Do you remember Herman? That friendly, bubbly sourdough starter that swept through kitchens in the late 1970s and early 1980s? Passed from neighbor to neighbor like a sweet, yeasty chain letter, Herman was the original “Amish Friendship Bread” starter — minus the fancy name. If you had a jar of Herman bubbling on your counter back in the day (or wish you had), this nostalgic recipe is for you. It’s incredibly easy to start, endlessly shareable, and turns into the most moist, flavorful coffeecake you’ll ever bake. Whether you’re rediscovering an old favorite or meeting Herman for the first time, get ready to bring a little retro baking joy back into your kitchen.
Herman Starter
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Standing time: 5 days
Yield: 4 cups
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup warm water
2 packages (2 1/4 teaspoons each) active dry yeast
2 cups each: milk, flour
1. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the sugar over the warm water. Sprinkle yeast over mixture; set aside until doubled in volume, about 10 minutes.
2. Combine milk, flour, remaining sugar and yeast mixture in a plastic or glass container. (Do not use metal.) Stir with a wooden spoon; cover loosely. Set aside at room temperature, at least 8 hours.
3. Stir mixture once a day for three days. On the fourth day, measure out 1 cup of Herman for baking; measure 1 additional cup to give to a friend as a gift.
To replenish starter: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup sugar to remaining batter. Stir mixture once each day for the next three days. On the fourth day, measure out 1 cup of Herman for baking; measure 1 cup to give to a friend as a gift; feed remaining batter with 2 cups flour, 2 cups milk, 1 cup sugar. After the 10th day, you can begin using Herman daily or as desired. Keep feeding every 5 days; or if you are not using it often, just add 1 tablespoon sugar.
Nutrition information per cup:
492 calories, 6% of calories from fat, 3 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 9 mg cholesterol, 9 g carbohydrates, 12 g protein, 64 mg sodium, 2 g fiber
Herman Coffeecake
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Yield: 12 servings
When this recipe was made in the test kitchen, most of the topping baked into the batter to become part of the cake. Tasters gave a hearty thumbs up to this rich, crumbly coffeecake, adapted from “The Best of the Herman Sourdough Herald.”
Topping:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Cake:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups Herman sourdough starter, see recipe
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. For topping, mix together brown sugar, butter, flour and cinnamon in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. For cake, sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Mix sugar and oil in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until combined. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Add Herman starter; stir in dry ingredients. Transfer batter to a greased 13-by-9-inch baking pan; crumble the topping mixture over the batter. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
479 calories, 39% of calories from fat, 21 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 57 mg cholesterol, 69 g carbohydrates, 5 g protein, 266 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
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