One question I get asked a lot is how can you tell a good Amish Friendship Bread starter from a not-so-good Amish Friendship Bread starter?
This is tricky for a number of reasons, because:
- every starter is different (i.e. if it’s been passed on or if you’ve made it from scratch)
- every kitchen is different (drafty or warm, different wild yeasts in the air)
- ingredients may vary (i.e. milk can be whole, 2%, skim or non-dairy)
- maintenance may vary (you mix your starter daily or just giving the bag a small squeeze when you remember)
- your starter may not turn color but is no longer active–it’s basically batter in a bag
Here’s another scenario: starters that are refrigerated or frozen for long periods of time do tend to change color, usually going a shade darker.
No two starters are alike, with the exception being on Day 10 when you divide your starter to share with others. But once those starters go out in the world, they become unique and individual. Occasionally you’ll keep all your starters and several will be super active and another one, meh. (By the way, the “meh” starter is probably still good, just not as excited as its brothers and sisters.)
Here are two Amish Friendship Bread starters, side by side. One is good. The other … not so much.
It’s pretty easy to tell which one looks healthier. The color, for one thing. The presence of a few bubbles is another. And if you were able to crack the bags open and take a whiff, the one on the left smelled nice and yeasty while the other smelled like nothing at all (this will not always be the case—old, underfed or spoiled starter can smell quite awful. Read more about that here). This particular bag had been neglected in the fridge for a few weeks so it was underfed and no longer active. As hardy as the starter can be, it needs to be fed. Period.
(Note: if for any reason you are using water instead of milk for your starter, be sure to use non-chlorinated water, as the chlorine can kill the good stuff in starters that keep them thriving.)
You should also be seeing some bubbly activity within 24-48 hours of every feeding. If the amount of bubbles starts to decrease, you might need to reduce your starter to one cup and start feeding it as if it were Day 6.
Other signs your starter may be N.G.:
- Presence of mold. This usually happens to people who pop their starter in the fridge, wanting to buy a couple of days of no feeding but not wanting to commit to freezing their starters, and then forget about their starter. Yes, AFB starter is hardy, but it needs to be fed. If your starter turns pink or has pink splotches, throw it out.
- After feeding it, nothing happens. Again, every starter (and kitchen) is different so you don’t want to be impatient. But if you’re feeding it at the proper ratios (1 cup starter = 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk) and nothing happens for the next 24-48 hours, then maybe give it a pass. I say maybe because if you have a cooler kitchen, you may want to go 72 hours. If you’re seeing SOME bubbles, this is a good sign, even if your bag isn’t blowing up or your starter overflowing. Move your starter to a warm place and give it a chance. If it looks flat after three days, let it go.
- It still smells bad after feeding and/or discarding a portion of your starter. That sharp acetone smell isn’t a bad thing exactly — it just means your starter is hungry. So feed it at the proper proportions (see paragraph above). If you have a lot of starter, say 3 cups, that means you need to feed it 3 cups flour, 3 cups sugar, 3 cups milk. I know you know someone who feeds their starter a minimal amount and it’s bubbly and thriving. That can happen, but starters need to be properly fed, so build a hardy starter by keeping the proper proportions. If necessary, stir well and then toss 2 cups of your starter and feed the 1 cup of starter with 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk. If it still smells strongly of acetone and there’s no activity, say goodbye.
The more you care for your Amish Friendship Bread starter, the easier it will be to determine if your starter’s ready to be baked or if it’s gone down a path of no return. Good starters require proper feeding ratios, lots of patience, and lots of love. And once you have a starter that just won’t quit, don’t forget to name it!
>> Check out more tutorials here.
>> Post a picture of your starter on Facebook here or add it to our starter gallery by submitting it here.
Judy Pate says
September 14, 2016 at 6:34 amI love my amish sour dough and recipes. I have even made different recipes up. My question, I keep mine in a container and use almost weekly or every other week, feeding after each use. I usually bake a double batch of bread when using. I sometimes keep in freezer, I guess I’m trying to ask, does it matter if I don’t keep in bags for just one usage? Mine looks and smells right. I would appreciate your opinion. Thank You Judy
Friendship Bread Kitchen says
September 16, 2016 at 8:01 pmHi Judy! You can store your starter however you like — we use Ziploc bags for the freezer and to give them away, and glass containers for our counter or fridge. The 1 cup is only a suggestion — do whatever works best for you!
Jacki says
March 16, 2017 at 4:42 amHi, are you only able to use the start every 10 days, or can you take some more often? I would love to be able to make different breads more often if it works that way.
