Are you still trying to come up with a gift idea for someone? This is a great gift to give… either finish the starter out to bake the bread or gift some starter and a copy of the directions to your friends so they can bake their own bread.

I was recently gifted several starters so I had to dig through my old binders to find my old recipes for this gift. It’s been over 10 years since I’ve made any of these recipes. I ended up making 2 loaves of the Basic Recipe, 2 loaves of Banana Bread, 2 loaves of Chocolate Bread, and a double-batch of pancakes, and I still have 2 cups of starter left over to start another batch.

I have included the basic bread instructions in this post and I will also try to include a pretty printable for gifting. This would be so cute to give a small loaf of bread with a small jar of starter and the instructions.

There are many other variations available and you can easily search for more flavor variations online. I will try to update the blog with some of the other recipe variations that I have in my binder.

Amish Friendship Bread (Starter)

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. active dry yeast
• ¼ c. warm water
• 1 c. flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. warm milk (warm to the touch but not too hot)

Directions:

Day 1:

Sprinkle yeast in the warm water and let sit for 10 minutes. If it doesn’t foam, then your yeast is dead, and you will need to try again with a new package of yeast and new water. If it does foam, then proceed to the next step.

In a non-metal bowl, stir the flour and sugar together until well combined. Slowly stir in the milk and then the yeast and water mixture. Cover with a clean towel and let rest on the counter until bubbly.

You may store it in a jar with a loose cover or I have even seen people store it in a large Ziploc bag. I prefer to use a large jar with a loose lid. Some people even leave the wooden spoon in the container with the starter.

You will need to use the following directions to care for your starter for the next 10 days.

Days 2, 3, and 4:

Stir with a wooden or plastic spoon (no metal) until smooth. Do this at least once a day.

Day 5:

Remove 2 cups of batter and either use it for making bread or divide it into 1 cup portions to feed or give away. Be sure to give a copy of the instructions along with the starter if you gift it. This would be Day 1, if gifting.

For each 1 cup of starter, you need to feed 1 cup flour, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of milk, stir, cover, and let sit. If you forget to do this on Day 5 you can do it on Day 6.

Days 6,7, 8, 9:

Stir with a wooden or plastic spoon (no metal) until smooth. Do this at least once a day.

Day 10:

Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup of milk. Stir. Remove 3 cups of starter to gift one cup of batter and a copy of the directions to three different friends and use the remainder to make bread for yourself.

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Amish Friendship Bread (Basic Recipe)

Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 c. mature Amish Friendship Starter (you may end up with a little over a cup and that’s ok)
• 1 c. oil or applesauce
• ½ c. milk or kefir
• 1 t. vanilla

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 c. flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 ½ t. baking powder
• ½ t. baking soda
• ½ t. salt
• 1 small box of instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 c. chopped nuts, optional

Cinnamon Sugar:

• 3 T. sugar
• 1 t. cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325. Grease two bread pans.

Mix together the Cinnamon Sugar and sprinkle in the bottoms of the greased pans.

Mix together the Dry Ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.

Make a well in the center and add the Wet Ingredients. Stir until combined.

Divide evenly between the greased loaf pans.

Bake for about 1 hour.

Printable Instructions