Sourdough vs Herman Starter

Since I have been trying out several recipes with the sourdough and Herman yeast starters, I thought I would do a short blog on which types of bread works well with which starter.

Sourdough starter

Sourdough starter is natural yeast starter made by feeding 1:1 ratio of bread flour (or rye or whole wheat) and water.

I feel this starter is good for artisan breads, breads that rely heavily on fermentation to create flavour and texture.

Foccacia
Baguette
Bagel
Rustic bread / basic bread
Fruit and nut loaf
Garlic bread


Herman starter

Herman or friendship starter is a natural yeast starter made by feeding 1:1:1 ratio of plain flour, milk and sugar.

As the starter is sweet, I feel it is a better starter for soft, milk breads, or those that use enriched doughs.

Brioche
Cinnamon bun / Kugelhopf
Hokkaido milk bun
Traditional milk bun
Steamed bun (mantou)