Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum

Hi, the Amish Friendship Bread mix has been sitting on my counter for 9 days and I keep opening it to let all the air out before mushing the bag. Am I supposed to be doing this and is the bag supposed to blow up like a balloon? It doesn't smell so good but mix texture and color seems consistent, kind of runny. thank you!

Reply to this      Posted by: robn | May 25, 2008 2:44 PM #

First attempt with the bread. Today is day 7. I scooped out bags to share and wondered why I only had 2, and then about a cup left over. Thinking nothing of it I proceed to make the bread and then realized I was supposed to add more flour, milk and sugar before dividing it up. The bread looks ok . Any idea if the 2 bags are good and what, if anything I should add to them?

Reply to this      Posted by: Jess | March 4, 2008 6:57 PM #

I forgot to add the items on day 6 and now it is day 8. I left it at work and can't get it until day 9 did i ruin it or can i continue where i left off?

Reply to this      Posted by: Dee | February 18, 2008 8:39 AM #

I forgot to add the items on day 6 and now it is day 8. I left it at work and can't get it until day 9 did i ruin it or can i continue where i left off?

Reply to this      Posted by: Dee | February 18, 2008 8:38 AM #

Sadie,

I only add 1/4 cup each of the flour, sugar and milk each time. That way I don't have to give any away and I have enough to make the bread every 10 days.

Reply to this      Posted by: Cheryl Matthews | February 13, 2008 4:43 PM #

Blew it bigtime last night with my Amish Friendship Bread - accidentally added 1 tsp soda instead of 1/2, used 1 cup applesauce instead of 1 cup oil (successfully used 1/2 c each last time and thought I would go even healthier), and forgot to add the starter, so I wound up mixing it into the batter in the pans. Don't know which of these things or the combination of them made it so bad, but the bread turned out awful!!! I'm wondering if anyone has made bad bread and done something else with it? Anything but dump it in the trash? Thanks! (By bad I mean the taste is okay - not as good as usual, but okay, but the texture is yuk.)

Reply to this      Posted by: Cheryl Matthews | February 13, 2008 4:40 PM #

I have given starter to every friend & neighbor I have. What amount of milk, sugar & flour should I add on Day 10 so that I only end up with one extra starter.

Reply to this      Posted by: Sadie | February 4, 2008 5:47 PM #

Becky--I wouldn't keep a starter with eggs in it. I think it would be best to remake the starter, especially if you're going to share it.

Reply to this      Posted by: Matthew | February 3, 2008 4:50 PM #

I accidentally added all the ingredients (oil, eggs, etc) to the starter BEFORE separating out the 4 others... I'm sure the bread I'm baking today will be fine, however, is the starter ruined? I'm going to keep them around for a while to make sure before I give them away.

Reply to this      Posted by: Becky | February 3, 2008 4:43 PM #

I made the Amish Fbread with cook and serve pudding. Also, I used the starter 2 days before time. The bread tasted good, but didn't have the volume it should have had. I suppose this was because of the regular pudding instead of instant. Also, the pudding I used was Tapioca. I noticed some of the little buds in the pudding cooked crunchy. I didn't care for that.

Reply to this      Posted by: Pearl Morrow | December 21, 2007 2:41 PM #

Someone gave me some Amish friendship bread. I just put in in the fridge when I got home and left it there over night. When I took it out, I noticed it said not to refrigerate. Did I ruin it?
Thanks

Reply to this      Posted by: Allison | December 18, 2007 8:18 AM #

To answer 1. Yes, it can be frozen, thaw at room temp for 3 hours then start counting as Day 2 (because Day 10 is the day you baked the bread and Day 1 of the new starter) 2. Yes, you can bake all of the starter at once. Just figure out how many cups of starter you have and multiply your recipe accordingly. 3. The milk DOES go bad, that is the point. We want the same good bacteria that is in yogurt to grow in the starter. Bacteria is not all bad. That is why we shouldn't use antibacterial everything, but that is a whole other story. :) 4. The sweetish sour smelling thing is also fine. That's what you want to smell. If it is red, orange, green, or molded, then throw it out. Otherwise, you are ok. 5. Where to find a recipe? INTERNET! 6. If you forget a day, don't worry about it, do it now! One day won't hurt. I forgot to put ingredients in one day, then a couple days later when it was time to bake, forgot again, so I baked it on day 12, no big whoop. It still tasted GREAT!! Hope this helps. Happy Baking!

