Spice Translations

Baking Tips

You may have noticed from your baking experiences that German flour is just not the same as the flour in America! Flour varies greatly in its ability to absorb moisture, depending on the type of wheat from which it was milled and how it was processed and stored. German "Weizenmehl" is milled from soft, European wheats lower in protein and water absorption capacity than the hard wheats grown in North America. The all-purpose flour used for baking in America is generally a blend of hard and soft wheat flours and may be bleached or unbleached. Only unbleached flour is available in Germany, which has higher nutritional value. U.S. flours are also pre-sifted which means they are ground much finer than German flours, which are not pre-sifted.

Types 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.

Why sift flour? Sifting flour incorporates air since flour has a tendency to settle in its package. All German recipes are based on weight, not volume. But Americans measure by volume (cups). Flour measured by cups may weigh 130g or more. When a recipe calls for 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour, 115 g is the specific weight. For greatest accuracy, weigh your flour when baking.

Try these tips to improve the quality of your baked goods:

Sift your flour 2-3 times before measuring.
Decrease liquid slightly in recipe because the lower protein quantity of European wheat cannot absorb as much liquid.
Increase oven temperature if cakes continue to turn out gooey.

Useful ingredient translations

Cooking Oils

Here is a summary of types of oil you can purchase in Germany and their American equivalents. Those oils high in essential fatty acids are the healthiest since they contain the most vitamins. They should not be heated to high temperatures (i.e. for frying, deep frying, grilling, etc.) simply because the vitamins are then destroyed.