Thank you,
Jacki
Friendship Bread Kitchen says
March 20, 2017 at 10:30 amHi Jacki! Once you get a starter going and you’ve done one 10 day cycle, then you can use it at any time as long as you’re maintaining it every 6 and 10 days with a feeding, feel free to bake away! In the beginning I was like you and baking ALL the time — it was great having it on hand and playing with the recipes. Good luck!
Judy says
March 16, 2017 at 6:30 amI don’t bag and just keep all in a container and use at least once a week and bake a double batch and feed once again. Always seems like it is ok. Am I doing this right?. I have made so many kinds of breads and give away and everyone loves them
Friendship Bread Kitchen says
March 20, 2017 at 10:26 amHi Judy! If it works, keep going! You just want to make sure your starter is active, but if you see bubbles and are feeding it regularly (and it smells yeasty), I’d say you have a happy starter. 🙂
Harriet Murray Richmond says
May 28, 2018 at 8:13 pmWhat type of flour to use
Darien Gee says
May 29, 2018 at 9:20 pmAll purpose flour, Harriet!
Leslie Thacker thacker says
October 2, 2018 at 10:13 amCan you add more yeast to starter if it’s not bubbly?
Darien Gee says
October 4, 2018 at 7:19 pmHi Leslie! It’s better to reduce your starter to one cup and try one more round of feeding to see if it comes around. If that doesn’t work, I would make a fresh starter rather than adding yeast to one that’s no longer thriving. 🙂
Stephanie says
December 12, 2018 at 12:23 amHello! Last year I had 7 starters going to make Friendship Bread with my students. I’m doing the process again this year but my starters are acting VERY differently. I made them on Monday (today is Wednesday) and nothing has been happening with them. There are a couple little bubbles but I haven’t had to burp the bags or anything, which is really worrying me. Last year the bags expanded so much I had to release the pressure half way through the first night, and this year there’s literally no pressure built up at all. Is something wrong with my starters? I really don’t want this to not work and disappoint my students!
Darien Gee says
December 23, 2018 at 10:59 amHi Stephanie! Sorry for the late reply, but yes, you’re right–you should definitely be seeing some bubbly action within 24-48 hours after you’ve made/fed the starter. The only thing I can think of is: (1) your yeast wasn’t fresh, or (2) your kitchen/classroom area is too cool. If the temperature of the room is cool to cold, the starter will go dormant, or at least slow down considerably. Can you let me know what happened? Happy holidays!
Vikki says
December 21, 2018 at 7:49 pmI have the same question.
Darien Gee says
December 23, 2018 at 10:59 amHi Vikki! See my response above. Happy holidays!
Quyen Nguyen says
February 17, 2019 at 11:38 amHi, I love your site and the many tutorials as I am new to AFB. I went through my first 10 day cycle from a new starter that I made. That starter yielded 7 cups! I baked one and saved one for myself which is currently on day 2. So. This day 2 is much quieter than I’ve ever seen it but i do see few bubbles and still smells yeasty. Should I feed it to get it active again? I did just feed it yesterday on my day 10 right before I divided it into 1 cup portions. The thing was when I went to add the 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and flour, i forgot and used a metal whisk briefly then switched over to a silicon whisk when I realized my mistake. After mixing I made the mistake Of using my metal 1 cup to divide and then switched to a glass cup after I realized my mistake. Do you think this is why it’s not as active as it was? I’d think it would be much more active as I fed it just yesterday before dividing and transferring to new bags. What should I do?
Hannah says
February 19, 2019 at 10:54 amHi Quyen! Great questions! No need to worry. Starters are often quiet after they are separated into bags and containers. As long as there are still bubbles, it’s a healthy color, and it smells yeast-y, your starter should be fine. No need to feed again until Day 6, then again on Day 10. Your metal kitchenware is not to blame. Most stainless steel coated whisks, measuring cups, and even bowls are safe to use with your starter as long as they are not scratched, exposing the cheaper, more harmful metal beneath. You’ll know if metal has affected your starter because it will turn faint green or faint pink in color and smell funny. Most likely, kitchen temperature is causing your starter to be less active. Make sure you store your starter in a warm place in your kitchen order to help your starter stay healthy and active. Happy baking!
