 tsp. cream of tarter. It is tender and delicious, without the tart kind of pudding flavor that instant pudding gives it. It is still warm (and I spread a little soft butter on it, bad me), so I don’t know how it will compare when cool, but I really like this. The loaves didn’t fall, but came out flat, and I like them a little domed, so I will experiment some more with the amount of baking powder and soda, and maybe add a little more flour (or powdered milk, to replace the dry bulk of the pudding mix). If it’s better, I’ll let you know! Best wishes.
The original AFB starter I got was 20 years ago! My dear friend Bridget who was from Wisconsin gave it to me. That recipe was for muffins but did NOT have pudding in it, and I still can’t wrap my head around the Amish using instant pudding. I got the recipe everyone has now about a month ago and I have made it both ways since and both are good. Here is the original recipe I have:
Day 10 – add 1 C each flour, milk, sugar, divide into 3.
To remaining batter add:
3/4 C oil
3 eggs
2 C flour
3/4 C sugar
1/2 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
2 t cinnamon
1 t salt
Mix well, add raisins/nuts/fruit whatever you like – bake in muffin pans at 350 for 18-20 min. til golden. : )
Today we are trying the waffle variation! Thx for all these ideas!
hi all, really enjoying the site..you will not believe this, but i was going thru old recipes a few months ago (a favorite past time for the long winter nites) & decided since i hadnt used my friendship bread recipes in at least 10 years, i might as well get rid of them-so i did. and not a month later, my daughter calls me to say some one at work had given her a bag of friendship bread starter and did i have any recipes!!! so, i hit the internet for ideas. you are so right about the ‘forgiveness’ of the starter/recipes; last week my daughter did not know she was down to her last cup or 2 of flour & asked what to do-i suggested oatmeal but all she had was 2 packages of instant w/peaches (my grand daughter doesnt like that kind) so we put them in and added a bit of almond flavoring and it was delicious.
is there a recipe for white and wheat bread so you dont have to knead.I would like to be able to make it in plastic bags like afb.thanks
Hi Barb, I read through all of the old posts and these ones here but couldn’t figure out something.
My recipe says on day 6 add 1 cup each flour, sugar, milk. Then day 10 add 1.5 cups (unlike most other people who’ve commented so far) each flour, sugar, milk. Then measure out 4 separate batters of 1 cup each to give away/keep. There’s a handwritten note on the paper that says after I take out the 4 cups to give away/keep, I should have 2 cups to add all the other ingredients to. But I had 1 cup. And the amounts of the ingredients to add to the starter are basically the same as what everyone mentions on this site (3 eggs, 1 cup oil, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup milk, etc. etc.).
So I called my friend who gave the instructions to me, and she said when she baked, she measured and had two cups of starter to work with. So I took one of the bags I was going to give away and used it – and baked with two cups. The bread turned out great.
So here are my questions: Should I be adding 1 cup of everything or 1.5 cups on day 6? And based on that answer, what should I be baking with – 2 cups of starter (and give away three bags) or 1 cup (and give away four bags)?
If there’s any chance of a quick answer I’d greatly appreciate it – I have to give away bags soon and want to retype my faded instructions for my friends and give away the correct amount! Thanks!
Jessie, what I would do is try it out. Does it turn out the way you like it when you add more on Day 6? Which loaf do YOU like the best….the one made with 1 c. of starter or the one made with 2 c.? You could use pretty much ALL the starter just doing the research this time and then go with whatever suits you best for the next round. Personally, I’d probably stick with the 1 c. of sugar, flour, and milk on Day 6 but that’s because I’m pleased with the way it all turns out using those proportions.
Barb
Does anyone have a solution for reducing the starters? I have run out of people to give them to and don’t want to just throw it out.
Pam, I think if you look thru the comments on this post as well as the comments on the first AFB post (http://mysisterskitchen.wordpress.com/2007/03/22/amish-friendship-bread/)
you’ll find lots of creative ideas for managing the excess starter you have after you’ve gifted all your friends.
Barb
Pam,
I had the same problem until a friend of mine said after she splits it on Day 10, she puts the starter in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Then when you want to use it, just take out and thaw and you’re on Day 1. it only takes about 1 hour to thaw. I tried this and it worked great.
Also when you do this you can plan ahead if you want to bake the bread on a certain day or for special occasion.
Hey, just wanted to let you all know that I FINALLY got a chance to try out a couple of the newer recipes. Today, I FINALLY got to bake my 1st batch of HollySix’s “Sourdough Bread for Bread Machines” recipe & it was DEE-LISH!! Since it was too warm outside to heat up the whole kitchen to bake in my oven, I just went ahead & baked it in my bread machine. I used the Basic setting, & the Medium crust color setting as well. It was oh-so-easy, too! LOVE IT!! Btw, what I do to avoid that stinkin’ paddle hole at the bottom of my bread, is I gently lift my loaf up in the last half hour of rising, just before the baking cycle begins. Tah dah! No more “holey” bread!! LOL
I’ve also recently baked up a batch of Cherry-Pistachio Bread as well. But this recipe came elsewhere on the web. It uses 2 small boxes of pistachio pudding mix & 1 cup of chopped maraschino cherries along with 2 Tbsp of cherry juice that you mix in with the chopped cherries & then fold into bread batter. Of course, you eliminate the cinnamon in the original recipe & the cinnamon sugared coated pans, & replace the cinnamon sugar w/plain sugar for the sugar dusting of the pans.
I always sub the 1 cup oil that the original recipe calls for with 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce & only 1/3 cup oil in the recipe.
I also LOVE to use turbinado sugar (Sugar-In-The-Raw) over the tops of my unbaked loaves so it gives them a nice crystalized crunchy top.
Speaking of toppings, I tried Anne’s Streusel Mix & OMGoodness, was it deelish!! Everyone in my house as well as friends that I shared my Apple Streusel Amish Bread with couldn’t get enough of it!! However, the recipe made up WAY TOO MUCH topping IMO, so I only used half of the recipe & saved the rest in a ziploc bag & stashed it in my fridge for my next batch of Apple Amish Bread.
Thanks again for such wonderful recipes, tips, & ideas!! Though I can’t say that my waisteline is very thankful!! LOL
Marian
In sunny, SoCal
Has anyone incorporated sour cream into the AFB? If so, how did you do it? Thanks.
Liz, I think that you should be able to substitute sour cream for at least 2/3 of the oil that the recipe calls for. You could do an experiment where you substitute 100% sour cream for 100% oil, just to see what happens.
Let us know how it comes out.
Barb
Peggy,
I apologize for not answering your question about making a no-knead bread in ziplock bags. If you do a search on the site for “Clair’s sourdough” and “whole wheat sourdough” you’ll find a couple of recipes that make wonderful crusty bread and don’t require kneading. I’ve never done them in a ziplock bag….I think you’d need a HUGE ziplock or you’d need to divide it up into smaller portions. You could also keep your sourdough starter in a ziplock as long as you made sure that you “burped” the bag frequently after you fed the starter.
Barb
Has anyone tried using reg cook and stir boxed pudding instead of the instant pudding?
