The Great Baking Divide: Why Recipes Need a Global Touch
When my co-authored baking book Sweet hit American shelves in 2017, I was thrilled to see people whipping up delicious treats from it. However, what followed was a stark contrast – cakes with dark exteriors and pale centers that seemed like an afterthought. The culprit? A conversion formula gone wrong, failing to account for the nuances of oven settings between countries.
As a baker who's spent years perfecting her craft in Australia and the UK, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands. Before signing any new contracts, I sought out testers in both countries to ensure that every recipe was thoroughly tested before being published. It wasn't just about temperature; subtle differences in measurements and ingredient types could throw even experienced cooks off balance.
Take Australian 'plain flour', for instance, which is equivalent to American 'all-purpose' flour, yet differs significantly in protein content and leavening. Then there's the matter of UK 'strong flour' – or US 'bread flour'. And don't even get me started on self-raising flour, which exists in all three countries but varies in protein content and leavening.
When it comes to baking internationally, you can't just swap one ingredient for another without considering the broader context. For example, American bakers often use regular granulated sugar, whereas in Australia and the UK, caster sugar is the preferred choice. Similarly, US 'cake flour' is a hard-to-find commodity in our countries, so techniques like gentle folding become crucial to achieve the right texture.
And then there's the cream – or rather, the lack thereof. I recall a particularly embarrassing moment when I discovered that American heavy cream was thinner than UK double cream, resulting in a dense, heavy cake that lacked its usual silky smoothness.
So how do you navigate these international baking challenges? It all comes down to understanding each country's ingredients and being willing to adapt recipes accordingly. By doing so, you can preserve the texture and flavor of your baked goods, no matter where you are in the world.
As a testament to this, I've included my own recipe for strawberry iced finger buns – a childhood favorite that never failed to put a smile on my face. These soft, pillowy buns may require an extra step or two, but trust me, they're worth it. And with the right combination of ingredients and techniques, you too can create delicious treats that transcend borders.
Recipe: Strawberry Iced Finger Buns
Ingredients:
* 150ml full-cream milk
* 2 tsp active dried yeast
* 30g caster sugar
* 375g plain flour
* 75ml water, boiling hot
* 15g milk powder
* ¾ tsp fine sea salt
* 1 egg
* 50g unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm pieces
* 60g strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
* 300g icing sugar
* ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
* 20g liquid glucose (optional)
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 170C fan.
2. Make the dough according to the recipe below.
3. Roll out the dough into small logs and place on a baking tray.
4. Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Drizzle with icing made from strawberries, icing sugar, vanilla bean paste, and liquid glucose (if using).
By embracing these international baking nuances, you'll unlock a world of flavors and textures that will leave your taste buds singing. Happy baking!
When my co-authored baking book Sweet hit American shelves in 2017, I was thrilled to see people whipping up delicious treats from it. However, what followed was a stark contrast – cakes with dark exteriors and pale centers that seemed like an afterthought. The culprit? A conversion formula gone wrong, failing to account for the nuances of oven settings between countries.
As a baker who's spent years perfecting her craft in Australia and the UK, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands. Before signing any new contracts, I sought out testers in both countries to ensure that every recipe was thoroughly tested before being published. It wasn't just about temperature; subtle differences in measurements and ingredient types could throw even experienced cooks off balance.
Take Australian 'plain flour', for instance, which is equivalent to American 'all-purpose' flour, yet differs significantly in protein content and leavening. Then there's the matter of UK 'strong flour' – or US 'bread flour'. And don't even get me started on self-raising flour, which exists in all three countries but varies in protein content and leavening.
When it comes to baking internationally, you can't just swap one ingredient for another without considering the broader context. For example, American bakers often use regular granulated sugar, whereas in Australia and the UK, caster sugar is the preferred choice. Similarly, US 'cake flour' is a hard-to-find commodity in our countries, so techniques like gentle folding become crucial to achieve the right texture.
And then there's the cream – or rather, the lack thereof. I recall a particularly embarrassing moment when I discovered that American heavy cream was thinner than UK double cream, resulting in a dense, heavy cake that lacked its usual silky smoothness.
So how do you navigate these international baking challenges? It all comes down to understanding each country's ingredients and being willing to adapt recipes accordingly. By doing so, you can preserve the texture and flavor of your baked goods, no matter where you are in the world.
As a testament to this, I've included my own recipe for strawberry iced finger buns – a childhood favorite that never failed to put a smile on my face. These soft, pillowy buns may require an extra step or two, but trust me, they're worth it. And with the right combination of ingredients and techniques, you too can create delicious treats that transcend borders.
Recipe: Strawberry Iced Finger Buns
Ingredients:
* 150ml full-cream milk
* 2 tsp active dried yeast
* 30g caster sugar
* 375g plain flour
* 75ml water, boiling hot
* 15g milk powder
* ¾ tsp fine sea salt
* 1 egg
* 50g unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm pieces
* 60g strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
* 300g icing sugar
* ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
* 20g liquid glucose (optional)
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 170C fan.
2. Make the dough according to the recipe below.
3. Roll out the dough into small logs and place on a baking tray.
4. Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Drizzle with icing made from strawberries, icing sugar, vanilla bean paste, and liquid glucose (if using).
By embracing these international baking nuances, you'll unlock a world of flavors and textures that will leave your taste buds singing. Happy baking!
. Can't we just stick to what we know works? Like, I mean, why mess with perfection? The whole point of a recipe is to have it work out as written, right? Those bakers who constantly tweak and adjust are just trying to be too clever for their own good. And don't even get me started on the importance of using only one type of flour - plain old all-purpose is fine for most things 
. And yes, I do think American heavy cream is actually better than UK double cream... who needs all that extra fat and water? Just give me a good ol' fashioned buttercream any day 
.
i swear, every time i send a recipe to my friends in the us, there's at least one person who has to call me back and say "hey, why are your cakes so dense?" and i'm like "um, maybe it's because you used all-purpose flour instead of plain flour and didn't account for the lower protein content?" 
it sounds like it needs a bit of extra effort but trust me when i say it'll be worth it 
And can we talk about cream differences for a sec? I mean, who knew US heavy cream was thinner than UK double cream? 
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️ and that cream situation tho, heavy cream in america is way thinner than uk double cream 
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. The texture just wasn't right and I had to spend way too much time adjusting the ingredients to get something edible.
. I mean, what's next? Using metric measurements for everyday cooking? It's just too much to take in 
. As someone who loves baking and trying new treats, I completely agree with the author about how important it is to get the ingredients right across different countries. I mean, have you ever tried making a cake with American flour and UK butter? Game changer or game buster, depending on how well you know your recipes 
Can’t wait to give this recipe a try! 
plain flour in australia is diff from all purpose flour in usa n strong flour in uk 
gotta get it right or its gonna be all dense n heavy cake 
their cold brew is to die for i've been trying to recreate it at home but it's just not the same as ordering one from them lol anyway did you try that new restaurant in town with the crazy good desserts?
anyway i guess its all about doing ur own research and being willing to adapt recipes to get that perfect bake 
so yeah, you gotta be careful with that kinda thing. also, what's up with americans loving granulated sugar while us Aussies prefer caster sugar? 