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|   | Subject: Self raising flour?
Posted Feb 19, 2012 by toybox | | Post: 1
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What is self raising flour? Can we find it in Germany, or do we need to resort to Cunning (such as, mixing normal flour with baking powder or something)?
Speaking of which: what are these 'flour types', like 605 or 630 or something? Do they really make a difference?
It is known as as 'self-rising' flour in the US and translated thus from Spanish into English.
Yes, you can make your own by adding some baking powder to your cake recipes.
Hard wheat flour is used for bread and pasta. These need to gluten to give the dough some texture, but the same levels of gluten are not good for cakes and tend to make them chewy. So, flour can be divided into two basic types, bread flour and cake flour. Other varieties are available for specialist baking.
Hi toybox. Have a look here - http://www.toytowngermany.com/lofi/index.php/t11097.html and follow the link in the 8th post which goes to another conversation.
Also check out the Wiki page for flour - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour#Self-raising_flour . This should jump to the Self-raising section which has a recipe for making your own.
t. - not!
|  | Subject: Self raising flour?
Posted Feb 20, 2012 by toybox
This is a reply to this Posting.
| | Post: 4
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Ah, that clarifies things, thank you! 
| | Subject: Self raising flour?
Posted Feb 20, 2012 by  aka Bel
This is a reply to this Posting.
| | Post: 5
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The type numbers like 405, 550, 1050 give the amount of actual grain still in the flour. 405, which is what you get in super markets here doesn't contain any and has zero nutritional value. It's the flour that makes you fat and lets your teeth rot. 550 (which is usually organic flour) contains a little more, so if you get the choice, use that for cake and cookies. 1050 is good for bread.
I always buy 550 and 1050 for cakes and bread respectively. In the 80s when everyone tried to make their own everything, I even ground my own grains, but as I only use the coffee grinder, I eventually got fed up with that - too much effort!
Thanks for the link, turvy!
I have never thought it necessary to use self-raising flour. However, if you're making your own mixture - do NOT use Backpulver. This contains far too much bicarbonate of soda and tastes horrid. Go for the Weinstein-Backpulver which contains a higher proportion of cream of tartar and is much easier on the teeth.
(This applies to shopping in Germany)
Sorry, I should explain myself better. In Germany, for want of self-raising flour, I never thought it necessary to go looking for it, as it is only flour with the baking powder already added.
Sieving and more sieving is the secret - it distributes the baking powder evenly among the flour.
| | Subject: Self raising flour?
Posted Feb 20, 2012 by toybox
This is a reply to this Posting.
| | Post: 9
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Yes, your first self-raising flour comment was misleading
Is Weinstein-Backpulver a brand, or a type of baking powder which may be produced by various people (like Dr Oetker)? Can you find it in normal supermarkets, or only in more specialised shops?
 I was once thoroughly searched when leaving the UK because I was taking sodium bicarbonate and cream of tartar in my hand luggage for cake baking purposes. It was quite interesting seeing all my possessions being sniffed by the little machine - the woman security guard was charming. Apparently most people are annoyed when they get searched, but I felt fine about it, as I should have put the packs of white powder in a more obvious place so that the scanners could identify them more easily in the first place.
I took my own ingredients as I'd not found them individually for sale on the island. There are tiny packets of baking powder ready mixed, but they are quite expensive.
Weinstein-Backpulver is definitely available in health food shops, Toybox, but I have also found it in most supermarkets, too. It comes in several makes, but always in those annoying little sachets.
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