I’d like you to meet my Amish Friendship Bread Starter.
Mel was born in 2018, had a couple of good rounds, and then I had to go on vacation. Mel was fed, divided, and then transferred to a Ziploc bag and popped into the freezer. About four months later, Mel re-emerged from her (yes, Mel is a she!) cryo-nap and has been bubbling on the counter ever since.
What should you name your starter?
Traditional sourdough bakers are known for naming their starters. After all, the starter is alive and growing, requiring regular feedings, just like a pet. Naming your Amish Friendship Bread starter (or starters, in my case) also helps differentiate one starter from another. You wouldn’t give all your kids the same name, would you? Naming your starters makes it easier to keep track: their DOB (when you made/received them), where they came from (made from scratch, received from a friend), which ones are tougher than others and quick to bubble back, and what they’re made of (Mel is a mix of flours (all-purpose, GF) and milk (regular, almond) and isn’t as sweet as other starters as I sometimes halve or skip the sugar feeding).
Also on my counter or in the freezer:
- Riley (a hardy starter made from AP and whole wheat flour–I thought I might try rye flour at some point but haven’t yet): 2 yeasr old
- Serena (ode to the tenacious goat in my second Friendship Bread novel, The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society, published by Random House): 4 years old
- Deidre (ode to the TV-show/lifestyle-maven protagonist in my first novel, Good Things, published by Penguin, written as Mia King): 9 years old
- Bex (a newer starter, inherited by a 12-year-old neighbor): 14 months old
I sometimes make new starters and give them away before I’ve had a chance to name them. I’ve also made starters and baked them without even a hello (sorry, but the oven beckoned). All of the above starters have beget more starters that I’ve shared with others, but I always keep a bag in the freezer with their name on it, just in case.
Need some starter inspiration?
Emily Spurlin, executive pastry chef at Bad Hunter in Chicago, calls her starter Clint Yeastwood. Read these posts and comments at Food52 and Bon Appétit that have inventive starter names like:
- Emilio Yeastevez
- Little Bread Rising Hood
- Carrie Breadshaw
- Rye Breadbury
- Augustus Gloop
- Bread Pitt
- Jane Dough
- Dough Jackson
- St. Joan of Starch
- Fred Farter the Bread Starter
- Vincent Van Dough
If you haven’t named your starter and you’re having problems coming up with a name, use this name generator that I love (and use for my novels when I’m stuck). The best part is, you can generate a regular name (like Annette), fantasy names (like Zealot Floratomb), cat names (like Linx), even wrestler names (like Y. Z. “Admiral” Cooper).
Connecting with your starter
You know how some plant owners talk or sing to their plants, even play the piano or run the TV or radio when they leave the house? If you watched What the Bleep Do We Know!?, you might have heard about the research on how a glass of water responds to the energy around it. Why should your Amish Friendship Bread or sourdough starter be any different?
Starters that have been passed down from generation to generation, or from friend to friend or neighbor to neighbor, have a history. If your starter has yielded amazing breads, cakes, and cookies for you(you have checked out the Recipe Box, right?), maybe give it a little love and say thank you. It certainly can’t hurt!
It’s a “Name Your Starter” giveaway!
Beginning July 2021, name your starter for a chance to win your choice of a 64.5 oz starter jar (perfect for you or a friend) or a surprise gift of equal or greater value. We’ll choose a name at random once a month, and past comments are automatically entered! One comment per person, please — if you have new names for new starters, just REPLY to your old comment and let us know, but don’t add a new comment or you will be disqualified.
US residents only, but international residents may enter and if they win, we’ll figure something out (please stay fun, flexible and not grumpy about this; grumpiness/entitlement will disqualify your entry). Must be 21 or older.
August 2021 winner: Beth S., for “Bertha.” Congratulations, Beth!
July 2021 winner: Marisa Roe, for “Fred.” Congratulations, Marisa!
June 2021 winner: Kathy Chiocca, for “Bubbles” and “Squeek.” Congratulations, Kathy!
This sounds like a fun thing to name our starter
I have named mine after my grand dog
SONNYBOY
Hi. I accidentally left a ziploc of starter out when I defrosted. 🙄 can I refreeze it ?
