Handmade in
Hamburg
Baked in Germany by Carol H .
Before I moved to Hamburg in February of 1982 , I tried my hand at making Apfelstrudel . I remember streeeeeeetching out the dough on the kitchen table … and enjoying the fruits of my labor with friends . It was exciting , preparing for my move : What should I bring ? Where will I live ? What will the weather be like ? ( Hamburg is almost the same latitude as Juneau , Alaska !) Will I remember any of the German I ’ d learned ? But , perhaps , most telling was the box of spices I slipped into my trunk . I wanted to be sure that I could still cook and bake — the way that I knew how .
Unexpectedly , adapting to baking here proved to be harder than I thought . No , I did not need to be a master of Strudelteig — in fact , my banana bread , cheesecake , and carrot cake were always quite welcome at parties . But something was never quite right . Was it the flour ? The lack of baking soda ? Wrong baking powder ? No Crisco for my pie crusts ? No canned pumpkin ? No wax paper ? I became creative …
Carol ‘ s love for baking didn ‘ t wane when she moved to Germany , but her tools and resources have definitely adapted . ( Photos by Carol H .)
… but I also embraced my newly adopted country . My trusted Betty Crocker cookbook and Bon Appetit subscription were exchanged for German cookbooks and Essen und Trinken . Measuring cups for a scale . Dr . Oetker was my new friend .
I still bake pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving — yes , made in Germany , and they taste pretty darn good ! I have adapted and learned to be more creative .
18 Special Theme : Handmade in Hamburg