"Herman" Starter Friendship Cake
By: Elizabeth W.
Ingredients
2 cups Flour
3 tbsps sugar
1 envelope of active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
2 cups of warm water
Let’s reflect on the history first. “Herman” become increasingly popular in the 1970s. It became known as “friendship” cake. The making of “Herman” was about southern hospitality such as receiving a cup starter from a friend. It would be presented in a small jar or plastic tub along with a set of instructions to guide them through the next ten days with the Herman cake mixture. After four days, the additional ingredients such as one cup of flour and milk along with ½ cup of sugar is added and stirred, and added again, the same ingredients after another four days. On the ninth day, Herman is divided into four or five equal parts and all but one of these parts are passed along to friends. The last part is kept to themselves and on the tenth day is cooked. Herman sits for ten days and is not refrigerated. This current yeast starter doesn’t require constant feeding and stirring. The starter is only replenish after a person uses it.
Due to the amount of yeast that “Herman” contained, it would smell distinctly of beer. The Herman cake can ‘breathe’ when covered loosely with a tea-towel and left out on the worktop and stirred two or three times a day. This 'breathing’ occurs because of the yeast in the Herman cake, and the cake mixture frequently bubbles. Lastly, many of the ingredients can be added to Herman before the procedure of cooking the Herman cake. The ingredients added can vary from eggs, cinnamon, apples, chocolate, and cherries to make Herman sweet or olives and sun-dried tomatoes for a savory taste.
The “Herman” yeast starter was known from Southern Living 1982 annual recipe. I found the recipe from my aunt who mention that my nana used to make “Herman” back then when my aunt was growing up along with her sister who is my grandma. “Herman” is known to be “cultured” dough that is added to the new dough in order to give “Herman” starter a very distinctive flavor and texture.
It is hard to create Herman when following the instructions because of the care, the adding of the ingredients, the stirring constantly, including finding a place that is in a warm draft-free place with the temperature of eighty to eighty-five. With the making and creation of the yeast starter, I was at least redoing the mistakes I made two to three times until I realize the mistake I had made. I realized that for the yeast starter to rise, I had to feed the starter at least every twenty-four hours with one cup of flour and milk along with ½ cup of sugar. When I was creating and practicing making Herman, I tried to think back on how my nana would have the Herman dough to perfection. I asked my aunt how nana would make the dough to perfection and she stated that she couldn’t figure it out because she would always have the air conditioner to mid-sixty and yet created the dough to rise and bubble in a matter of days.
The picture above is to show the correct ingredients to start preparing the making of “Herman” yeast. For the mixture of Herman, the ingredients would have all purpose white flour, regular sugar, one envelope of active dry yeast such as Fleischmann’s RapidRise Instant Yeast, salt, and warm water at the temperature of 105 to 115 degrees.
Above is the four of the ingredients I have combined in a semi-large bowl, glass or plastic is preferable. The four ingredients that I combined in the semi-large glass bowl is a mixture of all purpose flour, sugar, active dry yeast and salt.
In the picture above is a example of finding the temperature of warm water. In the recipe given, it asked for the water in a measuring cup to be at a high temperature of 105 to 115 degrees before putting in the semi- large bowl mixed together with the four ingredients. I have the thermometer placed in the measuring cup to help me watch the temperature of the warm water the recipe have asked for.
The picture above takes place after I put in warm water and gradually whisking the ingredients together until smooth surface.
The last picture above is when I finished putting the ingredients together and whisked until smooth and put a lid on to keep it protected. I would put a heavy towel on top of the lid to keep the heat inside the bowl and check on it every day to stir two or three times a day for three days straight.
