I'm cured, in fact. Instead of spending hours searching for ingredients that I will never find and perusing cookbooks and old recipes from the US. I am leaving the angst behind me. Perfect timing, too, considering we all just graduated to 2013. Creativity, chemistry and experience are my new best friends. I'm going to just start experimenting with the basics and see where it leads.
Let me share with you some of my baking pains in Germany. I cannot find baking powder, self-rising flour, all purpose flour and even baking soda was a challenge (one store only). Google translate isn't rocket science, but the baking aisle is close. Flours here are numbered by density of the grain. No problem, right? Wrong. There is a 405 for light, fluffy cakes and a 550 for heavier dark breads, but where the hell are all the numbers in the middle? Where are the numbers for pound cakes, cupcakes, biscochitos, and hearty, fruity cookies?
Ala. All I can do is try...experiment. I wasted a week searching for baking powder to go with the raspberry and lemon buttermilk Justin found. I think it would have made brilliant mixed-berry scones!
Here's today effort. It isn't perfect, but it is a nice pairing with Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Reserve and we are saving it as a lovely finish to shrimp and chicken enchiladas. Thank goodness, Justin is even more flexible and creative than I am!
An Approach to Shortbread
1 1/4 cups flour 405
1/3 cup sugar
110 ml of butter a tiny bit less than 40z
Nutmeg, cinnamon, and brown as a topping and pressed it into the dough.
Mix flour and sugar. Cut in butter. I chose a loaf pan to make a thicker, cookie bar.
350 for 20-25 minutes
It's hard to mess up flour, sugar and butter! I was worried the flour was so light it wouldn't stay together. First success. Small steps.
Next time, I will bake it in small silicone muffin pan and dip each piece in melted dark chocolate sprinkled with cayenne and brown sugar and pair it with Belgium hot chocolate. Oh, the joys of living! The best part is I burn calories here I actually get to eat it! Prost!
Just in case you need some help with your flour. I have had to convert some of the recipes I have from friends in Europe. Flour is not just flour over there lol.
ReplyDeleteTypes of flours:
Type 405: the finest flour, for cakes and pastries
Type 1050: for bread and yeast products
Type 405S: (19% protein) high-protein flour for bread, pasta
Type 1700: wholemeal or Weizenschrot, for whole wheat breads
Instant flour: never use in baking, only for thickening gravies and sauces
American self-rising flour is regularly milled flour to which leavening and salt have been added. It is not usually available in Germany.
Type 405 – .50 ash – Similar to American pastry flour
Item #3331 Unbleached Pastry Flour (9.2% protein, .42 ash)
Item #3338 Italian-Style Flour (8.5% protein, .40-.45 ash)
Type 550 – .50-.58 ash – Similar to American all-purpose flour
Item #3005 Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (11.7% protein, .49 ash)
Item #3323 Select Artisan Organic All-Purpose Flour (11.3% protein, .54 ash)
Type 812 – .64-.89 ash – Similar to American all-purpose flour, but higher ash
Item #3334 French Style Flour (11.5% protein, .70 ash)
Type 1050 – 1.05 ash – Similar to American “First Clear” flour
Item #3337 First Clear Flour (14.8% protein, .80 ash)
Type 1600 – 1.60 ash – The closest you could get to this would be a light-colored whole wheat flour.
Item #3311 White Whole Wheat Flour (13% protein, 1.80 ash)
Thanks, Jamie! That's better than anything I have found online here.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I found baking powder, chocolate chips and cocoa today! Yeah!