1 pkg. dry yeast
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. sugar
2 cups dairy buttermilk
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar

Soften yeast in water with sugar. Stir once or twice. Let stand 5 minutes or until doubled in volume. If it doesn't double and bubble, the yeast is not active. Throw it out and start over with a fresh pack.

Beat remaining 3 ingredients together until smooth and beat in the bubbly yeast mixture at end of the 5 minutes. Pour into non-metallic 8 cup container with a loose fitting lid. Let stand in a warm place for 6 hours.

As it bubbles up, stir it down (after the 2nd or 3rd hour - so don't be impatient!) Then it's ready to use.

Say hello to Herman! Just keep Herman out of drafts. Set him in a sunny spot occasionally and Herman will bubble up.

REPLACEMENT RECIPE:

Every time you remove a cup of Herman, you must replace him at once with a simple mixture of:

1 cup water
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar

Beat it smooth and stir it into the mixture from which you removed the cupful for baking purposes. The above 3 cup mixture makes 1 cup of starter-batter exactly, so if you remove 2 cups of the starter, double the replacement ingredients. Always leave at least 1 cup of the starter at all times with which to begin your next batch of Herman.