Reply to this      Posted by: Sondra | December 17, 2007 1:05 AM #

I was wondering about the milk added to the starter. It seems like it should be refrigerated. I would think the milk would go bad. Please let me know how this works! Also, is it OK to bake it on day 11 instead of day 10?

Reply to this      Posted by: Robin | November 10, 2007 7:16 AM #

Was wondering if anyone has the recipe to make the Amish sourdough starter and directions to make the bread.

Reply to this      Posted by: Amanda | October 1, 2007 3:47 PM #

Was wondering if anyone has the recipe to make the Amish sourdough starter and directions to make the bread.

Reply to this      Posted by: Amanda | October 1, 2007 3:46 PM #

I have a sourdouugh starter, And I am wondering if I can use it to make amish friendship bread, and if so can some one give me a recipe?

Reply to this      Posted by: bobbielou | September 11, 2007 3:08 PM #

Hi I haven't made a friendship cake for years but found a recipe for the starter and am going to try it out this fall. I am wondering if anyone knows if freezing the starter will ruin it or not? Is there a way besides to keep it for a long period of time?

Dolores Moses

Reply to this      Posted by: Dolores Moses | August 14, 2007 1:16 PM #

I have been reading comments on Amish Friendship Bread variations. Try Googling it. There's lots of info out there. I read somewhere that cook and serve pudding doesn't work. I haven't baked it yet. Having time issues but hope to bake tomorrow. Also read that the individual starters can be frozen and then thawed for 3 hours before baking. My starter smells very sour. Does anyone know if that's normal?

Reply to this      Posted by: Sandy Counts | July 18, 2007 10:07 PM #

I made my 1st Amish Friendship Cake today and it was wonderful...1 recipe made 2 bread pans, and a little bread pan...I added chopped walnuts to the top of 2 breads, along with raisons and gently pushed them into the batter...it worked well..and I used the cin., sugar combo for dusting the pans after greasing..that made the edges crunchy...QUESTION: Has anyone tried using regular pudding mix (cook and serve) instead of instant?...I would love to try it!

Reply to this      Posted by: Lette | June 26, 2007 12:48 AM #

I didn't read the directions and put it in the refrigerator. Did I kill it or should I go on?

Reply to this      Posted by: Carol Weber | June 25, 2007 9:48 PM #

If I don't want to continue to make more starters...can I just use each individual starter and add the ingredients on the last day without making more starters? And regarding the person who used buttermilk instead of a starter, how much was used?

Reply to this      Posted by: Becky | June 25, 2007 9:47 PM #

I have an Amish Friendship bread starter but wondered if I can make real sourdough bread with it or does this version have too much sugar

Reply to this      Posted by: Lori | June 17, 2007 8:05 AM #

Rose and Amy also:
Hi there finished my starter bread,cooked it ,,it turned out excellent. and just letting you know yet it was liquedy when I was letting it stand for the ten days which was what was worrying me etc,,,it obviously was supposed to be that way,,..thanks and Thank You Rose for your advice,,:) Darryl

Reply to this      Posted by: Darryl | June 13, 2007 9:55 PM #

Amy
The recipe I used is at this address,,http://www.massrecipes.com/recipes/04/09/amishfriendshipbreadorigi17682.html,
this weekend I reach day 10 ,,I will you know how it turns out,,,this one was made with yeast,,,,
DARRYL

Reply to this      Posted by: Darryl W. | June 8, 2007 12:06 PM #

Someone gave me a bag of this amish friendship bread starter, I was skeptical at first because I didn't know the person well that gave it to me, and I'm a clean nut, so I questioned where it came from, but I decided to make it and it is AWESOME. But now, the only way to keep it alive is to make it every 10 days, because I don't know how to make the starter - I looked on the internet and there are two versions, one with yeast and one without. Anyone know how to make starter?