Thanks
Hi Wanda! Unfortunately, we don’t usually recommend refreezing your starter once it’s defrosted once. It isn’t usually active when it defrosts again.
I call mine Miss Wanda’s little bag of calories. 🙂
I love it, Wanda! LOL
My starters name Yummy Stuff
🙂 cute
Love this idea! My starter’s name is Rising Starter
Mine’s Count Doughku
Hi there. I was curious if I just have to keep feeding my starter. I made my first from scratch starter recently and divided it out. I decided to keep one batch on the counter to keep going, but after a couple days it didn’t bubble up the way it was before I divided it so I decided to feed it and restart the count of day 1 as the day I fed it. She’s just not bubbling the way she was before. Is there something I should do to get her stated up again?? Is more yeast needed?? She was puffing up the bag like crazy before but now she’s not. She still bubbles but not as readily as before. Please help!
Hi Ashley! All starters goes through phases. Sometimes your starter may be more quiet and less active than other times. As long as it is still healthy and not going bad (https://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/tutorial-good-vs-not-so-good-amish-friendship-bread-starter/), it should be okay! You shouldn’t add any more yeast, but someways you can try to give it some support is to put it in the sun (if it’s warm where you’re at) and leave it out for several hours. Some bakers have found that King Arthur Flour makes their starter more active thank other flours, so you could experiment with that, as well. Let us know if you have any other questions!
Hi, I have been following for years and making breads, muffins etc.. You used to have a hard cover book but now I can’t find it. I would love to buy it!
Hi Kerry! At this time we only have the Kindle version or the printable PDF’s that you see on the website. However, we have been working on a print cookbook for a while, and hope to have news to share in the future, but not yet. Thanks for asking!
New here, but love this site! It has already been helpful. Thanks!
Named my starter Kanxi
So glad you’re enjoying the site, Sherry! Please let us know if you have any questions at all!
I call mine Lisa. She is soft and sweet and I pet her every day. 🙂
I have been making the potato flake sourdough bread for a few years. Found your website and didn’t realize there are two types of starter. Can’t wait to bake all the incredible recipes with my new AFB starter. So now, Butterflybop will be born soon! Doing my research now and will start in a few days!
Aww, we’re so excited for you to try new recipes! Let us know how it goes, Helen!
My starter was gifted to me when I gifted a sourdough starter! I named it Nellie in honor of my mom, Vernelle. She had a super sweet tooth and loved eating anything sweet!
I’m Serbian and my grandmother’s name was Danica (pronounce Daneetza). I named my starter Doughnica in honor of my baba, who was one of the best cooks ever.
It’s corney but mine is Bubbles. That means I can bake
My starter is Cocoa Cherrybun
My Amish Friendship Bread starter name is Cinndybon!
We’re calling our starter Jasper which means “Bringer of Treasure”. The baked treasures Jasper eventually brings seem endless and are all so yummy!
Herbie is the name of my starter 😯
Friendship Bread Starter Name is:
Yeaster Angel… I hope my name gets in to win. Thank You!
Sophie Bubbles
My starter has been handed down over 300 times.. and it is amazing!!
My friendship starter name is Angel. It produces more friends and adds smiles to others. And she is joy to make and share and she is such an angel when ir comes out kf tge oven.
Typo. Woops. Angel is just tgat when she comes out of the oven.
The starter name is Sweet Yum Yum Bread. Love making bread for my neighbors
The name of my starter is Daisy. My mother’s name was Margarita, which translates to Daisy. She was always on the go, always working, doing something. That’s how my starter is, always something.
I have named by Friendship Starter as Star Angel. I was a volunteer fire fighter and that is what the department nickname me.
My starter is named Nellie.
My starter’s name is DESTINY because it is destined to be awesome!
My starters name is Hermi. Its like a hermit most days and wans to be left alone till needed.
I’m going to call mine Quick, my mother’s maiden name. Please don’t use this information to steal my identity. 🤣
I love *I Love Lucy* so my starter is named Lucy. 🙂
I named my starter Sir Bubbles A Lot.
My starters name is Keslyr, after my young Grandson in the Army in Germany
Her name is Ginny! After a dear friend passed on March 27th I love the jar, I can put her name on it!