Awesome info! On part one there were people talking about splenda, etc., people asking about the quantity of Splenda, but I couldn’t ever find the answer to how much Splenda and what kind of Splenda to use on Day 10 and if it can be used in the starters on day 5… Help!
Thank you!!!
Is Tammy still out there? I have tried your adaptation using the arrowroot and cream of tartar and leaving out the pudding. My children react to food coloring and I can’t find any instant pudding without food coloring. Well, I found the first batch to be a bit bland. Even though I had added a 1/4 extra tea of vanilla. It also didn’t rise right, kind of like you described above. In my next batch I added 1/3 cup of light brown sugar and let it sit for about 20 minutes in the pan before putting it in the oven. I had run out of room:) Anyway this batch turned out better. It rose a bit more than I expected and I could have put less in the pan. I used mini loaf pans. I brought my kids in for a taste test and they both chose the batch with the added brown sugar.
Ann
We were given some AFB starter by a friend, and today I made bread from it. Never one to do things as instructed, I made some changes.
* The full cup each of sugar and oil called for in the recipe I was given sounded too sweet and fatty for me, so I cut both to 1/2 c.
* I didn’t have any instant pudding mix on hand, and in any case I dislike heavily processed foods, so I decided to use vanilla yogurt. This adds the equivalent of about 1/4 c. of sugar and a little bit of fat, while contributing vanilla flavor, a rich texture and a hint of yogurt “tang”.
* The recipe I was given calls for feeding the starter immediately before using it, but that seems like it would dilute the flavor and I wanted maximum “kick” from the starter. So instead I took 1 c. directly out of my starter, which was last fed 5 days ago. I can always feed the remaining starter to keep it going.
With these changes, the bread came out fantastic! Both my wife and I were shocked at how tasty it was. The crust was crisp and sweet and the crumb was moist and tender. We got through half a loaf before forcing ourselves to stop.
Here’s the recipe for my version:
spray oil (PAM or similar; I used generic canola spray)
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1 c. lowfat vanilla yogurt
1/2 c. canola oil
1/2 c. lowfat milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. AFB starter
2 tbsp. coarse sugar (I used demerara)
Oven 325. Spray bottoms and sides of two loaf pans with oil. Mix 1/4 c. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon and use to coat insides of pans, pouring out any excess.
In a large bowl, briefly beat two eggs. Add remaining wet ingredients (except starter) and stir until uniform. In a medium bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Dump dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix just until moistened (as with pancake batter, some lumps may remain). Fold in 1 c. starter.
Divide batter between loaf pans and sprinkle top of each loaf uniformly with 1 tbsp. of coarse sugar. Bake 45 min. or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out mostly clean with just a few crumbs.
Let loaves cool in pans 15 minutes or so, then remove to finish cooling on a rack. Slice and enjoy! It’s extra good with a bit of butter or spread, especially while still a bit warm.
If you try this version, I hope you find it as delicious as my wife and I did!
Thanks for this variation recipe. I have copied it into a word document so I could print it out to give it a try. I’ve been wanting to know about how to eliminate at least 1/2 of the sugar and fat content so this looks like it will be a great one to try.
I thought of using yogurt with it but was too chicken…lol.
Again many thanks!
I’m so glad this was useful to you!
I have been trying to find out if there is a problem with using lactose-free milk. Does anyone know? I used it and my bread came out okay, but I am wondering if the starters will be okay. Thanks!
We use lactose-free for everything, no problems and no complaints on our starters or the finished product itself.
I can’t imagine that it would be a problem. There are plenty of starters of various kinds that don’t have milk in them at all.
Hello, everyone. I just want to say this is a great thread, and thanks for all the great information!
I received a starter a year ago and made muffins out of it for 2 months straight. I eventually just stopped the cycle. I found a recipe online for a starter. It called for:
1 c. flour, sugar, and milk
.25 oz. dry active yeast (one package)
1/4 c. warm water.
First dissolve yeast in water then add the rest. That is Day 1.
I have it sitting in a gallon size Ziploc baggie. It smells okay, but it seems the starter is separating. When I go to mix it at night, There is a thinner, clearer liquid sitting on top of the batter. It mixes back in, but I don’t remember this at all last year with the starter I had. Although I admit I may be more paranoid since I made this starter myself. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Sarah,
Just mix the liquid back into the starter if you like. It’s probably just “hooch” sitting on the top. You get hooch developing on top of sourdough starter when it sits in the fridge for too long as well. If the liquid is particularly strong-smelling, you can also just pour it off. It won’t hurt anything.
Barb
Hello,
I’m on my first bag of started with tomorrow being day 10. My question is I’m going on vacation (13 days) next week, if I put my starter in the freezer or fridge, when I get back does it go back to the counter for me to continue my days or stick in the fridge? Will it go bad if I put it on the counter like that?
This stuff is like taking care of a baby. We’ve all got questions and concerns about our bread!! We don’t want to mess up anything!! : )
Thanks,
Jana
Jana, you should put the starter in the fridge or freezer while you’re gone. When you get back, put it on the counter and carry on. Don’t leave it on the counter for the entire time you’re gone. It’ll go bad at room temperature if left that long.
barb
Happy Fall Y’all!
I have been known to be one of those people who will graciously accept your starters and then either forget it or pass it on to someone else! Recently, I just discovered the “cake-yness” to it vs what I had always been under the impression – “sour”. So here I am trying to get this going from scratch (first batch went moldy by the 6th day).
And not being one to try things easily, I am also doing a starter for a fruit cake like cake. This takes 30 days for the starter and another 30 days before you can bake. You end up with fruit that can be used as “topping” for other desserts. I was thinking of mixing that into the AFB.
Hi Annette,
We hope you’ll stop back by and let us know how your experiment turns out–sounds promising!
Barb and Laura
Hi there,
I was wondering when passing out the starter to friends after day 10, are we supposed to tell them to start at Day 1 to feed the starter or do they just use the starter and directly add the remaining ingredients (oil, pudding,etc) to make the bread?
Thanks
Mary
When you give the starter to someone, that will be Day #1 for that bag of starter.
Barb
I am goimg to back today. I was wondering about a low carb option. I was also wondering if I can substitute almond flour for all purpose flour? Any comments would be helpful.
Hello all!
Firstly, I’m so excited to find this fantastically informative blog, thanks so much to everyone who has contributed!
I received a started a couple weeks ago and didn’t end up giving any away the first time around. Last night when my boyfriend and I were baking up 5 loaves we came to horrifying relization that we were going to end up with 12 starter kits, which we now have and don’t know what to do with. Hahaa. So it’s been great to learn they are freezable.
I thought I would share with anyone who may be interested my experiments from last night.
Firstly I made an aztec inspired double chocolate version. I used chocolate fudge pudding, added dark chocolate chips and extra cinnamon and my secret ingredient; cayenne pepper! They turned out pretty good. I wish I would have added even more cayenne, it’s not really noticiable at this point, and I also wish I would have added cocoa powder to the mix.
