I think my 'amish friendship bread' experiment is going to be a success. Apart from the container overflow disaster, it has turned out quite tasty and rather easy to maintain. No longer will it be multiplying to the point where all your friends will move away and I will not need to schedule my life around 'feeding' it. I haven't actually made 'amish friendship bread' with it (I am not a huge fan of quick breads), but I have used it in pancakes, cinnamon rolls, and sourdough bread and have been very happy with the results, especially the bread and the pancakes, the rolls were good but nothing extraordinary whereas the bread and pancakes were possibly some of the best I have ever made. This is a 'sweet' starter in that it uses far more sugar than some sourdough starters, but I happen to like that. It is comparable to the 'Herman' sourdough starters and can be used in almost any bread recipe where a little sweetness is a good thing (rolls, quick breads, white yeast bread, pancakes, muffins…); pumpernickel and rye breads likely would not benefit or if you truly like a 'sour' sourdough (I think that is an oxymoron). So here is my recipe for sensible amish friendship bread starter:
Mix 1 cup white flour with 1 cup white sugar.
Mix in 1 tsp instant or bread machine yeast*
Slowly stir in 1 cup lukewarm milk until smooth.
Cover loosely and let ferment at room temperature for 4-5 days, until vigorous bubbling drops off, stirring several times a day. It is now ready to use.
*You can use regular yeast, but follow label directions for proofing (mix it with a little warm water and let it sit for a few minutes before adding to mixture, also increase the amount used).
If you are going to use it every few days, leave it at room temperature and add equal parts flour, milk, and sugar as needed to replace what is used. If you are only going to use it on occasion, throw it in the fridge and stir in a tablespoon each of milk, flour, and sugar every 7-10 days and stir, otherwise ignore it. If you know you are going to use it soon, pull it out of the fridge the night before, stir in 3/4 as much flour, sugar, and milk as you are going to remove starter (if using one cup starter, replace with 3/4 cup each flour, sugar, and milk) and let it sit out overnight. Use it the next day and return to the fridge afterwards. You only need to add as much flour, sugar, and milk as you routinely use, unless you want to multiply it and give it away. Store it in any glass or plastic container with a loose fitting lid or cheese cloth, a ziplock bag works fine. Sourdough purists don't use any sort of metal container or utensil, but stirring it with a fork on occasion will not kill it. It may have a slightly 'vinegary' smell, as this is a fermented product. If it grows mold, smells rancid, or turns a strange color, discard it and start over. As for recipes, experiment and search the internet. I like to add 1/4 tsp baking soda per 1 cup starter to any recipe, to neutralize a bit of the 'sour' taste. For pancakes I just used a buttermilk pancake recipe and used starter in place of the buttermilk, though you will have to add a little extra milk to thin out the batter, but the pancakes were soft, fluffy, and tasty. For sourdough bread, use it with your favorite sourdough recipe or add 2/3 cup starter and 1/4 tsp baking soda to your favorite white bread recipe (adjust flour as necessary).
Don't forget to name it, that is the most important part!
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