I call her Ginny! After my dear friend passed away! On March 27th! love the jar I can Put her name on it!
My starter’s name is Infinity! It has been going strong since 2016!
My starter’s name is Smokey Jo.
My starter has only one name- Bubbles- causes that’s what she does. 😊
My starter is named Cinco de mayo 21
Baby Bread
or Bread Baby
or This Baby
“Good Morning” is a good name because that is exactly what it is when I’m ready to start my day and baking.
Tabitha seems like a good name. She is 1 year old and sits quietly on the counter, minding her own business until I’m ready to use her to whip up something scrumptious.
My starter is named Brunch Squad after my brunch Mom’s group…it’s where my AFB began!
I have named my starter Fred. It it perfect. My fiancee is always inquiring “How’s Fred?”, when the starter is looking a little iffy on the counter.
My AFB starter is named Sir Lancelot. He’s always there, loyal and faithful, never failing me.
And Sir Lancelot now has a baby! His name is Sir Arthur.
My Starter is named: Jaime
My starter is named Herman. It’s really helpful for him to have a name so I can say, “whoops! I need to feed Herman”
Let’s get started
I named my starter Desmond after my 1st grand baby.
Bertha!
It had been many years since I used a starter. I love the web site for so many new ideas! Absolutely only one name for my starter “grandma’s little helper “. I have 5 grandkids here in town and they get along well however, they do not agree on what they like best from the starter. Some like Snickerdoodle cookies, Pecan Sandies cookies, chocolate chip bread, butterscotch bread and Strawberry, blueberry coffee cake are the most requested. I am almost reluctant to try more as it may be added to a favorite list!
Charlie TruDough
I named my starter Patricia after a client of mine that passed away. She is the person who showed me how to make Amish Friendship bread when I started taking care of her last year.
Ethel nickname for my grandma by my grandpa (came from that song “The Streak” don’t look Ethel, but it was to late…) He would always call her that when he would get in the doghouse and make us grandkids laugh cause he would use a high pitched voice and go over and kiss her on the cheek, and the AFB reminds me of love being shared like by grandparents did for over 50 years.
AMANA is name of my first Amish bread starter 😍
Blitzy Cain @ [email protected]
I’m calling my friendship bread Brewster
Sweet Bubbly James. Because, you know…. “you’ve got a friend”….
My starter is Lilo, which means generous one. 😊
Poppy
My starters name is, Shatzie, after my first dog. Shatzie was my best friend from the time I was 3 until I was 15. I loved her dearly and talked to her constantly. I figured by naming my starter Shatzie, I would get into the habit of talking to her too. Shatzie means treasure.
My starter’s name is Lilo. I have a regular sourdough starter that I named Stitch because it was like a genetic experiment and it became a bit wild. Lilo, the AFB starter, is a great partner to Stitch, a bit sweet but also can do fun things.
I never thought of naming her which is weird since I name everything else. We got her for a wedding gift 27 years ago, yes, she is an old beast. She has been frozen a few times, moved all over the country and been forgotten a few times, but she remains strong…..so her name Harriet after Harry S Truman, another who wouldn’t back down and had a few challenges to face before he could produce overall good. That’s my Harriet
Hi my name is Daphane. I am from S.Louisiana. My first Friendship starter was given to me in 1996.
I enjoyed giving to people that never heard a thing about Making the starter.
** So I named my starter…. Maken Bread
I named my starter Brigitta. It seemed like a good strong name and no matter how I neglect her she keeps on going.
The name of my starter is “Peevie” after my grandchildren. P is for Paulie, E is for Evie and the 3rd E is for Ellie. My starter is bubbly at the right time just like they are.
My starter is named Dennis after the friend who passed it on to me. I’ve had Dennis for over ten years, although there was a 3-4 year hiatus when Dennis became too demanding and was relegated to the freezer. After our break up, Dennis gradually came back to their bubbly self and we’ve had a healthy relationship ever since.
My starter’s name is Baby.
This was my first time making bread of any kind and me and my girls did it with me. They helped me name it and they came up with “Nana Love” because when they eat it, it’s warm, sweet and makes them happy like their Nana. ❤️ I was almost in tears when they came up with this because their Nana, my Mother, has been gone to be with Jesus now for two years.