Secondly I made cranberry orange bread. For this one I used vanilla pudding, orange extract, orange peel (the freeze dried kind), and dried cranberries. This one seems to be the crowd favorite at this point. Again, I wish there was a little more extract, I only added one teaspoon and a lot of orange peel, possible 2 T. Everyone seems to like the flavor, but personally I wish there was a little more orange. I also left out the cinnamon in this one and added orange peel to the sugar coating for the pans for some extra fun. I used about half of one of those medium sized bags of craisins, but more would have been ok.
Lastly, I made a butterscotch toffee pecan bundt. This one I made with butterscotch pudding, Heath toffee pieces (about half the bag), pecans (about half of a large chopped bag or one small chopped), and some carmel ice cream topping I had left over. I also added some extra cinnamon to this one. This is my personal favorite.
I was wondering if anyone out there has made any savory variations on this? I really love good bread and I was wondering if anyone has experimented with maybe using some semolina flour or other bread flour to make it less cake-like? Also I saw the post about taking out half at day 5 and making a sourdough starter from that, has anyone tried this and made some neat savory creations?
I also saw the post a ways back asking about pizza dough from AFB, does anyone have an answer to that one? I would LOVE to make some pizza dough if it could really make a good base.
Thanks in advance for your help and for reading my crazy long post!
2 Questions…Can You Freeze the starter?…and how long…I got a little bread crazy and have 12 starters in the freezer with a cup each
Oh just one more…How much do I need to just take out of freezer and bake?
If I add the sugar, flour and milk today, can I bake in 2 days? Thanks!
I received my first AFB and I am excited to try it.
Yesterday I opened the bag to add the “Day 6″ ingredients and there was a strong smell? Is this a normal part of the formenting?
I didn’t have a need to bake on the 10 day so I put my starter in the fridge…can I get some out in a few days and bake (it will be day 13). Unfortunately, I would like to be able to bake this bread anytime not only on the 10 day. I assume if you freeze or refrigerate, then next step is to bring to room temp and bake…Could someone please confirm this. If so, it means I can keep some in the freezer/fridge all the time for baking whenever I’d like.
First of all, I’ve got to thank James. It makes perfect sense to feed the starter, then wait a few days to cook with it. After all, if you’ve got a 30-year-old bottle of wine, would you “top it off” with a little fresh grape juice? Of course not. That would greatly diminish the flavor! So from now on, I’ll be feeding on days 1 and 5.
Next, AFB pizza dough. I scoured the web and didn’t find any AFB pizza dough recipes, although I found several requests for them. So I experimented a little, adapted an existing recipe, and came up with something that tasted…rather good, if I do say so myself. I posted the recipe on my blog at http://digrat.blogspot.com/2008/11/amish-friendshippizza.html
I have made 2 batches of bread so far from starter I was given and both times the bread has fallen in the middle and the middle was wet, mushy and raw! I followed the directions carefully. What am I doing wrong? Please help!
Instead of having all that leftover starter to give away or throw out, we usually use all but 1 cup of the starter to make more loaves on day 10. That way you can give them away as gifts, or just put them in the freezer for later. With Christmas time coming up, this helps us out a lot.
Hi all – what an amazing ‘journey’ this blog has started! I received a starter, which I baked with and then split into more starters, but I didn’t end up giving away. Today on Day 10, instead of adding the 1 cup flour/sugar/milk prior to baking with one of my starters (I have all 4), I simply divided the starter into two 1½ cup batches and baked straight on from there (I didn’t want to end up with more starters). From one starter bag, without adding the flour/sugar/milk I got 2 full size loaves and one bundt cake, all different flavors. Thanks for the great tips!
HELP! I’m having a horrible time with my cooked bread results. The starter is good, so that’s not the problem. I’ve looked at a number of blogs on the matter, but none seem to cover cooking issues. All the recipes I’ve found say to cook the two loaves (I’m using 8×4) at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Mine are not getting done in that amount of time. I’ve tried different sizes and still the problem of underdone centers. I don’t think it’s me because my sister is having the same issues. She even ends up covering the top with foil when it’s getting a little too done until the centers are fully cooked. Maybe you can shed some light on it all.
Thanks!
Try Baking at 350 degrees for about 50 min to 1 hour. have to watch it so it doesn’t burn
My baking issue is
I substituted 1/2 oil and 1/2 applesauce instead of a cup of oil
I also used chocolate pudding. After baking it I cut the loaf and it green on the inside near the bottom. I threw everything. out . I got so upset.
but I made some in the muffin tins and I ate 2 of the muffins until I realized they were green inside to. I was up all night worried that I was going to get sick. Nothing happened just alot of anxiety. What caused it to turn green?
Does anyone know
Marian
Hi Gerrie,
So much depends on the oven, and the type of pans, etc. You might try switching to glass pans, if you are using metal, or vice versa. Also, I just cooked a couple of loaves, and cooked them at 350ºF for an hour. I also found that the amount of batter I ended up with was too much for 2 loaves, and we ended up with some spills in the oven. Try putting slightly less batter in, if this is an issue. Shorter loaves will also cook more evenly. I like the idea of putting foil over the top, but it may affect the lovely sugary finish. You might try putting foil just around the edges, kind of like you do with pies, to keep the edges from overcooking. You might also just need to leave it in for longer. Don’t feel that you can’t tweak the instructions of a recipe to account for the quirks of your oven and your kitchen.
These are some random thoughts–I hope your next batch works out better.
Laura
Wow, is this ever a neat site! I had never heard of AFB, until my aunt gave my mom a starter, and my mom gave me one! I am a science major in school, so I HAD to try some experiments, and the one that turned out the coolest so far was to substitute eggnog for the milk before you bake on day 10. it gave it a really festive flavor. I added butterscotch pudding to it and my husband really loved it!!
I have made a few rounds of AFB with very good success. However, I noticed that the current starter I have has a much stronger alcohol tinged odor to it, instead of the more mild yeast smell that the starter typically has. I am making the bread as gifts for people and wanted to be sure that the starter is still good. It has not changed color, or grown anything strange on it. The smell is different this time around though, much stronger. Any thoughts?
Jennifer, the starter tends to get stronger and stronger over time. This isn’t a problem. If it’s bad, I think you’ll know it because it will smell really, really nasty.
This has been a great blog. I’ve been on a AFB baking binge for about 2 months now. I have my last batch, which I was making for holiday school parties. But I’ve created a problem that I don’t know how to fix. Instead of adding 1 cup of flour, sugar, and milk on day 5, I looked at the wrong part of the page and added 1 & 1/2 cups of each. How do I correct this? Do I upsize the ingredients when I bake on day 10? Do I wait longer to bake? Do I simply get more for my efforts and do the same thing as always? Please help!
Hi Kimberly, I think you just get an extra batch out of it all. Either give an extra away or bake an extra batch yourself. Shouldn’t be a problem. IN fact, it might even be a nice problem!
Barb
Actually, I sometimes added 2 c of each on day 10! I’ve had my starter going this time for around 6 months and I’m at the point now where I keep it growing all the time on my counter in a plastic container with a lid that latches down on all 4 sides. I add the milk, sugar, and flour once a week now, and don’t even count the days anymore. I stir the starter after I add to it then lift just one of the latches to relieve pressure when it expands . The other days, I just push that latch down, give it a couple of good swishes around to mix it, and lift a latch again. As long as there is plenty of starter I just scoop up a cup and bake whatever day I feel like it!
