Sour Dough Herman Yeast Starter Food

A BEGINNER'S BASIC SOURDOUGH STARTER USING YEAST

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a medium bowl, add the warm water and yeast. Mix until the yeast is dissolved.
• Stir in the flour and mix until smooth.
• Transfer the starter into a container at least 4 times larger than the liquid starter (such as a 1/2-gallon ice cream container or Mason jar). This will allow room for the starter to expand.
• Cover the container with a cloth napkin or kitchen towel and hold it in place with a rubber band.
• Set the starter in a warm spot for five days, stirring once a day. Feed the starter daily or weekly according to the directions provided in the How To Feed Your Starter box below.
• Properly cared for, your starter should be ready to use in five days. Read more about How to Store Your Starter in the box below.

HERMAN BREAD

Steps:

• In a small mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the Herman Starter, oil, 2 cups flour and salt; mix well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a loaf. Place into the prepared pan. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top of the loaf is golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

CHEF JOHN'S SOURDOUGH STARTER

Steps:

• Day 1: Mix 70 grams flour and 70 grams water together in a container with a lid. Container needs to be large enough to accommodate another 70 grams water and flour. Cover loosely so gases can escape. Leave for 24 hours at 70 degrees F.
• Day 2: Add 70 grams flour and 70 grams water. Stir. Cover loosely and leave for 24 hours at 70 degrees.
• Day 3: Remove half (140 grams) of the starter. Add 70 grams flour and 70 grams water. Stir. Cover loosely and leave for 24 hours at 70 degrees.
• Day 4 through about Day 10: Repeat Step 3 each day until starter smells fruity, yeasty, and is beautifully fermented. You can test this by seeing if the mixture doubles within 2 to 3 hours of feeding.
• Refrigerate until needed. Most people recommend you feed the starter once a month or so (Step 3).
• To make bread using a refrigerated starter: feed it at room temperature for two days. Use your refreshed starter to make bread on the third day. Remember to set aside 140 grams of starter and feed it again before returning it to the fridge.

SOURDOUGH STARTER

Steps:

• In a covered 4-qt. glass or ceramic container, mix flour and yeast. Gradually stir in warm water until smooth. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel; let stand in a warm place 2-4 days or until mixture is bubbly and sour smelling and a clear liquid has formed on top. (Starter may darken, but if starter turns another color or develops an offensive odor or mold, discard it and start over.) , Cover tightly and refrigerate starter until ready to use. Use and replenish starter, or nourish it, once every 1-2 weeks. To use and replenish starter:Stir to blend in any liquid on top. Remove amount of starter needed; bring to room temperature before using. For each 1/2 cup starter removed, add 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup warm water to the remaining starter and stir until smooth. Cover loosely and let stand in a warm place 1-2 days or until light and bubbly. Stir; cover tightly and refrigerate.To nourish starter:Remove half of the starter. Stir in equal parts of flour and warm water; cover loosely and let stand in a warm place 1-2 days or until light and bubbly. Stir; cover tightly and refrigerate.

HERMAN STARTER

Steps:

• combine all ingredients to a smooth batter in a 2-quart glass or ceramic container (no metal). Cover with cheesecloth or other loose covering, and keep in a warm place (around 80 degrees F) for 3 to 4 days to ferment. It should expand and bubble. When ready it should have a yeasty, slightly sour smell.
• At this point, this is Herman's "First Day" in the ten-day cycle of Herman Life. He's ready for his first feeding.
• Feeding Herman: Mix together 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk, and 1/2 cup sugar. Stir this into Herman, cover loosely, and place in the fridge. It will be lumpy. Stir daily (but if you forget a day, he'll be fine).
• In five days, you'll need to feed him again. (Day 5).
• In five more days (Day 10), you'll feed him again and/or use him to make something. Pay attention to the specific recipe to see whether you feed him just before making the item or afterwards.
• Herman can be used for biscuits, coffeecake, pancakes, cookies, banana bread, sweet rolls, and more. I believe the recipes I have have been handed down from one Herman owner to another for decades. Hope you enjoy!