I named my starter friendship bc it has made me some new friends along the way when sharing my baked goods with others.
My starter’s name is George! I made him from scratch, which was a first for me! He is very bubbly, dependable, and has been delicious!
My starter name is Mush
I named my starter Bertha because I felt it was a good strong name , she’s going to need to be strong if she wants to hang around long.
I named my starter Lucia. This was my mother’s middle name. Whenever I use the starter I think of her and the many recipes she made with so much love.
I named my starter, Venus the Roman goddess of love.
Starter name is Jean
Kimmies Friendship Bread..
My starters name is “Fresh Blessings” because that’s how it makes me feel when I share a starter.
My starter’s name is Tate, because he’s got taters in him!
Mercury Rising
Minni To’dough
Minni cause she was started in Minnesota and I’m back in Michigan. To’dough cause like “to-do,” but also “tadah” 😆
BUBBLES – because when she Bubbles – she give me deliciousness.
I named my 2 starters Bubbles and Squeek after an English recipe my grandmother used to make.
I’ve finally settled on Jane Dough, DOB 3/21/21. Lived a short life, went into cryo freeze and then was resurrected 10 days ago 😉 aka today she is headed to the incinerator. Being so new to life, hopefully one day she will form her own flavor profile identity!
Crafty Dough, because to me it’s like playing with my craft projects but playing with my dough.
💝🍞💫Thank you for the opportunity to share my AFB name and turning it into a contest! 😍 Love it!!
My AFB is “PHILEO” which is one of four Greek words for love. Phileo symbolizes friendship, fondness, affection, delight, and personal attachment.🥖💕
My starter’s name is Herman. It is named after my college roommate’s starter that she gave me in 1975. The last of my Herman baby was used up probably 40 years ago. 😁🥰
My starter name is Sir rise-a-lot.
My Starter is call Betsy Love
My starter is named Clint Yeastwood
Stinky Mc. Bubble
Bready krueger
My starter’s name is Meg. After Supernatural’s Meg Masters.
I named mine Noon Turtle🐢. My sister in law’s last name is Noon and my husband’s nickname is Turtle. So I have to have patience like a Turtle 🐢 for the 10 days. I adopted Noon Turtle April 7th on my husband birthday 🎂
I love AFB! My starter is in the freezer taking a break (I have been ill for a little while but better now). I have named my starter Maggie.
My starter is named Amy.
Maxalillian, Max, for short. Named after my dog☺️
I call my starter Sugar Daddy. He can be sweet and sometimes savory but always likes to be played with.
Hubby named ours Glutentag because he said it’s always a Good Day when I get to bake yummy loaves!
I actually have 2 starters – one for breads, I call him Fred, the other starter I have is the one made with peaches, cherries,etc. I call that one Inez. She was given to me by a friend who named it for her grandmother and I just left the name stand.
Fred is a nickname for my son who loves it when I make bread.
My starter’s name is Madeline. I named her after the wonderful lady (who is like a second Mom to me) that baked all of the bread, rolls, English muffins, and other breads weekly to feed all of her children.
My grandmother and my mum both called their starters Herman, so that’s the name I use for mine as well. 🙂
My starters name is Susie because she’s my Susie Homemaker! 😄
maryirene s best friendship starter
This might sound funny, but my starter’s name is George. There is a lovely memory associated with that name for me, having to do with a Bugs Bunny cartoon, of all things! Not to bore you with a long story, suffice it to say that some of my favorite memories involve “I will name him George, and I will hug him and squeeze him, and make sure he is never lacking for love…”
I hope my starter feels that way, too, LOL
D’s delightful dessert potion
My starter name is Patience. I have to learn to be patient to wait until the start is done. I love the results but waiting to produce the starter seems to take so long. HA The results is pure heaven. Love it!
Ozais Gumpertz sits on my counter, and we talk to him when we are in the kitchen. He lives in a gallon jar. Ozais Gumpertz is loved (shaken, stirred, poked, swirled, tapped on, sniffed, and stared at) by all who pass by him. He gets feed on the days of the month that are multiple of fives (on the 5th, 10th, 15, 20th, 25th, and 30th)
My starter’s name is Matteh. It’s Hebrew, meaning staff of bread.