Hi,
I have a question — today (Sunday) is the day I’m supposed to bake my bread but I want to wait until Tuesday or Wed. to bake it. Do you think that’s okay?
Also, I’m going out of town for around a week for Christmas. Can I put the starter in the fridge and just start on Day 1 when I get back?
Thank you!!
Hello, all! Is this fun, or what? I just got given a starter by a friend, but it’s not the first time I’ve had one, or the first time I’ve used sourdough.
What I wanted to post is that there is a fantastic book available: The Sourdough Cookbook by Rita Davenport. It contains hundreds of recipes for different breads, muffins, cakes that use sourdough starter. AFB is just a VERY VERY SWEET sourdough starter, after all… so any sourdough recipe for a sweet bread should work. I’ve also seen similar recipes for the German version of AFB, called “Hermann” or “Hermann-Kuchen”, and some recipes for that to just make yeast bread, or cinnamon rolls, or something like that.
Hopefully it’s OK for me to mention a published book on here… Thanks for all the neat ideas to do with AFB!
hey! i was going to bake off some of the frozen starter for holiday gifts this weekend. Question is- how long does the baked bread last for? Can I bake today and give the bread as a gift on Sat/Sun and expect the recipient to still have enough time to enjoy the bread??? ive only baked a couple times and never tested its longevity…thankss!
I have been reading up on the AFB since I was given a bag several weeks ago. I remember doing this years ago. The recipe “back in the day” did not call for instant pudding mix.
I have the recipe with the pudding mix.
This is the 2nd time I have baked. The first time I just followed the recipe. I took out four cups of starter and used the remaining starter in the bread but did not measure it.
I later read in an earlier post that you should have 2 cups of starter left after taking out 4 cups.
I put off baking for several days now due to a hectic schedule by putting the starter in the frig to slow it down and so it would not spoil.
Today I added the 1-1/2 cups of milk, flour and sugar. I was planning on baking up all the starter as I have been feeding two bags.
The first batch I mixed up I used lemon pudding mix and added 3 tablespoons of poppy seeds. I omitted the cinnamon and vanilla. I measured out 2 cups of starter. After everything was mixed up the batter looked very thin but I divided it out and baked it anyway. It turned out great except a couple of the loaves sunk a little in the middle [disposable pans]. I got up a thumbs up from my husband on the lemon poppy seed bread.
The 2nd batch I baked I added pumpkin to. 1/2 can plus 1/4 cup of oil. I used pumpkin pie spices in place of the cinnamon. The rest of the recipe I followed with the exception of the amount of starter.
I measured out 1 cup of starter to save and measured what I had left. It was a little over a cup. So I used a little over a cup of starter in the 2nd batch of bread instead of two cups. The batter was looking a little too thick that is why I used a little more than a cup. The 2nd batch has baked up very nice. It’s too hot to try yet so I’m hoping the taste is as great as the bread looks.
Sarah, if you put the bread in the freezer, you’ll be okay to give it for gifts–I wouldn’t try to keep it at room temperature until then.
Nancy, thanks for the variation hints.
you can also just bake the starters and then give the baked ones out to friends along with a recipe so if they want to try it they can do so at a later time
I pulled 5 bags of starter out of the freezer. 4 of them are bubbling and expanding. The other is not. Is this bag dead? Do I throw it out?
Thanks so much! Love your site!
I’d give it some more time, Kelly. Have you added flour/sugar/milk to it yet? That may get it going again. I wouldn’t abandon it unless it was a funny color or smelled really off.
Laura
Pumpkin bread:
When I made my first recipe of bread according the instructions I missed that it took a large box of instant pudding and I used a small box. It turned out wonderful so I have been using the small boxes.
The pumpkin bread turned out great. I also used a small box pudding mix in it.
Today I bought a boxes of coconut cream pudding mix. I plan to bake it with adding coconut to the batter. Will let you know how that turns out.
I wanted to share that I have used the starter with the recipe and used Lemon pudding but I put into a cake pan, baked it and then put a powder sugar glaze on it and served it as a cake. It was light and wonderful.
I also have made the sour dough version many times and my family absolutely loves it !!
Thanks for all the ideas here !!
I have read and reread this topic – what a great wealth of information!
I ran myself out of the starter that was initially given to me since I thought that I could just make my own. My first attempt at starter went really bad. It looked okay in color but the smell was scary and just overwhelmed me!
Undaunted, I made another batch of starter. This second starter was a little strong smelling too but not as bad as my first attempt. I almost tossed it but my Mom said that I should at least try to make pancakes and see what happens.
So, since today was the tenth day I made pancakes this morning using the recipe posted by Holly Six (thank you Holly!). My husband really liked them.
At this point we are all still living so I’m thinking that the starter can be a little strong smelling and maybe that is normal and to be expected. I will keep this one going and see what happens.
i have two questions …
Thanks
how long.. how many days will AFB keep if put into the freezer (as a starter)… to be used at a later date? and .. also .. the starter recipes .. i have seen calls for yeast… im not sure how much .. one tsp or Tbls…?
i love this Bread .. i had been given a starter bag from a friend .. minus the starter directions… just the ten day directions … and my family keeps asking me to make more….i would like to make an attempt at making a starter…
Lesa, If you’ll look at our first Amish Friendship Bread post, I believe that Barb included the recipe for STARTING a starter.
When I have put starter into the freezer, I always treat it as though the freezer time was just an interruption in the whole process–in other words, if I put it into the freezer on day 1, when I take it out of the freezer, then it’s day 2. If I put it into the freezer on day 10, when I take it out, it’s time to bake. Does that make sense?
Laura
“Betsy
July 14, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Has anyone tried using reg cook and stir boxed pudding instead of the instant pudding?”
I couldn’t find a response to this question and I’m in them the same predicament. My husband bought two large cooktop pudding boxes instead of instant, can I use the cooktop pudding instead?
I also have another question, I went on a trip for about two weeks and completely forgot about my starter. When I got back the bag hadn’t rose at all. It still looked and smelled okay(I realize there is somewhat of a smell anyway) so I figured I’d put the sugar, milk and flour in immediately, then I realized I had no sugar or flour. A very hectic week went by(I have 3 jobs) and I still have not made the bread. I do have flour and sugar now, but I don’t want to waste it if the starter is bad. Should I just through it out if I haven’t fed it in three weeks, lol I know this sounds crazy, the answer is probably “YES!”, but I hate wasting it if it’s still usable! Its not green and the smell is not off putting. The bag’s not rising either so the yeast may be dead? I have been squishing it.
It is possible that your starter has just used all the available “fuel” and CAN’T grow any more. I think you should put the flour, sugar, and milk in and see what happens. I bet it will come back to life. If your kitchen has been cool because of what time of year it is, that also would explain why it doesn’t seem to be growing much. If it doesn’t smell REALLY icky, it’s probably still okay. It will smell fermented but that’s fine.
I found my answer on the first posting of Amish bread, sorry about that, I going to keep searching for my other question. Thanks!
“One thing that is NOT a myth is this. You MUST use boxes of Instant pudding. Cooked pudding mixes gives an entirely different and entirely unacceptable texture to this bread.”