SOURDOUGH STARTER

Steps:

• Day 1:To begin your starter, mix 50g flour with 50g tepid water in a jar or, better still, a plastic container. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, semi-uncovered, at room temperature for 24 hrs.
• Day 2:Mix 50g flour with 50g tepid water and stir into yesterday's mixture. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, semi-uncovered, at room temperature for another 24 hrs.
• Day 3:Mix 50g flour with 50g tepid water and stir into yesterday's mixture. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, semi-uncovered, at room temperature for another 24 hrs.
• Day 4:You should start to see some activity in the mixture now; there should be some bubbles forming and bubbling on top. Mix 50g flour with 50g tepid water and stir into yesterday's mixture. Make sure all the flour is incorporated and leave, semi-uncovered, at room temperature for another 24 hrs.
• Day 5:The mixture should be very active now and ready for making your levain (starter). If it's not bubbling, continue to feed it on a daily basis until it does. When it's ready, it should smell like yogurt.
• You now have a starter, which is the base to the bread. You'll need to look after it, but naming is optional! Keep it in the fridge (it will stay dormant) and 24 hrs before you want to use it, pour half of it off and feed it with 100g flour and 100g water. Leave it at room temperature and it should become active again. The longer the starter has been dormant, the more times it will need to be refreshed - the process of pouring off half the starter and replacing it with new flour and water - to reactivate. If your starter is ready to use, a teaspoonful of the mixture should float in warm water.The starter can now be used to make white sourdough bread.

WILD YEAST SOURDOUGH STARTER

Steps:

• I bought whole wheat berries at the health food store and ground my own flour in a coffee grinder from them because I wanted the yeast on the flour to be really fresh, but this probably isn't really necessary. The pre-ground flour at the health food store is probably quite fresh, also, and you can buy very small quantities in bulk.
• DAY ONE: Mix 2 Tablespoons whole grain flour and 2 Tablespoons pineapple juice. Stir well, cover and let sit for 24 hours at room temperature.
• DAY TWO: Add 2 Tablespoons whole grain flour and 2 Tablespoons pineapple juice. Stir well, cover and let sit another 24 hours at room temperature. You may, or may not start to see small bubbles at this point.
• DAY THREE: Add 2 Tablespoons whole grain flour and 2 Tablespoons pineapple juice. Stir well and let sit 24 hours at room temperature.
• DAY FOUR: Stir mixture and measure out 1/4 cup--discard the rest. To the 1/4 cup, stir in 1/4 cup unbleached AP flour and 1/4 cup water. Let sit 24 hours at room temperature.
• REPEAT Day Four until mixture expands to double its size and smells yeasty. Mixture may start to bubble after a couple of days and then go flat and look totally dead for a couple more days. If this happens, at about Day 6 add the 1/4 teaspoons vinegar with your daily feeding. This will lower the PH and wake up the yeast, which will then start to grow.
• Once the yeast starts growing, starter should be fed equal parts of flour and water in a quantity sufficient to make enough starter for your recipe. Store the starter in the refrigerator when you are not using it. It needs to be fed equal parts flour and water once a week to keep it alive. Either use or discard at least half of it when feeding--THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT to maintian a healthy starter! If you forget to feed it for a few weeks, it probably will be fine but may take several feedings to get it back up to par.

HERMAN STARTER -- FOR AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD

Steps:

• 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 over again (beginning with step 2).

(HERMAN STARTER) SOURDOUGH BANANA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 and grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan.
• Cream together margarine/butter and sugar; add egg and mix until blended.
• Stir in banana and Herman.
• Sift dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, soda) into banana mixture and add nuts if desired. Stir just enough for the batter to come together; extra stirring will make it tougher.
• Pour into loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Cool thoroughly before slicing.