Precious is my starter’s name because it is precious to my family. It supplies tasty loaf bread, rolls, cinnamon rolls, etc. as often as we need it without fail.
We named our starter Fidough🐶🥰
My starter is named Helen, after my grandmother. She’s a hoot and always rises to the challenge. teehee
Aimie Friend is my starter
I named mine To friends with love.
I named my starter Sunny Girl after my first Great Granddaughter!
my started is bubbly.
I call mine my forever friend because sharing it with others helps make friends.
My starter’s name is Sabrina after one of my granddaughters. Sabrina has a bubbly personality and my starter is bubbly too.
My starter is named Lucy. Because is crazy good bread.
Love Amish Friendship Bread! I make it for family and friends.
My starters’ name is Betty, after my mom… because when I started this a couple years ago (pre-covid) to share with my coworkers, it was because I remembered my mom sharing and baking this with her coworkers and girlfriends. So the name just made sense.
My starter is called bubbles.
Wheatloaf. 🤓
I love the name Bread Pitt so I have named mine that.
I have 2 both gifted to me in March 2021. Lorraine is steady and makes the best bread. The other is Rebel. Bubbles quickly and the one I use to try new recipes that may or may not work out.
The name of my starter is: ELOISE
My starter is in the freezer at this time. As soon as I have more time to bake again, I will get it out. Caring for dad takes priority right now.. I named it “Pleasure Potion” because it brings me such pleasure to make and even more to those who enjoy eating the finished variations and flavors I create with it.
I named mine Yeasty Beasty!!
My starter’s name is Fred which pulls letters from Amish FRiendship brEAD. 😉
After reading this post, I realized my starter needed a name. She was born November 2018 and has been nameless. Over the past month or so I’ve put a lot of though into it. One day, the name hit me. I’d name her after my grandmother. It’s the perfect name. You see, my grandmother’s name was Donie Louisa…it isn’t pronounce like Donny, it is pronounced like Dough-nie. The “o” has the long vowel sound that actually sounds like the word dough. And the “I” in Louisa is also long vowel and says the “I” sound… Lou-eye-sa. Therefore, I named my starter Doughnie Louisa after my grandmother. It’s a fun name for a wonderful starter and an amazing women.
My starter name is Joan Jett and the baguettes
I named my new starter “winning”after winning a law suit but still feeling low. When I bake n share I feel like I’m winning with complements that are all because of the friendship bread recipe.
COVID-19 Survivor
I love the idea of naming the starter! I will call her Millenia because there are 1000 ways to use it.
I have 3 on the counter right now. Yes, I’m a nut. There is Jon-Paul, JP Cool & Hazel. Jon-Paul & JP Cool originated from the first starter I was gifted. They are slightly different from each other despite their shared origin. Hazel is from scratch.
I like to call one Share ‘n Sharebread, another one Yeasty Smiles and the other one Hunky Loaves.
Delicious friendship
I hadn’t thought about naming my starter yet, but I would have to name her Survivor Sue.
She keeps going in and out of my fridge as we go back and forth between our trailer and home. My trailer isnt ready for baking yet but it will get there. That is where my stash of cast iron cookware is.
And she is surviving it all.
So had to drop my daughter at the hospital she is having her second baby today ! And I am just doing a starter so I think I will name after the new grandson that is coming. Super Aiden!
I need to start another but my last was Stinky Sally – my hubby complained about how it smelled
I’m calling my starter Cara which is Irish for friend!
Simply Heaven
Everything I make from this starter is so divine and tasty.
My starter’s name is Almeda after my grandmother who taught me how to crochet and make egg noodles.
Our starter is named “Sunny” because she rises from the yeast.
Name of my starter – Mildred
My starter is Wanda! Aka – “Wandafull”!
Sure makes wonderful breads!
Judy
My starter is Annabel
Daisy – Sometimes, she’s Oopsy Daisy – other days she Pretty Daisy 🙂 Had a major Oopsy Daisy and had to “replant” Daisy. She’s very pretty right now 🙂
I got my starter from my mother in law, Avis in the early 1980’s. She called it Herman and I still call it that too. I’ve kept him alive but in the freezer a great deal of the time. I bring him out and revive him about every 4 months and treat him like a king for about a month or two. The kids are grown up now with their own families and they still think it’s a treat to get a Friendship bread every now and then from their Gramma Hoy, who’s been gone over 20 years now.
