Herman cake

Hermann, even fortune cookie, fortune bread and Vatican bread, a sourdough of wheat flour, the lactic acid bacteria, yeast and a little milk, vegetable oil or water contains. The dough is the basis for the so-called Hermann cake. The remarkable thing is that the approach to yeast dough is increased by feeding, and will remain stable. This is due to the enzymatic reaction of the yeast, the dough alter. A similar enzymatic reaction is observable on Kombucha.

In essence, those sourdough approaches already known since antiquity ( fermented milk and flour, if necessary with the addition of honey). In the German-speaking world the name Hermann ( dough ) is known at least since the 1970s. However, no reliable information is known about the origins of the name. Usually you get the dough from friends or acquaintances together with instructions, which are summarized in a letter Hermann- mentioned text. The origin of this custom is also unclear, but it was the same time as the German peace and ecology movement around 1980 and has been reported as a chain letter.

A similar dough is well known in the U.S. under the name Amish Friendship Bread. The term Friendship Bread goes back to a sourdough bread Amish (English Amish ) who distributed the bread to the needy. However, the sweet cake recipe is not an invention of the Amish. The Hermannteig is a Central European flavor, adapted to suit less sweet version of the American recipe.