I just made my bread and then came up to see if I could find the recipe online since I got mine all messy in my kitchen. My friend that gave it to me didn’t tell me not to refrigerate it! I’ve had it in the fridge the whole time and have been following the instructions and just mixed it all together and have put it on the oven… now I’m now very worried about my bread that is going to be done in 5 minutes not being the wonderful bread I have been reading about
I’ll try to remember to come back and let you know if it worked anyway. This may have been covered already but after reading about 50 comments I had not seen it yet.
I used a gluten-free flour instead of regular flour on my Day 6. Anyone have any experiences with gluten-free flour?
I am looking forward to seeing how my bread will turn out after I bake it on Day 10.
Thanks.
Gluten free flour works.
You can even make the starter with gluten free flour (I did, with 1/2 c brown rice flour and 1/2 cup of regular rice flour in place of the plain flour).
That way the recipe is totally gluten free from the beginning, and mine turned out great.
You will notice your starter won’t be as thick, and there is some separation, but it works fine for me. And it has the same texture as the “regular” stuff.
Wanted to let you know I made the bread without the starter just to see what would happen and it turned out great. I used 2/3 c of oil instead of 1 c.
It made one loaf instead of 2. My family didn’t even notice the difference. So if you are in a hurry just follow the recipe for the bread and leave out the starter.
If you use the starter without feeding it (other than on days 1 and 5)to make it “more tangy” as some have suggested then how much do you feed the rest of the starter?
Thanks for this info. Love this site!
Tracy, for some reason I’m not completely grasping what you’re asking. AFter you pull out the four 1-cup portions of starters, then those become their own starter and you follow the directions from the beginning, feeding each starter according to those directions. If you don’t feel like cultivating a vast metropolis of AFB starters, you can give those starters away.
If this doesn’t answer your question, ask it again and I’ll try to do better!
Barb
Oh my gosh my head is swimming. So much info and so many variations! I use the large muffin pans and make breakfast muffins. Next attempt is to toast a slice! Thank you for low-fat/calorie variations as my mom is a recent-diabetic and watching my intake. Has anyone made a coffee variety? Just throwing it out there! Thanks a ton…this is a great post.
Can I bake the bread earlier like on the 5th or 6th day using the direction on the 10th day? That means I will skip the step needed on the 6th day.
I looked through all the comments but seemed no question on this. Please help. Thanks.
Yes, Marie, you can….but it won’t have quite the same flavor.
Barb, my daughter made this while I was visiting & sooo good but sweet; glad to see the changes.
My problem is that I live in Mexico so could not bring starter on plane and cannot get pudding mix here. I also live at 5,200′ with a very temperamental oven, which I have to watch like a hawk or it is wither 450+ or down to 250! Hubby seems to control it best with pair of pliers~Mexican ovens don’t have thermostats or numbers on dials; just dashes & I use an oven thermometer. Every bake day is an adventure!
Just hoping someone has recipe for the starter and a solution for the lack of pudding. What fun we have! Happy cooking all!
oh, thanks!
Hi!!! I was wondering if you have the poem-friendship letter that goes along with the bread.. ? I received the bread years ago, and it had some sort of letter attached… ? If you do could you please post it? Thanks!! P.s. Love the site!
Ellen, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen the poem. I just have instructions on how to make the bread. If you’re able to locate a copy of the poem, I would LOVE to read it. Be sure to share if you find it, okay?
I do know what you are talking about, I remember the poem used to come with all the friendship breads I recieved as a child and since then sort of got dropped…I looked around to find it when i handed out my recipes and found this:
The poem is a sort of a play on words, because the original name of the “amish friendship bread” is an Amish word “Ha’penny Friendship Bread”….
A penny for happy thoughts,
Grains that grow and nourish,
Leavenings to lift us up,
May friendship ever flourish.
Christmas is coming,
The geese are getting fat,
Please put a penny in the old man’s hat,
If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do,
If you haven’t got a ha’penny–God Bless You!
I think I’ve read through everything posted but have what I think are some new questions.
I’d like to make the bread a bit more healthy without being dry or bland – and maybe a bit more the way the Amish would – no pudding mix, organic ingredients where possible, maybe less sugar and more whole grain. I’ve jotted down some of the ideas like rice or soy milk for regular milk, applesauce instead of oil, oats or bran or flax seed instead of some of the flour, brown sugar or raw sugar for refined sugar, yogurt or bananas instead of the pudding mix and milk.
What about whole wheat flour? If I was to add that, how much can I safely add and should I add more liquid (egg, milk, yogurt, etc.) or more rising ingredients (baking soda, baking powder, eggs), or just substitute for regular flour 1 for 1 or in combination with oats?
Thanks! This is a great site!
What about making oatmilk? That would be cheap and probably good in this starter. Just google for a recipe. I think I’m going to try this too!
Oh also…I used white flour in my starter, but whole wheat to bake the bread and it was fine.
I received a bag of the mix and followed the directions except that I forgot about it and it is now day 15. Can I follow directions from day 10, or should I throw it out?
Thanks.
Go ahead and use it. It should be fine.
About not using instant pudding…I looked at the ingredients of a 5 oz. box of instant vanilla pudding. Mainly it is starch and artificial colors & flavors & sugar. No dairy or eggs. So I added about 1/3 cup of corn starch and a little more vanilla instead of the instant pudding and the bread turned out great–very moist!
Thanks so much for this tip! I just made the bread with Dr. Otecker’s organic vanilla pudding (the cooking kind, not instant), and it turned out fine…I don’t want to have to buy it all the time though, so this is great to know.
Thank you Fitzy! You answered my question! I made a triple batch of starters for Christmas presents. It dawned on us that was going to be a lot of pudding & we wanted to see how we could cut that out without changing the taste.
Hmmm since I want chocolate…I wonder how much coco powder to add with the corn starch.
So glad I found your website. I got my starter acouple of weeks ago. I’m on round 3. A couple of odd things… my 1st try I only ended up with enough for 1 loaf, the 2nd time I had enough for maybe 1.5 loaves. Now feeding for round 3, my starter is barely bubbling and I haven’t had to burp my bag at all. It doesn’t smell nor look any different. Is it dying off? Will it be good to bake and give away? Hate to give someone something bad. Thanks!
your recipe says to feed on day 4 and day 6 and day 10 just before baking. i’ve not seen 3 feedings before only two usually day 5 or day 6 and than again day 10 just before baking. is your day 4 and day 6 and 10 correct?
I’ve been using 50/50 whole wheat & unbleached white flours for my starter bags for 3 weeks now, and they’re doing well. They’re growing decently on Splenda (well, generic-Splenda – 1:1 as for sugar), but do need to be fed a day earlier than the sugar bag does. Also, I see that the whole milk bag grows MUCH faster than the skim milk bag. We tried pancakes tonight, and while they tasted good, they had the ultra-yeasty “beer” smell that was a bit much for me (but the kids seemed to love them anyway). I’ve been baking with applesauce and egg replacer with tasty results. I tried substituting 2 bananas for the oil and pudding once and that wasn’t moist enough; should have put in some vanilla yogurt with them.
