Learn how to create and maintain an Amish Friendship Sourdough Starter, a sweet, versatile base for baking delicious breads, cakes, and more to share with friends and family.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Resting time12 hourshrs
Total Time12 hourshrs10 minutesmins
Cuisine: American
Keyword: amish friendship sourdough starter
Servings: 200grams
Equipment
Glass jar with loose lid
Small silicone spatula or fork for stirring
Food scale
Ingredients
20gramsactive sourdough starter
20gramssugar
100gramsmilkI use whole milk
100gramsall-purpose flourbread flour works too
Instructions
To a clean jar add 20 grams sourdough starter and 20 grams of sugar. Add slightly warmed or room temperature milk (100 grams at 68-75 degrees F) and stir until most of the starter and sugar is dissolved.
Lastly, add the flour (100 grams) and stir until there are no more dry flour clumps.
Cover the jar loosely and let it rest at room temperature (68-70 degrees F) for 30 minutes.
Return to the starter and give it one more good mix (for optimal gluten development), cover it loosely, and let it rest at room temp for 8-12 hours or until doubled in size.
Once the starter has doubled in size it is ready to use!
Notes
Baker's schedule: mix all ingredients and the Amish friendship sourdough starter should be ready to use in 8-12 hours depending on the temperature in your environment.
Visual signs your starter is ready to use:
Bubbles: You should see bubbles throughout the starter both on top and throughout.
Double in size: The starter should be doubled or even tripled in size when it is at its peak.
Domed or slightly flat surface: At its peak, the starter’s top will look domed and puffed up. If it’s slightly flattened or starting to fall, it’s still usable but nearing the end of its peak.
Maintenance: An Amish sourdough starter can be made for one time use or maintained. Please read above for how to care for this type of starter.