Herman
is a friendship starter
It is given free
and
is meant to pass down from generations to generations
It has been introduced to us by
Xiuli Zhang from Singapore.
She has an exceptional passion for Herman Starter.
She cultures Herman
and
distributes to ALL those who show interest in it.
Besides distributing in Singapore
driving Herman to their new homes,
She even posted the Herman to various states in Malaysia,
and
paid for the Postage!
All for the love of Herman
History of Herman
Herman
being a friendship Starter
is given free to start a friendship
This is Day 2 Herman
If you are interested, can refer to this link created by Xiuli Zhang
and
request for Herman starter
Herman is easy to maintain and
it requires feeding every 5 days
This is how it goes:
Conventional Method
Day 1
1/4 cup herman starter
fed with 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup all purpose flour
Day 2 - 4
stir every day
Day 5
1. take out 1/4 cup to start feeding cycle for the next batch
i.e. cycle starts from Day 1-4 again
2. to the remaining herman, add 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup all purpose flour
This is ready to use the next day or 2
The current hot weather speeds up fermentation,
so Herman turns sour easily.
This method can help to control over fermentation:
Method Adapted to Asian Weather
Day 1
1/4 cup herman
fed with 1/8 cup sugar, 1/4 cup plain flour & 1/4 cup milk
Day 2
stir
Day 3
fed the batch with 1/8 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour & 1/4 cup milk
Day 4
stir
Note:
1) You can share the herman on any of the days above
2) once you receive the herman, start feeding from Day 1
3) if you need more herman for baking, just increase the feeding amount accordingly.
4) use the herman to bake when it has risen double in height
Improved Feeding, Storage & Reviving Method:
Shared by Xiuli Zhang
Combating Sour Herman with Easy Maintenance
For Herman that turns sour easily due to faster fermentation/too much yeast in starter.
Here is an easy way to maintain Herman & refresh the starter on every use.
Use a 700-800ml glass bottle, feed 1/4 cup HERMAN with the following ingredients:
1/2 cup Fresh milk
1/2 cup All Purpose Flour/Plain Flour
1/4 cup sugar
Mix the 3 ingredients into paste before stir well into Herman bottle.
Cover loosely & Leave at room temperature overnight. Put into chiller when u see it starts bubbling.
2-3 days before bake, refresh the Herman with the following feeding method. Fermentation all should be at room temperature.
Day 1
Take out 1 tablespoon of Herman from chiller, feed with ingredients below:
1/4 cup Fresh Milk
1/4 cup All purpose flour/Plain Flour
1/8 cup Sugar
Day 2
Stir only
(U can use for bake too IF it rises up actively double the height)
Day 3
Refeed Herman in morning to make more
1/4 cup Fresh Milk
1/4 cup All purpose flour/Plain Flour
1/8 cup Sugar
Stiring helps to give more oxygen to yeast. After Day 3 Herman will rise fall, rise fall a few times when u stir it, which show its readiness to be used. Best time to use Herman is on Day 3-4.
❤️You can use the Herman on Day 2 too if yours turn out very bubbly rise up, and the amount enough for your recipe. If not give another feed.
❤️If u need more u may feed double the ingredients on Day 3 OR use 2 tablespoon Herman to feed in Day 1.
Any balance starter may be added back to the Herman in chiller. When the Herman in the fridge is about 2 tablespoon left, feed & repeat the cycle above.
😄
Short-term Storage - up to 2 month
Keep in chiller up to 1 month when want to take a short break. Feed Herman before send into chiller. When want to use it, take out from chiller, thaw it and feed. It will bubble in 1-2 days time.
❤️❤️❤️IMPORTANT - Do it in 1st batch of fermenting when u get your Herman.
Storage for Emergency (advisable keep 2 portions into ziplog bags with labeling)
Long-term Storage - up to 6-8 months
Keep 2 portions (1/4 cup) of Herman in freezer for Emergency up to 8 months. Advisable to keep Day 3-4 well fermented Herman. No feeding needed when Herman in freezer. When want to use it, take out from chiller, thaw it and feed Day 1 ingredients, stir twice daily to let more oxygen in, wait for sign of bubbles appear. Herman from freezer will take 4-5 days to start bubbling because it's from freezer, a place which totally stop its fermentation activity. After seeing bubbles, then u start 2nd feeding.
Happy Hermaning,
Xiuli Zhang