Reply to this      Posted by: Amy | June 7, 2007 4:42 PM #

Hi there ,
Such a great site,,,thank you yet I do have a question.
I am on Day 7 of making Amish starter Cinnamon bread,(the kind where one adds pudding),,it is in a plastic bowl,lightly covered with plastic. But i am worrying ahead of time that it is supposed to rise? Is that correct?..as it just seems real liquedy,,this is getting me worried..and I dont want to waste all these ingredients...please HELP!!
Thank YOu

Reply to this      Posted by: Ms. Darryl Wellman | June 6, 2007 5:37 PM #

I am trying to bake a wedding cake for a friend and we live at 5,200 ft. I am using the White Butter Cake recipe from the Cake Bible. I repetededly get a fallen center. I have tried many adjustments, one at a time, and then together, and nothing is helping. When I decrease BP it helps a little, and when I increase oven temp. it only overcooks on the outside. Increasing protien doesn't seem to make a difference at all, and I haven't adjusted liquids yet. I am about to pull my hair out, yet remain determined. Can you help me??? I still have 6 weeks!

Reply to this      Posted by: Camille Klimek | May 30, 2007 2:45 PM #

I have been using an amish starter for a while, it is really important to not let it touch metal. Try baking in a glass or silicone pan. Good luck

Reply to this      Posted by: Isabel | May 21, 2007 2:54 PM #

There seems to be a lot of questions about the starter in Amish friendship bread, so I thought I would add my thoughts.

I had never actually tried it until someone brought a loaf into work. The taste was not at all what I expected from something made from a starter. It tasted like a very moist and sweet quick bread without any of the sourness or complexity I associate with bread made from a starter.

This experience got me thinking more about this bread, so I looked over some recipes. Since this bread is baked directly after mixing, the leavening agents are the baking powder and baking soda. I believe the starter functions as an acid to react with the chemical leavening.

What about the sour or complex flavor, why is it not present in the finished bread? My guess is that the reaction between the baking powder, baking soda, and the acidic starter neutralizes its flavor. Since the primary leavening agents are chemical and there is no discernible sour flavor in the finished loaf, wouldn’t buttermilk have the same effect?

I tested my hypothesis by replacing the starter with buttermilk. The bread rose fine and the flavor and texture were just like the regular AF bread, if not a bit moister and more flavorful.

Reply to this      Posted by: Matthew | May 12, 2007 3:23 PM #

I just wasn't thinking!!!I accidently used a metal measuring cup to divide my Amish Friendship Bread starter and I also used a metal ladle to pour remaining batter into loaf pans. What are the concerns for the use of metal kitchen tools with this recipe?

Reply to this      Posted by: Beth | May 2, 2007 10:11 AM #

How can I use the starter on day 10 without adding more ingredients as I will not be making bags to give away.

Reply to this      Posted by: Stefani | April 30, 2007 3:54 PM #

I make the Amish friendship bread at 4500 feet. I haven't made any adjustments in the usual recipe other than I am generous when measuring out the amount of starter to add, sometimes using a full cup instead of the 3/4 cup called for. However, I don't bake them in two loaf pans; instead, I pour the entire batch of batter into a tube cake pan. It works great!

Reply to this      Posted by: Kara Keeter | April 26, 2007 10:12 AM #

I have a starter of amish bread and miscounted day 6 and added the ingredients on day 7 instead. How does this affect the recipe?

Reply to this      Posted by: udy | April 17, 2007 4:17 PM #

Looking for a more traditional Amish Friendship Bread recipe that does not rely on packaged instant pudding for moisture and texture. Seems a waste to make a real starter and then corrupt it with all those chemicals. Substitutes?

Reply to this      Posted by: Josh | March 26, 2007 7:01 AM #

Do you have a recipe for southern sourdough? Its kinda sweet and fluffy not much like the traditional sourdough.
alice

Reply to this      Posted by: Alice Hollowed | October 7, 2006 9:03 PM #