Another Amish Friendship Bread....?

Question

I've tried the starter recipe with the 1 cup milk, flour and sugar, along with a package of yeast, and it ends up smelling like vinegar and beer. I have also made a starter with only 1 cup flour, sugar and milk, will this work? should the starter really smell that bad? I need to know whether I am doing any of this right. Can you make a new starter with yeast and bake it right away? what can I do? is there something to do with disolving the yeast too little or too much?

Answer 1

Do it exactly like this.

Amish Friendship Bread

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

3 cups all-purpose flour, divided

3 cups white sugar, divided

3 cups milk

  

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a 2 quart container glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.

On days 2 thru 4; stir starter with a spoon. Day 5; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Days 6 thru 9; stir only.

Day 10; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Remove 1 cup to make your first bread, give 2 cups to friends along with this recipe, and your favorite Amish Bread recipe. Store the remaining 1 cup starter in a container in the refrigerator, or begin the 10 day process start over again (beginning with step 2).

Once you have made the starter, you will consider it Day One, and thus ignore step 1 in this recipe and proceed with step 2. You can also freeze this starter in 1 cup measures for later use. Frozen starter will take at least 3 hours at room temperature to thaw before using.

Answer 2

The ratio sounds correct - I always start with 3 cups each of milk, sugar, and flour plus a package of yeast in a quarter cup of water.  I always find the smell to be really pleasant - not vinegary at all.  I would not bake it right away - you would miss out on the flavor that builds with each passing day.  The yeast should stand in the warm water for at least 10 minutes - make sure that the yeast is still active, it should bubble by the 10 minute point.

Answer 3

Maybe someone else will come along and help you more with this. I can tell you this much, yes, starter stinks! You need to keep feeding it so you have enough for more bread after you take what you need for the initial loaves you make.

Good Luck!