Ha! When I was young and living at home, we had a Herman living in our kitchen as well! It was the common name for starter back then. Memories . . .
My Friendship bread starters name is Magic! She is just 1 month old now.
Hello my name is Bob2. Bob was created during COVID and lasted just over 1year and in a horrific accident we lost Bob all over the stove and floor. Bob2 was created in March of this year and lives on our kitchen counter. Our favorite thing to make with Bob2 is pancakes
Mine is “Edna”, my mother’s name that me how to bake and gave me an interest in homemade bread.
My starter’s name is Sophie. She’s a little cold right now!😳. She is resting in the freezer for a few weeks until my stash of bread is used up!!!😀
I have two starters, Aleyeska and Rya.
My starter is named Amitie (for friendship)
My starters name is Bella because she is beautiful!
I had to create a new starter a couple of months ago because a non-baking friend requested some tasty Banana bread. In her honor this starter is named “Erica”.
His name is John Mcendough. He bounces back like a tennis ball.
My starter is Harriett.
My starter’s name is Agnes. She is an “old school” original. I imagine her being a part of any classic FB recipe.
My starter is named Ursula.
Sandra
Mine is just named Bubbles, not too creative, but descriptive! I got her from a friend at work 2 weeks ago, just after I finished school & had time to bake again!
Love it, Lee!
I just named my starter for the first time-Stella after a friend who passed recently!
Our condolences.❤️ What a special way to remember your remember your friend.
Straight ‘outta Amish! Haha. Thank you.
Love it! ❤️
Mine is named Blossom 🤩! My starter was acquired from a dear friend and when I got it she was just not as active as I thought she needed to be . Crazy story , it was feeding time and I had ran out of instant potato flakes , so I fed her with the left over starchy water from the boiled potatoes . Then, the next day I walked in and boom… BLOSSOM had a name !
This is an amazing story, Shannon! We’re so glad you managed to keep her alive (even though you didn’t have instant potato flakes)! Thanks for sharing. ❤️
My starter is named bubba-licious! 😂
That is a great one, Anne! 😂
I call mine MYGA. Make yeast great again.
Love this, Monica!
I would like a starter with No yeast ? Flour sugar and milk?
Hi Lonni! You can omit the yeast in the starter and rely on the wild airborne yeast in the air to metabolize your starter. 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.
Do you have a recipe for a Gluten Free Starter? Thank you.
Hi Michelle! Here’s the potato flake starter recipe, which is gluten free: https://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/potato-flake-starter-afb/
My starter’s name is Frodough.
LOL, love it, Rafe!
My starter is Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors… “Feed ME Seymour!”
LOL, love it, Deb!
Mine is simply “Bubbles”.
Love it, Kathleen!
Marlon Breadough
Love it, Kimberly!
Mine is called Thimon (Simon with a lisp)
Jigglypuff
Love it!
“Breadly Cooper” 😜
LOL, love it, Karen!
Born during the Coronavirus pandemic I named mine The Rev Tholomew Plague
I named my starter Dodo. As i started singing dough-dough to the tune of heigh-ho from the 7 Dwarfs whilst getting taught how to make sourdough for the first time & it stuck 🙂
Mattchew McConadough is my studdly starter’s name!
G.I. Dough reporting for duty!
Mine is named Bready Mercury. His discards have been named and gifted to friends. Their names are Eugene Leven, Eleanor Doughsevelt, Doughmer Simpson, and Doughly Parton.
I recently Got interested in baking and just started my starter. Thanks to COVID19, I get to work from home and have extra time on my hands. I named my starter Coronina. Hope I can keep her alive so that I can tell the story of this crazy time every time I bake sourdough bread.
Love this! great idea. same reason I started mine… I’m thinking “beastie” for mine.
I named mine Quarantina Turner! then it died so now we have Baby Thor!
I call him Seymour…
it’s good to know I’m not alone, been the recipient of odd looks for years.
