10 Day Regimen for Amish Friendship Bread Starter

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This is the Amish Friendship Bread Starter batter that you will need to make Amish Friendship Bread.  Adding a cup of starter batter, after it has maturedfor ten days, to any sweet bread recipe makes it yeasty and delicious. The texture of the resulting bread is unbelievable!

At the end of 10 days you will have 5 cups of starter batter, enough for 4 friends, along with a cup of extra batter for making 2 loaves of sweet bread for yourself. If you keep a bag of starter batter for yourself (and give the other 3 away), you will be making 2 loaves of sweet bread every 10 days. What a treat! 

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind when handling the Amish Friendship Bread Starter (AFBS) batter:

1.  Make sure the Ziploc bag of starter batter is dated. This is Day 1 of 10 of the fermentation process. You may find it helpful to mark this date on your calendar as AFBS Day 1, along with AFBS Day 5 with a note to add ingredients to the bag, and AFBS Day 10 with a note to make bread.

2.  Avoid using metal utensils or containers. It is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when handling the starter batter.

3.  Do not refrigerate the starter batter at any time during the ten days of fermentation. Leave it at room temperature so that it can mature.

4.  It is natural for the starter batter to rise and bubble as it matures.  Work the air away from the batter towards the lip of the Ziploc bag and unzip it to remove any built-up air in the bag. Make sure to zip up the bag to prevent the batter from leaking out.

5.  When the Ziploc bag is opened to release the air, the batter should smell sweet and yeasty. If it is at all malodorous and/or the batter is at all discolored at any time during the ten days, throw the bag and its contents in the garbage.  Start the process over by making your own starter batter and don’t, under any circumstances, try to salvage the spoiled batter.

6.  Prior to Day 10, read through all the ingredients for making the bread of your choice and make sure you have all the necessary ingredients. It’s most annoying to have to go shopping on Day 10 because it’s going to be a busy day!

7.  Make sure you have enough 1 gallon Ziploc bags on hand for dividing your starter batter. Even though there isn’t a lot of batter in there on Day 1, by Day 10 the 5 cups of starter batter pretty much fills up a 1 gallon Ziploc bag.

8.  It is possible to freeze the starter batter.  When you’re ready to start the 10 Day Regimen, mark the date and day (1 or 2 or 3…) on the bag and make sure to mark the new dates for Day 1, Day 5 and Day 10 on your calendar.       

The 10 Day Regimen

Day 1:   Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Day 2:    Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Day 3:    Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Day 4:    Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Day 5:   

Add 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup milk to the bag.
Release all the air from the bag and make sure to zip up the bag.

Squash and mix the bag of starter batter until sugar dissolves.

Day 6:    Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Day 7:    Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Day 8:    Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Day 9:    Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Day 10:

Add 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup milk to the bag.

Squash and mix the bag of starter batter.

Pour entire contents of bag into a large glass or plastic bowl.

Measure 1 cup into each of 4 (1 gallon) Ziploc bags.

Set aside the remaining cup of batter in bowl to make 2 loaves of Amish Friendship Bread for yourself.

Keep one bag for yourself and give the other 3 to friends.

Make sure to date each bag and to include a copy of this 10 Day Regimen, along with the recipes for Vanilla Amish Friendship Bread and its variations.