My questions:
1- has anyone ever tried to convert from AFB to the Hermann recipe or the linked-in “Newlywed Bread” – I’d like to keep my original starter but move a bag in each direction soon for less sugar.
2- I’ve tended to keep the starter growing in the gallon bags until it gets too big for the bag (ie I keep “feeding” whenever needed without much attention to what day it is. How important is it that after the second addition I should divide out the starter like the original recipe says? Am I screwing up my mixture by keeping it fed well past 10 days in one bag?
I only have the little boxes of sugar free instant pudding, they are 1 oz boxes. Can you tell me if I need to add more than one, or will one box suffice?
Just as an FYI for those who are gluten intolerant or celiac:
YOU can have friendship bread as well!
I made the starter with 1/2 cup of brown rice flour, 1/2 cup of regular rice flour, with the rest of the ingredients the same. I used just the rice flours because I figured that they wouldn’t develop a nasty texture or taste the way other flours might.
Now, I will say, it doesn’t have the same “thickness” as the regular starter, and it does tend to separate a bit, because the gluten in regular wheat flour acts sort of like a binder. Just keep mushing it as usual.
When it came time to make the bread, I just made my starters with the rice flour/brown rice flour mixture, and when I made the bread I used my favorite g.f. baking mix.
I didn’t have to add any guar gum, xanathan gum, or arrowroot to get it to hold together like other g.f. breads. I did use the full amount of oil the first time… I’ll experiment with reducing that later.
But as far as texture/taste wise, it was so similar to “regular” friendship bread that I nearly cried.
Used 1 small box of instant vanilla pudding and another small box of devils food chocolate pudding along with some chocolate chips. It smelled great while cooking but looked green inside when sliced. Is it ok to eat? what caused the green color?
Wow, I have no idea what caused the odd color change. I imagine that the pudding mixes contain artificial coloring and that somehow those combined to make…GREEN! I think you’re fine to eat it. It sounds delicious. Close your eyes and pretend it’s the right color!
This is such a cool site!
I have frozen almost all of my “give away” starters. I take out of the freezer and act as though it’s day 1. When it gets to room temperature, I add a pinch of yeast to get the process going. Then I continue as usual.
As far as freezing the cooked loaves. I have done that too. I have frozen some for a couple months (well wrapped) and have taken them out and they taste just as good. I don’t usually refrigerate cakes, breads, cookies because it accelerates the “staling” process. I usually leave on the counter or freeze.
I am anxious to try the blueberry version. Has anyone tried this? I have made the pumpkin, banana, chocolate, vanilla and pistachio. I think the original, vanilla, is my favorite.
Another hint would be to lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees if using glass or dark pans.
I enjoy reading all the posts!
I know that most recipe variations are for sweet breads or cakes. Does anyone have savoury variations (e.g. cheese or herb)? I can experiment too but wouldn’t mind having a starting place.
Jenn, I think that some commenters have suggested this as well. The thing that stumps me about this is that the starter is so very, VERY sweet. I can’t imagine using the AFB starter to make a savory bread. If you DO experiment and like the results, we would love to hear about it. I’d love to feature any ideas that work for you.
An alternative to the AFB starter might be a sourdough starter. If you do a search on sourdough starter on our main page, you’ll turn up a couple of things we’ve written about sourdough. This is a good set of instructions for making sourdough bread: http://www.instructables.com/id/Sourdough-Bread/ It’s not hard to add things to create some really original, savory breads.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Barb
I have not tried this before but have heard of it. My friend gave it to me on a Friday. I did not ask much question as it came with the recipe.
But what I did not know was that was day was suppose to be Day 1. I right away added stuff that needed to be added for Day 10 (bake day).
I ended up with only 3 cups to supposedly give away and barely a cup to cook with. To it I added the rest of the ingredients. I still ended up wit 2 beautiful loaves of bread. That was Friday, and a family of 4 with just 2 adults and twin toddlers, finished the 2 loaves by Monday. Yep it was that good!
I did store the 3 ziploc bags in the fridge and I think I might experiment with that. I have not added anything to it to this day (day 5) but planning on using one if it by day day 8 just because it is a Sunday and another on day 10.
Btw, I am going to try James’ variation of the bread when I get a new starter this Friday.
This blog rocks!
HELP!!! My AFB doesn’t taste like I remember it from the 90′s when I was last addicted to it. Turned out beautiful, but there is an extremely strong aftertaste of alcohol. I feel like I am eating a bourbon ball. I am afraid to let any of my children eat it until I see if I get sick in a few hours. Anyone else have a similar result from the standard recipe with banana cream instant pudding added. Thanks for your input.
Probably a stupid question…but…in recipes that call for you to use the Amish starter that results after day 10 (like a pancake recipe I saw)…does that mean to use the starter as is before you feed it or should you feed the starter & then use it in the recipe?
Question about the Cinnamon Rolls variation! The instructions read that after you add the 2C. of Flour and 1C. Milk to let it set overnight or for 10-12 hours. Is this really necessary? I feel like it would be fine after a few hours. But I dont know, maybe I am wrong. Any suggestions? I want to bake it today because I have to work tomorrow, and if I wait even 10 hours, its going to be 1 in the morning! Some input would be really appreciated.
On a side note though, I broke up the dough yesterday and left what I was supposed to make into bread in a bowl overnight. I don’t know if that helps!
On another side note, the last loaves I baked, I used banana cream pudding and mashed up 2 bananas, omitted the cinnamon and added chocolate chips and it was soo good! You are missing out if you dont try it at least once! Best banana bread I’ve ever had!
I only let the cinnamon roll dough sit for 6 hours and it still turned out VERY good! FYI….
how do i bake all friendship bread on not share Thanks Pierangela
I need help… I have been looking for a version of this that does not use milk. My son is allergic to milk. Every starter I am finding has milk in it.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Robin, I think you should just try it using water. Using fruit juice is going to introduce substantially more sugar into the “system” and I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Or try using an alternative “milk” like almond milk or something like that. I’d also consider trying coconut milk. It would up the fat content but be delicious.
Hello All!
I didn’t give out any starter bags this time around, I added all the ingredients (imagine 24 eggs, 8 boxes of instant pudding, so on) in order to sell. My questions are in reference to the prepared batter I have in my frig…will it go bad much faster than the starters? Can I freeze it? A friend of mine said that since the starter just continues to ferment and actually get better, than the prepared batter would also, Is this true? I don’t want to bake the bread with sour batter and make people sick! Thanks for all your input and I will be checking back soon.
I think that it’s not a good idea to freeze the full recipe before baking for two reasons. First, this means you’ll be freezing raw eggs. I’m not comfortable with that from a bacteria-growing standpoint. I don’t know for sure but I also think that you don’t want to be activating your rising agents (baking powder/soda) and then freezing the batter. I suspect you’d end up with really flat loaves. I haven’t tried this, so this is all speculation on my part, but I wouldn’t do if I was the chef.
Thanks so much for getting back to me so soon! I’m actually a total novice to baking so I’m glad you helped with part of my question. What about the going bad part??…Do you know if there are some signs I should look for to know if the batter is just downright rotten? I cant distinguish smell b/c the batter is so sweet-smelling due to all the sugar, cinnamon, etc…I would hate to have to throw all the batter away (in other words, so many ingredients I could’ve used for other cooking). But If I have to oh well, I know now not to get in over my head in batter! I’ll chk bck!
