Hi, I always use britshop.ch for my "english baking stuff" (and the odd top up of Cadbury's chocolate)
Look for "Backpulver" for Baking Powder - in small packets (never found a tub) in the supermarket. They look like those rectangle sugar packets you get in restaurants
Soda I think I only found in France/Germany. But might have given up looking too early.
or simply "Natron". If its not available in a supermarket, you'll get it in a pharmacy/Drogerie
Concerning baking powder: the US version often contains cream of tartar (Weinstein in German), while the (continental) European version is mainly baking soda (Natron).
I have also seen the baking soda in Denner under the Oetker brandname. I think it is called "natrium bicarbonate". I have seen it during Christmas You definitely need this for banana bread.
Coop has the little green packets (5 grams) and Migros has larger, 50 gram pink packets of baking soda. Dried yeast is also in little packets alongside the soda and baking powder.
Wrong. Both have to contain cream of tartar, otherwise it would be ordinary baking soda (Natriumbikarbonat (obsolete term in German), Natrium-Hydrogenkarbonat (current term in German), sodium hydrogen carbonate (English)).
Baking soda needs an acid to produce the CO2 that causes the rising effect. That's exactly what the cream of tartar does. In certain doughs, there is enough acidity that the cream of tartar is not needed. That's where plain baking soda can be used.
Well I never understood the Swiss equivalent for baking soda so I always bring home some packets from the US.
Also some cream of tartar, because I once bought that here at a pharmacy and it looked like something from a toxic lab. so I stick to my personal import. but maybe I'll try out the coop green packets.
Aaah, here's someone who knows his/her powders. OUt of curiousity , would youhappen to know why creme of tartar is such an essential ingredient od play dough? It seems to have something to do with keeping the moisture consistency stable ( keeps the dough from both drying out and from absorbing moisture from the air) but how does it work?
I once bought cream of tartar at the pharmacy too. I told them I wanted to bake cookies with it and they had to look it up in their big book to make sure it could be used for that. They seemed quite amazed that I wanted it for that. It did feel like some sort of drug deal buying it there so now I bring it back from the states too...
Sorry, I'm not that much into play dough, but I figure it could be there to prevent mold (mould for ya Brits) growth, fairly effective yet harmless if swallowed.
Just reopening this discussion, there are two knids of baking powder... one is a single stage release and the other a two stage affair. If you're interested, read this: http://chemistry.about.com/cs/foodch...f/blbaking.htm
However, my real question is, "Can I buy arrowroot anywhere, shop/drogerie/chemical works/under the bridge from a guy in platform shoes?"
I know it's called Pfeilwurzelstärke in German but I have been unable to find it online. I will be visiting Migros and Coop tonight, anyhow, so will have a look but in case I can't locate it, do you have suggestions, please?