Amish Friendship Bread Starter (Herman Starter)

This is not technically a sourdough starter (because it contains commercial yeast), however many people are first introduced to the concept of a starter by this particular bread.

It's a really old recipe and most of the time you'll find it written in cups. Now if you've been following The Pantry Mama for a while, you know I'm not a fan of measuring in cups … but this recipe is rooted in Amish history – and they aren't a fan of modern technology.

To make an Amish Friendship Bread Starter you can use this recipe. You'll need flour, milk, sugar, water and commercial yeast.

Traditionally, you would add a small package of yeast to the initial mix – however – you can totally convert a portion of your sourdough starter into an Amish Friendship Bread Starter. Why? Because I'm all about experimenting, trying new things and playing with flavors … so why not?

How to make sourdough starter with Amish Friendship Bread Starter You can convert an Amish Friendship Bread Starter to a liquid sourdough starter and vice versa. You do have to realise that if you are using Amish starter to make a sourdough starter, it will contain commercial yeast strains – which would mean it's not technically a sourdough starter. But it would be an easy way to kickstart it! Here's how to do it: • Amish Starter to Sourdough Starter – Take 50g of Amish Starter and feed it with 50g of flour and 50g of water. Continue this twice a day (follow the daily feeding regime here). • Sourdough Starter to Amish Starter – Take 50g of your sourdough starter and then feed it with the milk, sugar and flour specified in your recipe – leave out any water required for at least this first feed. The sourdough starter will replace the commercial yeast. Then after this feed, you can proceed as per normal – but your Amish starter will be made with wild sourdough yeast rather than commercial yeast!

Recipes for Amish Friendship Bread Starter You can use your Amish Sourdough Starter in any sourdough recipe once it's active or you can make traditional Amish Friendship Bread. An Amish Friendship Bread Starter will work really well in these sourdough discard recipes: • Fluffy Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls • Easy Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread • Sourdough Discard Carrot Cake Muffins