A few weeks ago – I was given a little tub of ‘Herman the German’ Sourdough by a friend – with instructions to look him up on line! Imagine my excitment when I found out I could not only make bread from this little fellow but cake as well 😀
1) this is the size my Herman had reached before I made him into bread – GIANT!
2) can you see the sourdough bubbly goodness? 😀 i love to stir Herman, bubbles make me happy – i like bubbly things…. champagne mainly….
3) the simple ingredients of good bread – yeast ( Herman ), 500g flour & approx 325g water!
4) 2 ladels of Herman being added to the flour – sqishy smelly yeasty beast that he is!
5) stir it all together
6) give it a good ole knead
7) & pop into a bowl , somewhere warm to rise ( i actually turned my oven on a really low heat till it warmed up, turn it off, n popped my bread in there for 1/2 and hour – my house is baltic )
8 ) Herman has double the bread in size….
9) it is time to knock him back again
10) pop the now smaller knocked back Herman dough on the baking tray you intend to bake him on, & cover him in clingfilm before popping him somewhere warm to rise again
11) one he has risen – approx twice the size again ( mine kinda splodged 🙁 )
12) do as you wish ( yes my lines where a bit of a fail ) before popping him into the oven at 200c – the original recipe states that he should be in the oven for about 40mins – my loaf was in the oven for about an hour. But as you will see below he was a little dark once cooked through – I think it is just about knowing your own oven! Next time i will have the temp slightly lower & cook slightly longer…
11) 12) 13) & 14) over all I am really happy with him – a sweet loaf – perfect will cheese or just toasted with a good smothering of butter. ( make it a special butter 😉 ) He even has the bubbles 🙂
the cake recipe will follow soon 🙂 my Herman is currently looking for homes – if you reckon you could provide Herman with a loving home to be nurtured in – get in touch 😀
