Amish Friendship Bread Starter (Yeast-Free)

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Submitted by: Lynn van Sickler
Image (c) Friendship Bread Kitchen

“Commercial yeast-free version of the original Amish Friendship Bread Starter.”

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup milk

Directions

1. In a 2-quart glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine flour and sugar. Mix thoroughly with a whisk or fork.
2. Slowly stir in milk.
3. Cover loosely and let stand at room temperature until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. For the next 10 days handle starter according to the instructions for Amish Friendship Bread.

Kitchen Notes

The starter should be left at room temperature. Drape loosely with dish towel or plastic wrap. Do not use metal utensils or bowls. If using a sealed Ziploc bag, be sure to let the air out if the bag gets too puffy. For instructions and the recipe for Amish Friendship Bread, click here.

From Lynn van Sickler: “I use a Tupperware bowl with lid & plastic coated whisk for my starter. I was given my first batch of starter over 30 years ago. It did not contain yeast. My yeast free version ferments & bubbles up & definitely has that sourdough tang. I have one friend who is Jewish & keeps a Kosher kitchen. During Passover, she cleans out her entire kitchen & pantry & has to dispose of everything that contains yeast. There are also people who cannot eat foods with yeast so this would be an alternative for them.”

From Friendship Bread Kitchen: “All starters have yeast, either commercial or wild (naturally-occurring). Starters are essentially fermented batter, and it’s the yeast that is responsible for fermentation. Weather, too, is a big factor — starters like warm weather so you may have a harder time starting a starter from scratch in the winter. Results do vary with this method but there are lots of great discussion groups about this at The Fresh Loaf, one of our favorite bread sites. There is also a great post about this at the Wild Yeast Blog. Read more about this in our FAQs.”