I’ve named mine Rye-an Gosling 😀
I named mine Vladimir Gluten
My starters have always been Viola.. as in Viola Swamp. As the books teach… It’s always great to show appreciation to those we value. A little love always helps things grow!
After reading this post, I realized my starter needed a name. She was born November 2018 and has been nameless. Over the past month or so I’ve put a lot of though into it. One day, the name hit me. I’d name her after my grandmother. It’s the perfect name. You see, my grandmother’s name was Donie Louisa…it isn’t pronounce like Donny, it is pronounced like Dough-nie. The “o” has the long vowel sound that actually sounds like the word dough. And the “I” in Louisa is also long vowel and says the “I” sound… Lou-eye-sa. Therefore, I named my starter Doughnie Louisa after my grandmother. It’s a fun name for a wonderful starter and an amazing women.
My great-grandmother was Louise (pronounced Lou-eyes). I am told it was a common pronunciation, but I had never heard it anywhere else until now.
Thanks for sharing!
I have always called the starter and finished products Fred. Everyone in my family calls them Fred also.
I just started my first (in decades) last night, hadn’t thought of naming it till I read this article. Which gave me a good laugh. Well I decided to name my starter Fannie-the fruit-fly facinator. As soon as I got all the ingredients in the bowl all the fruit flys came swarming into the kitchen and I had to fan them away, thanks Fannie. So hopefully this is a beginning of a continually rising friendship.
I’m going to name my starter Annabelle, in honor of my Mom who passed away in 2015. It will be like having a little of her with me all the time!
My first starter name: Those Magic Changes Wizard
The German version of Amish Friendship Cake is called Hermann Tieg and since my wife is German, we combined Hermann and Amish to get Hamish. A friend calls hers Hamish and mine is McHamish so we don’t get them confused.
Mine is called Herman. My mother and grandmother had starters that were called Herman and Herman Jr, so I thought I would honour them by carrying on the tradition.
I’ll call my starter Bethany Joy. I bring my breads to Bethany’s Thrift Store in Grand Rapids, Michigan where I volunteer every Monday. They love the variety of breads I bring! It gives me joy to be able to treat my friends there, my family and at my church. Years ago, when I first received my starter there were only a few recipes that were shared. Now we have your wonderful website with all the different ways to use our starters!! Thanks so much, Darien!!?
I would name my starter after my grandmother who made homemade bread everyday of her life she dies several years ago at the age of 98 1/2 So I am going to call my next starter Lucy!
My starter is Herman. I received some many years ago from my best friend on the farm. She always had a bit in her fridge. She stirred, fed, and made many recipes with Herman. As an adult each time i make a batch, i name it Herman again, and relive the memories of my childhood with my friend on the farm.
Having fun with the starter and baking nearly every day. My friends and family who share are very happy.
My starter would definitely be Jessie Pearl after my ma!
I call my starter Fluffy. It rises and gets bubbly and makes such good cakes and cookies
My starter is called “Santas Favorite Girl”
I call my starter “George” and I often hug him and squeeze him! (From an old Bugs Bunny Cartoon with the Abominable Snowman!)
I love this
It’s actually from the John Steinbeck book “Of Mice and Men.” Looney Tunes often parodied other sources of popular fiction.
3 weeks Newbie! Started on my own without a starter. Calia is her name, she is very bubbly and active. I’ve passed her to only one person and have 8 starters in my freezer. I’ve made chocolate chip cookies and Southern Brown Sugar biscuits in a cast iron skillet that are great with bacon and eggs, also great warm with butter and honey, and equally delicious with strawberries and whipped cream.
Oh, do you have a recipe for the biscuits? They sound delish!
My starter is called Ci-Ci, for my playmate Pug..:-)
My starter is named Mabel, she’s named after a great Aunt who was a wonderful baker and had an awesome sense of humor. When I give Mabel a squeeze I think of my great Au t Mabel and giggle.
My starter and I are ‘frememies’ so I think I’ll call her Stephanie.
My starters name is Suzy Q. How do you do ? Very well thank you !
I’ll call my starter “Star” because it makes a star out of my baked goods. And thanks so much for the great recipes.
My starter is named Noel, because I like to pull it out of the freezer and bake loaves for Christmas.
Mine just died, so RIP?