Quyen Nguyen says
February 17, 2019 at 4:15 pmHi, I am new to AFB and made my first batch of starter 11 days ago. I was able to get 7 cups out of my starter! I portioned the starter into 1 cup ziplock bags and baked 1 cup for my first ever 2 loaves of AFB. It was delish! Thank you for posting the starter and original recipe as well as all the tutorials. My question is this. I accidentally used a metal whisk to mix in my 1 1 1/2 cups of flour, sugar and milk. But quickly switched to a silicone whisk. I then made the same mistake again and used a metal 1 cup to portion out 2 1 cups into bags before I realized it and switched to a glass cup. Now the 1 cup bag I have growing on my counter has been quite quiet since yesterday (my 10th day feeding/dividing/baking). It still smells yeast but doesn’t seem very active. I would think it would be as I just fed it yesterday. Should I give it one more day and refeed to try to wake it up or should I just make a new starter?
Michele says
February 23, 2019 at 2:59 amI have a starter. It is baking day, day 10. But I forgot to feed on day 6. What should I do?
Darien Gee says
February 24, 2019 at 8:56 pmIf you still see some bubbles and activity when you stir it, and it smells okay (and not funky or spoiled), treat it as Day 6 and do a feeding. If you don’t see any activity in the next 24 hours, some bubbling or a foamy top, then discard and start a new starter. Hopefully it won’t be too late! 🙂
AJ says
March 27, 2019 at 8:14 amI made a rather large batch of muffins – 2 dozen, plus a small loaf last night. Morphed the recipe to dump the extra cup of sugar and milk (cuz it said u could use juice) at baking stage. Put a can of pineapple crush, 2 grated carrots, and a cup of choco chips. Quite yummy ifn I do say so myself!
Linda says
April 15, 2019 at 5:18 amI made a starter yesterday. It has been 17 hours. The batter rose but there is no bubbling. I only had yeast that was outdated by 4 months and the kitchen is cool. Should I wait 24-48 hours before I toss and start again? Since this is day 2, should I stir/mash even though there is no bubbling activity?
Darien Gee says
April 15, 2019 at 12:12 pmHi Linda! So the outdated yeast isn’t a great sign. But the starter rising is! So yes, stir it anyway. I would hang in there a couple of days — place it near something warm, like the oven or toaster oven, and place in oven or microwave overnight so it doesn’t get too chilly. If you see no activity at all by Day 6, you have a choice: start over (with fresh yeast), or go for broke: feed your starter and give it a few more days. Regular sourdough starters take a while to get going, almost 2 weeks, so by using commercial yeast and all that sugar (sugar in the milk, too), we’re giving it a boost. I have honestly seen flat, no-movement starters come back from the dead, so sometimes it just takes time for the natural yeast activity to get going. What you don’t want is to neglect it. Regular feeding, baking, and discarding (if you have too much), is the key to a healthy starter. If you feed a starter regularly at the right ratios (1 cup of starter should be fed 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of milk, so 2 cups of starter would double the feeding), otherwise your starter won’t have enough food to grow. Hope this helps and keep us posted!
Linda says
April 24, 2019 at 7:45 pmI reached day 10 of my starter processing with a healthy and bubbling starter! Not much happened on days 2 & 3, just a few small bubbles after it was stirred. The starter took off when the sun came out and I was able to put the glass jar by the sunny window!
On day 10 I fed the starter and used 1 cup to bake with. I froze the extra starter in 1 cup portions. Unfortunately, the next day I read not to freeze the starter until it was frothy and bubbling. Mine had been sitting covered on the counter for almost 2 hours. It was just beginning to have small bubbles.
So when I defrost a bag, should I wait to see activity/bubbles before I bake with it?
Hannah says
June 7, 2019 at 12:27 pmHi Linda! Freezing your starter just after feeding it shouldn’t be a problem. Starter is often most active just after feeding. You may find that when you pull your starter out of the freezer, that it is slow moving and somewhat “quiet.” This is completely normal. Your bread will have been dormant in the freezer. You can help to wake it up by feeding it after it is thawed out. At that point, you can treat it like it’s Day 1, Day 6, or Day 10 of the process. You can save it, bake with it, or give cups of it away. To learn more, check out our tutorial on Reviving Frozen Amish Friendship Bread here.
Christy Collacott says
May 19, 2019 at 5:52 pmHi,
So I have had Marge since march 8th and I have been worried about her. She seems like batter in a jar. She never bubbles up after feeding any more, her beery yeasty smell has gotten less and less she smells lightly of bread dough now. My friendship bread is divine but my sourdough loaf wont rise. Im worried that she has no pep in her step, I have a single back up in the freezer, should I take her down to a cup and try to revive her or pull out my back up?
Barbara Kozusko says
June 7, 2019 at 11:29 amI’m new to this. I just fed my starter and it was too soon, day 5. Am I doomed? Nothing is happening, no bubbles or apparent life. Should I just continue on and feed it on day 9 rather than day 10? I’m scared Help me please