Mina_Alicante

I am trying to prepare a tea party, but I am having trouble finding caster sugar here in Spain. I've searched around the boards and online and some people recommend using granulated sugar and putting it in a blender. However, that's the solution that people also give to make icing sugar, which would be too fine for what I wanna do (Victorian sponge and scones. I've baked them before but I was in the UK so had no problem with the ingredients).

I am having a similar problem with self-rising flour, which I have not seen around Spain. I think I will just try with normal flour and add levadura, but I thought there might be someone here who bakes and could tell me what you do when you don't have these products around. I could always drive to Benidorm and try to find them in an expat store there, but I was thinking of sparing myself the drive if I can get a good result with products I can buy nearby.

Thanks!

aw73

Hi, we had the same questions when we were last in Spain. We searched and came up with this response from Nigella Lawson`s site -
Nigella prefers to use a combination of plain (all-purpose) flour and baking powder rather than self-raising (self-rising) flour for practical reasons. Self-raising flour contains baking powder but as baking powder will expire after a period of time you need to use up self-raising flour more quickly than plain flour. Of course you need to check that the baking powder you add to the plain flour is also within its "use by" date, but Nigella has found this approach to be more useful for her. It also saves cupboard space as you only need to keep one bag of flour plus a small container of baking powder.

In the US self-rising flour also contains added salt which can lead to some of the recipes tasting a little too salty if this flour is used.

As a guide, Nigella uses 150g (1 cup) plain flour plus 2 teaspoons baking powder to replace self-raising flour in recipes. Also for some recipes, particularly those containing cocoa, Nigella finds it useful to use a little bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) in addition to the baking powder, for extra lift.
Hope this helps
Alan

Mina_Alicante

Aaah, perfect. Thanks Alan, that's the flour part sorted!

Retired in Euskadi

Our local Eroski supermarket now sells different types of flour other than the normal "harina de trigo". We've used "harina de repostreria" to make cakes such as sponge, etc.
Caster sugar not so sure; could try el corte inglés delicatessen area, or else a light grind of normal sugar in a coffee grinder.

Mark604

I'm struggling to buy baking soda, not baking powder. Soda is just bicarb of soda as far as I remember whereas powder has other stuff in it. Is 'levadura' bicarb of soda then or yeast or something?

Mina_Alicante

If I am not mistaken, you will find baking soda here as bicarbonato sódico. It typically looks like the white packages on the left. Usually in cylindrical white containers. I am sure you will find it in Mercadona or just any supermarket.

And then the baking powder we have here is what we call levadura en polvo or levadura química, which literally means 'yeast powder'. And the most popular and reliable one would be Royal.

Mark604

Mina, thanks. I actually managed to find it today. Not in the baking section though, it was with the salt. Never thought it'd be there.

Mina_Alicante

Glad you found it.

Casa Santo Estevo

You can purchase self raising flour. Harina con Levadura

also look for harina bizcochos



Caster sugar is hard to find.
We use an online retailer called Appiehein. This shop is aimed at the Dutch expat, however the website is in 3 languages. The Dutch call caster sugar basterdsuiker.
On this page of the shop you can see three listed.

Dark Brown Sugar Van Gilse



White Sugar Van GilseLight Brown Sugar Van Gilse

Mina_Alicante

Thanks! It looks like the Gallo flour should not be hard to find. Will try to get it.

I might do as you say too and just get caster sugar online. By the way, the name 'basterd suiker' made me grin. Awesome.

casa del sol

Sugar... get some granulated sugar put it in a food grinder/processor, a few blasts it becomes caster sugar, a few more and it becomes icing sugar.

Red_Wine_Fairy

My grandmother (a prolific cake baker) always made her own caster sugar by putting it in a sandwich bag and using the rolling pin on it until she was happy it was fine enough.


About the Dutch basterdsuiker, that's more like Muscovado or Demarara than caster sugar, so avoid for sponge cakes! Our equivalent for caster sugar is called Fijne Kristalsuiker, but I don't see it in that webshop (perhaps they'd be willing to get some in for you if you asked?). Alternatively, there is always the British Supermarket webshop for expats (postage cost is the killer, I'm afaid)

Casa Santo Estevo

The web shop has a good name in the Dutch expat community. The wife is a moderator for one of their forums, that is where we picked it up from.
On line translator basterdsuiker
The reason why you cannot find Fijne Kristalsuiker in Appie Hein is because it is normal sugar. Web page from Albert Heijn a major Dutch retailer

Mina_Alicante

Thanks a lot for the tips, Casa del Sol, Red Wine Fairy and Casa Santo Estevo! Very useful.

Aww, I like this. I think I will try this out. That's all the ingredients sorted then!