Oh no! It happens to all of us, Alainya. If you want to “start” over you can check out our Amish Friendship Bread Starter recipe here. Happy baking!
Years ago we called this Herman. Well times have changed but the starter is pretty much the same. So having said that, I’d name my starter “Hermette” (Which I think is the female version of Herman.
I’m thinking of naming my starter Louisa.
I’d name my starter Dorothea. It was my mother’s name before she had it legally changed to Dorothy.
Yeasty Beastie is my name for my starter.
It always reminds me of making good things.
Never thought about it, I also never name my vehicle. LOL But I’ve always liked the name Winter, although thankfully we are now in Spring!
I’ll name my starter Lola!!!!!
Aunt Lilian! For some reason, that name always struck me funny when Audrey Hepburn uses it the movie, “Charade”! I don’t have an “Aunt Lilian”…… I just like the name! ?
My starters name is Marge. It just feels like a Marge lol. Shes only 2 weeks old but the family really enjoyed the Friendship Bread. Thanks for all the recipes, looking forward to trying them out!
I need to start another one I’ll probably name it June since that’s when I’ll be able to start it. I’ve got a big move coming and I’ll be getting a huge freezer so I’ll have room for one that I can keep going for a long while.
Onniec came into my life in the summer of 2011. She was a gift as most new starts are.I had quit working in one town moved to a new one, started a new career, when one of my co-workers gave me a large zip-loc with instructions. Rumor had it that the starter had once been “the latest thing” circulating the company for a few years now. But folks were now tired of it, many loaves had been made and shared, but most of the starters had fallen victim to complacency and ended up being tossed, or neglected. As it turned out, I was the last to receive it in our department, as workers moved on to other careers, lives changed, personnel changed. Everything changed during the six years that I remained, the directors changed, the presidents changed, even the mission changed, after six years had past I too changed in so many ways, some wonderful, and some painful. Onniec and I were together though all the changes, enjoying the simple pleasure of nurturing each other in quiet moments. I gave her flours, sometimes whole wheat, sometimes white., Sugars, sometimes white, sometimes organic, and Milk,both natural and raw or pasteurized. But no matter the variances, she was always happy to be fed, always happy to share when the occasion arose, and best of all, she was versatile. She could be baked in Loaves, Muffin tins, or a round pie pan, no matter what form or flavor she took, she arose to her peak of crusty perfection. She was ageless, full of creativity and sometimes very surprising! Onniec and I moved six times and two states, in a blink of an eye a decade had passed. There were times she would rest for a while, refrigerated, dormant in her tulip shaped Weck jar. Once, she spent six months in her jar in the back of a dark cool cupboard of a travel trailer, while she waited to buy her new home. The changes had rolled over like the waves of the Pacific, and finally she was free to rise from the constraints of confinement once more. We now reside togather in Oregon, we are growing old togather in a cottage in a quaint beach town, we are settled in for a peaceful life near the sea, and just maybe.. you could say we’ve become Domestic, well, at least partly. After all deep inside her stir the Wild Yeasts of her many years of places, travels, and adventures!
Connie this is such a lovely story! This is exactly why we love Amish Friendship Bread! It’s amazing how our starters carry little pieces of our kitchens and our lives. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us.
My starter name Brenda Lee Johnson
I call my starter Beastie due to it’s amazing rate of expansion rate and high yield. Little beastie was given to me by a lady friend from church last November and has generated a cake per week and approximately two dozen bags for my freezer. I have 2 gallons to give away this weekend – Wishing everyone a Happy Easter!
I had a starter for several years before life overcame practice. Never heard of naming one! So, now that I’ve started again, I think I’ll call it “Henrietta.” When I was a girl, my dad would call us that in jest.
Hello my name is LouB a nickname given to my owner from a family friend. I was started in March of 2019. So far the family loves banana nut Friendship Bread.
Glutinny….I am trying a gluten free starter and it will either be mutiny or gluttony.
APRIL? As in this reminded me I need to start my starter again!!
I guess I would name my starter Imma. I always say, “I’m going to bring bread to the potluck” (read it fast imma going to bring bread)
I’d name my starter Grace or Sadie. They were my Grandmothers and I like both their names.
Omg those are my girls names