Larrisa, I’m a little unclear on exactly what part you’re talking about. If you’ve mixed the bread up, including the eggs, then you should bake the batter off as soon as possible. If it’s been in the fridge for a day or two, it’s probably fine and will bake up okay. If it smells bad while it’s baking, it IS bad. Don’t freeze fully-mixed, but unbaked bread batter. The starter itself can smell bad in one of two ways. First, if it’s very fermented, it will smell really strong and make you wonder if it’s bad. If it really IS bad, then it will smell rotten and you will have no doubt. My rule of thumb, for the starter (and this goes for sourdough starter as well) is that if I’m not sure, it’s probably not spoiled–just very fermented. When it’s bad, there is NO DOUBT that it is bad and I can’t wash it down the garbage disposal fast enough. Does that help? If I haven’t answered you sufficiently, please keep asking until I understand what you’re asking.
Barb
I was wondering if you could help me out. I have frozen friendship starter and want to make bread out of it
If you want to make bread right away, let the starter come to room temperature and then mix in the ingredients and bake. If you want to start the whole process, then divide the starter into 1 c. portions in ziplock bags and begin the process.
I reviewed the prior postings for high altitude adjustments for AFB to no avail. Can you share the correct measurements to be used? Thank you in advance for youir assistance and for the great info which can be found within this site.
My experiences with AFB starter:
1. As long as there are bubbles, the starter is OK.
My starters get fed every 7-10 days, whenever I have time.
2. If you want less starter, save 1/2 cup and feed it with 1/2 cups of milk, flour and sugar instead.
3. I once gradually reduced the amount of sugar added to my starter until all I added to it was flour and milk and it was fine.
4. I use the glass canning jars with the metal clips to hold the lid down to store my starter; I got tired of ziploc bags on the counter.
5. It’s really OK to throw starter away.
I read through a lot of these comments but not all of them. Here is my suggestion despite being original or not. People keep commenting about throwing away 3 starters because they don’t give them away.
On day 10, after you add your 1cup,1cup,1cup you have roughly 7 cups of batter total. You are supposed to make 4 starters(1 cup each) and use the remaining 3 cups to make 2 loaves. I just make 1 starter and make 2 batches of bread(3cups per batch).
If you split it into 1-1/2 cups and split the other ingredients, and use one small box of pudding, you can make 4 different flavors in one baking session.
I just made one loaf of each:
White Chocolate with milk chocolate chips
Chocolate with milk chocolate chips
Banana bread
Pumpkin bread
Thanks so much for all the info on these posts. I started searching for answers to questions regarding the starter I didn’t have time to bake on the 10th day. Now I know I can still use it. And I’ve got more wonderful recipes to try.
Thanks to all of you!
I received a starter about a year ago and I love it since it is so forgiving. I have found that not only do the starters freeze well, but it is unnecessary to add the extra ingredients on the 6th day. When I want to make a batch I pull the starter out of the freezer and throw it on my counter for 24 hours and proceed from Day 2 on (skip day 6 except for smooshing the bag). On the tenth day just add the baking ingredients and pop it in the oven. When I use my last starter, I follow the full instructions and make four more starters which immediately go into the freezer.
“rene
May 18, 2009 at 2:34 pm
your recipe says to feed on day 4 and day 6 and day 10 just before baking. i’ve not seen 3 feedings before only two usually day 5 or day 6 and than again day 10 just before baking. is your day 4 and day 6 and 10 correct?”
This above was posted and didnt get a reply I was wondering the samething
donna
I made it just as the directions said and it turned out beautful !! so if anybody else wonders the same about adding a cup of everything on the 4th and 6th and 10th day my amish bread turned out Great.
When I made this recipe, I did it a little differently. I only added the sugar, milk and flour twice, on day 6 and day 10. I also left out the instant pudding. I thought it was much better, not so sweet. However, I’m still wondering about something. The point to leaving other starters out and continually feeding them is to have a good supply of yeast in the starter. There should be a lot of yeast in this starter, especially if you feed it 3 times. So why is baking powder and baking soda added to the recipe?
Hi Barb,
I was given a starter that I do not believe has yeast in it. Simply flour, sugar and milk. I have just fed it at the half-way mark. I am wondering if I should add some yeast to the mixture, and if so, when? Thanks!
No, you shouldn’t need to add yeast. There will be wild yeast and fermentation going on in the starter as long as you feed it.
My friend brought over some of this that she made in a normal 9x13x2 cakepan. I mixed up a batch today, and (being blind as a bat) I got starter all over me, the counter, my shirt, etc. Anyway…..
I mixed up the batter and grated an apple into it, but I grated the apple in a separate bowl and mixed the cinnamon into the apple and then added that to the rest of the ingredients. Now what I’m confused about is when she brought it over it was thin, sort of flat but had a kind of glaze on it that she said was from the pudding. Mine was pillowy, really delicious! And sans the glaze. I’m curious if all the bread does that.
Oh btw, I only did it for half an hour, I think, at 350. I had people pounding on my apartment door and windows wanting some, it smelled so good. They’re used to me baking up goodies of a weekend.
Anyway, I’ll hush. I love this thread!
I’ve never seen the glaze that you’re talking about. I DO get a lovely crusty, sugary “crust” from greasing and sugaring my pans though. I’m delighted that it all turned out so well. It sounds wonderful!
Barb
I have been making friendship bread for the last month and a half. Wow it is so good. But I have learn ways on cutting fat and sugar. When I go to bake the bread I only use 1/2 cup sugar and use 2/3 cup of apple sauce and 1/3 cup of oil. I makes the most moist bread and is wonderful. My husband says he like my friendship bread better then his Grandmothers friendship bread. I only go though the 10 day cycle 1 once a month. I freeze my starter and just when ever I want to bake the bread I just get it out thaw and bake i make sure I have one starter left to start the next ed cycle. With that start I just thaw and start the 10 cycle. This way I always have only what I need and not anymore. I like to make the bread for others and not give out the starter unless they ask, they seem to like that better. I made one for my step mom and she told me thank you and appreciates that I didn’t give her a starter she told me she love friendship bread but don’t like to fiddle with a starter. A lot of people just don’t have the time to fiddle with a starter. I’m a stay at home mom and part of my job is baking. So I make time to to bake breads and goodies like these. Right now I’m working on sour dough bread. One thing I have gained 3 lbs sense I started making the friendship bread even tho I have toned down the fat. So I working on losing it, but no one wants me to quit making the FB so not so good for weigh lost. O well I’m doing good about having it around and not eating it, this last time I made it I only had one slice thats it. So I will eat my oatmeal will everyone else eats the FB and It’s all is OK.
Wow! I have read through everything on both posts and am ready for Monday (day 10 of my starter)!! And I was happy to read about freezing the splits on day 10 and just baking with those after thawing and always keeping one starter to keep up the process.
The friend who gave me this starter told me her husband calls it “crack bread” because he’s absolutely addicted!! I can’t wait to make my first batch next week. I know my kids’ll enjoy it.
