Most of the recipes at the Friendship Bread Kitchen use the traditional Amish Friendship Bread Starter, but a few of our avid bakers prefer this Potato Flake Starter variation. Use it to make this soft, fluffy sourdough Potato Flake Bread. And yes, I made a video to show you how to make your own!
If you’re trying to figure out the difference between Amish Friendship Bread starters and potato flake starters, here’s a 101 on Potato Flake Starters. The AFB recipes in the Recipe Box use the traditional AFB starter, so read the 101 post to see what adaptions you need to make if you want to try your potato flake starter in another recipe other than the basic bread and cake recipe featured below.
This starter recipe is gluten-free AND dairy-free (to make the bread gluten-free, swap the flour with a GF baking blend). When making the white bread or rolls you’ll want to make sure your starter has been fed that day or within 8-12 hours. This Potato Flake Starter behaves differently from the traditional Amish Friendship Bread starter and follows the feeding and storage process below.
The recipe is simple enough: in a small bowl, mix 1 package of active dry yeast (about 2¼ teaspoons), 3 tablespoons potato flakes, ½ cup sugar, and 1 cup warm water.
Cover loosely and let it ferment at room temperature for two days.
When you’re ready to feed your Potato Flake Starter, add 3 tablespoons potato flakes, ½ cup sugar, and 1 cup warm water to your starter and mix well. Leave on your counter for 8- 12 hours or overnight. Refrigerate for 3-5 days before making the bread.
The Potato Flake Starter was most bubbly when I first made it, but there was definitely activity with subsequent feedings. It never got as active as the original Amish Friendship Bread Starter, which would spill over the edge of the mixing bowl (or bust open a Ziploc bag!) on warm days. The timing is also different from our classic starter, and it’s stored in the fridge most of the time, so you’ll want to pay careful attention.
When I was ready to bake, I removed one cup of the starter and made a small pan of rolls and a single loaf of bread from the starter. You can view that recipe here. There was a soft crust and a lovely, tender crumb inside–it tasted amazing!
With the remaining starter, you can either discard, share with friends, or start the process over again by adding 3 tablespoons instant potato flakes, ½ cup sugar, 1 cup warm water to the existing starter. Note: your base starter should never exceed more than 2 cups, otherwise you will need to adjust your feeding ratios to ensure that your starter is properly fed. I recommend baking with the excess or sharing it with friends.
Amish Friendship Bread Starter (Potato Flake)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons instant potato flakes
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (or one package)
Subsequent Feedings
- 3 tablespoons instant potato flakes
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup warm water
Instructions
To Make the Starter
- In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons instant potato flakes, ½ cup sugar, 1 cup warm water and yeast.
- Cover loosely and let sit on the counter for 2 days, stirring daily.
- After two days, add 3 tablespoons instant potato flakes, ½ cup sugar, and 1 cup warm water to the starter. Mix well.
- Cover loosely and leave on counter for 8-12 hours. Refrigerate for 3-5 days.
Subsequent Feedings
- Remove from fridge and stir well. Remove 1 cup of the starter to bake with immediately. Give away or discard all but 1 cup of the remaining starter.
- Feed the starter with 3 tablespoons instant potato flakes, ½ cup sugar, 1 cup warm water. Cover loosely and leave on counter for 8-12 hours. Refrigerate for 3-5 days.
- Repeat the above steps ("Subsequent Feedings") for as long as you'd like to keep your starter going.
Notes
>> Have you tried this? Share your best pic with us or leave a comment below and let us know how it worked for you!
I have made starter like this often. The only difference is I add a teaspoon salt to it. Does this change anything?
Hi Jeremiah! We have never tried that before, but if it works for you, go for it! Happy baking!
My starter has been on counter untouched for a month. Can I still use it?
Hi Wendy! Although each kitchen and starter is unique, if a starter hasn’t been fed within 2-3 weeks, we usually advise throw it away and make another starter. If in doubt, throw it out!
Hi, my starter is about 4 months old, it’s active, and makes tasty bread but I’m concerned the yeast isn’t eating enough? It seems like 80% of the starter is a thick slurry of old sugar and potato flake. Mixing it up doesn’t make a difference. I thought maybe somehow being at high altitude in Denver had some effect on this (slower metabolism?) so I started feeding only once weekly. Still, the starter is mostly the thick slurry of old flakes and sugar. It makes great bread, but seems like a waste to keep feeding the yeast if it consumes very little. Should I maybe go half on the sugar and flakes for feeding??
Hi Stacy! If the weather has gotten significantly colder in Denver, this could affect your starter in its activity (make it more sluggish and less hungry). How much starter do you have? You could try reducing it down to a cup (if you have more), feed it, then place it in a warm place in your house (e.i. turn your oven on low and leave the door open with your starter close by, or use a heating pad) for several hours and see how it’s affected. It can be hard to keep your starter active and happy during the winter months. Let us know if you have any other questions!
My best friend gave me a start. I leave it out on my countertop 24/7. It has only yielded a good rise after proofing two times in all of the weeks I have owned it. Any suggestions why?
Hi Lorie! It’s hard to say since I don’t know what her starter was like when she gave it to you and because ours includes time in the fridge. It may be the starter, your kitchen temp — I’m not sure. How many times have you baked with it and are you feeding it at the proper ratios? If you’re not baking with it regularly, you need to discard some of the starter before you feed it again, or you have to keep adding MORE ingredients in order to maintain proper feeding ratios (check out the tutorials for more on this).
If you haven’t had a good result from baking with it for the past few weeks, most likely the starter is kaput. Potato flake starters are more finicky and require constant care and maintenance. You might want to try a regular Amish Friendship Bread starter and see if you find that easier to work with. Good luck!
Once you refrigerate starter for the 3-5 days do you cover with a tight lid instead of covering loosely?
Hi Libba! You still want to make sure the lid isn’t on too tight. For example, if you’re using a mason jar, leave the lid slightly unscrewed. The fermentation of the starter will slow down in the fridge, but it won’t stop entirely, so it’s better to be on the safe side than end up with a mess! Hope this helps!
Yes it does help, thanks for your reply!
How soon after feeding the started can you make bread?
Hi Donna! Here’s a great post on when you cake bake with your starter: https://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/faq-how-soon-can-i-bake-use-my-amish-friendship-bread-sourdough-starter/
I have been looking for the potato flake sourdough bread starter for way too long! Thanks for being out here. I made my a starter for the 3rd time already, I just was not satisfied with the fermentation or bread texture so I would start over again and again. However, I believe I am back on track now. The original mixing of starter begin quite bubbly then it became quit and settled. It’s a good cream color though, so I will stir tonight. My question to you all is whether or not I can just punch holes in the top of my canning jar lid for ventilation while in refrigerator and/or sitting out?
Hi Hellen! So glad you found the recipe (and that your starter is happy and active)! Yes, that should work fine. The only concern we usually have with the starter in the fridge is making sure things don’t fall inside it (LOL) so as long as you feel like it’s safe, go for it!
Can you use self-rising flour?
We don’t recommend using self-rising flour, Marilyn!