Thanks for all the good information!
I’m going to whip up a batch of this stuff after about two months of no baking. The last time the person helping me shop grabbed the sugar-free pudding and I’m highly highly sensitive to aspartame, sucralose and the like. I hope this round of pudding doesn’t have that little inconvenience! Anyway, gotta go mix up the batter, my friend’s in diar need of comfort food and this is the absolute best medicine against melancholy!
miniature bunt pans, are they possible to use? it looks like a cupcake or muffin pan but is the shape of tiny bunt cakes? How long and how long?
nvm, I answered my own questions! ok, for miniature bunt pans, 350 for 15-17 minutes. Oooooh they turned out lovely! I also added 1/2 tsp cloves and increased the cinnamon to 2.5 tsp and grated an apple peeling and all into the batter. You could also use apple pie spice if you wanted. I bet that’d be heaven!
tay, I LOVE the idea of the miniature bundt pans. I’m glad they turned out well. I’m definitely going to file this idea away for future use.
Sorry I keep commenting, but I keep discovering things, that are tasty!
Ok, tonight I made banana chocolate chip/nut muffins and mini bunt cakes. Oh my stars it was wonderful! I also made another round of the apple spice, but this time put a sort of crumble mix on top before baking. It came out like a starshmucks coffee cake, for half the price! Thank you for this glorious website, and happy poundage to all!
tay, that’s a great idea…sounds delish. Don’t apologize for sharing all your ideas; we LOVE hearing them!
Barb
Everytime I bake AFB the middle falls in my loaves. I have read every comment and all they say is to adjust the recipe for high altitude, but what adjustment do I make? I do live at a high altitude, about 7000 feet.
Here’s my rule of thumb for baking at altitudes over 7000 feet: Adjustment for 7000+ feet:
Reduce baking powder: for each teaspoon, decrease 1/4 teaspoon.
Reduce sugar: for each cup, decrease 1 – 3 tablespoons.
Increase liquid: for each cup, add 3 – 4 tablespoons.
Increase oven temperature by 25 degrees F.
Oddly enough, I also had good luck baking with duck eggs when I lived at high altitude. At one point we could get duck eggs instead of chicken eggs. They made for a very, very stable cake batter, even at high altitude.
An update: I spoke to a caterer that works near me. She’s going to buy some of my coffee cakes and see if she would like me to have me make them for her customers. At least that’s what I understood. I also gave a batch to my helper and she fell in love. Landlords also fix things faster when something’s baked when they show up.
Instead of baking on day 10 (because I will be gone)
can I leave the bag on the counter and bake on what would be day 14
Mary Kay, this should be fine UNLESS your kitchen is unusually warm. If that’s the case, stick the bag in the fridge for those extra days and take it out 6-8 hours before you plan to use it. Barb
thank you soooo much for this thread..i just recieved AFB starter and i can’t tell you how helpful all the comments and suggestions have been..thanks again
We’re pretty amazed at the Amish Friendship Bread comment threads as well. Our readers are full of brilliant ideas, that’s for sure!
I have been making this for a few years. I make & bake a double batch,(2Starters) then freeze & make the next double batch in a couple of weeks.
I use these loaves as gifts to alll my friends and they love them. One of the favorites is I use Lemon Pudding that is sometimes hard to find in the Large box and Crystalized Ginger,with a little Lemon Zest. The other is Cranberies & Nuts with a little Orange Zest. I use 1 cup of the nuts & fruit for each starter set. I start around Halloween and have it all done before Thanksgiving. My friends and family allways ask if I am going to make this every hoiliday.
Nanuannie
I love these magical recipes that everyone loves to get!
I saw a few comments here and in part one about the bread turning green. I noticed that in each one chocolate pudding was used. Just my opinion, I think that it has something to do with the chocolate pudding. We’ve not had that problem when we make it chocolate, but maybe it’s the brand being used. It would interesting to find out from those people if they used the same brand. Then others could avoid it.
I had a recipe for AFB that had oatmeal in it and now I can’t find it. I can’t remember what else it had in it that was different than my original recipe, other than the oatmeal. Does anyone have a recipe with oatmeal?
Help! The recipe I received doesn’t call for dry yeast, only flour, sugar and milk. It says to let sit for 7 days then it goes into the feeding process of 10 days. My Questions are: Is the yeast necessary? and if not would that make my day 1 of feeding actually day 8 since it had to set for 7 days? Also is there much difference in the finished product with or without the dry yeast? Thanks a bunch
I think there are a lot of variables in this, including what type of flour you use and how sterile you keep your kitchen. Why not try it both ways and see which one works better?
I just made some blueberry muffins. Yeah, yeah yeah, it’s early over here. I just used maybe 1/2 cup blueberries that I had split. You could also purae them. I also used a little extra juice, and decreased the oil by a tablespoon or so, so they wouldn’t be so sloppy. I also made a second batch of raspberry white a white chocolate frosting. Om nom yum.
my upstairs neighbour swore he was going to become extra chunky if I kept it up.
Hi,
I must have been too tired. I mixed up day 6 with day 4. I just figured that out today. Is that why the last batch was cakey? How do I fix this? Please help!
Thank you in advance!
You can also use a normal muffin recipe in the mini bunt pan. YOu just have to be careful if it involves, say, layering the batter withomsehting else.
I wasn’t able to bake on yesterday, day 10, can I do it today? A friend was given a starter and didn’t get to do hers either and just called to ask me. What do we do???
Just use it! the starter is very forgiving. YOu have a few days to play with here.
Barbara
I am not sure if you all figured it out yet, but, I am using my “bag of gold” for the last month or so and I’m on my 4th baking. I was excited to do this again, the first time I am aware of the recipe was in the 80′s!!! I was stingy with my first batch and used the starters to make a triple batch for my 2nd baking. (I am planning to give mini-loaves for Christmas this year) I just save one cup to continue the cycle. I bake off the rest in the recipe on day 10. The way I look at it, our moms and grandmoms never worried so much about precise measurements, and we are still around to talk about it, so I don’t either. If my kids like it, they eat it, if they don’t, they go hungry. No big deal. Sometimes, I will double the ingredients and make extra loaves. Sometimes, I just make it with the amount that is in my bag. It isn’t rocket science, it is baking, just go with it!
A friend gave me a starter bag and I put it in the refrigerator. It is now day 6 and it just dawned on me that I should have left the bag on the counter. Should I start today as day 1? Does putting it in the refigerator stop the process totally?
Refrigerating the starter slows the process but doesn’t stop it altogether. I think that you could start it as if it were day 1….or if you’re feeling impatient, call it day 4 or 5! That starter is pretty forgiving as long as you don’t let it get too warm in the summer.
Thanks Barbara!
I hadn’t yet discovered this site when I had an urge to make the starter for this delicious bread from my childhood. I googled and found a recipe for the starter that was only one cup each of flour, sugar, and milk… But no yeast. I mixed it and it’s now sitting on the counter. I then found this site and see that yeast is mentioned everywhere. Will my starter work or do I need to toss it and remake it with yeast?
I have frozen extra afb starter, and works wonderful, just thaw room temperature, then begin with day one! Fabulous!