When my friend, Gerhild Fulson, founder of Quick German Recipes, and author of German Meals at Oma’s asked me to take a look at her newest cookbook, Baking Just Like Oma, I got excited! Partially because I just love cookbooks… but mostly because I knew that any book of her recipes would be solid, and a fantastic addition to my shelf. As anyone who has ever visited her website, Quick German Recipes/ Just Like Oma knows, Gerhild’s recipes are written with a straightforward style (how very Oma-like) without a lot of fluff. BUT she provides helpful and useful tips along the way, just like your Oma would.
German Baking, especially the older recipes, takes more than just translation. If you are trying to write for the American Kitchen, you have to convert measurements (and Gerhild is German-Canadian… so she had to put extra effort into the book!). Even the “standard” pan sizes are different. (Honestly, the amount of Math involved makes me want to send sincere apologies to Mr Rhode). But to make it more complex, the ingredients aren’t the same. Flour isn’t always flour. But Gerhild cracked the code. She took recipes learned from her mother, and put wrote them up in a way that you and I could recreate in our kitchens.
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Baking Just Like Oma: Traditional German Recipes for the Home Baker
The book contains around 60 main recipes, and a lot of extra recipes for ingredients that you would normally find in a German Grocery store like Vanille Zucker and Sahne Steiff (Vanilla Sugar and Whip it). She also includes conversion charts and other helpful bits of information, because remember, baking is more science, and this stuff is important!
The book starts with the toughest recipes of all, Bread and Brötchen recipes. Roggenbrot (Rye Bread), Sauerteig Vollkorn Brot (Sourdough Whole grain Bread), Laugenbrötchen (Pretzel Rolls) and more. All recipes carefully take you through the mysteries of working with yeast. She often uses her breadmaker to do the initial mixing and rise… BUT… also shares how to work the yeast dough with a regular mixer! (Honestly, I’m a big fan of short cuts, so I’m going to haul my Breadmaker out of the back of the garage cabinet).
From there the book goes to cakes. There are a few Torte recipes (and 2 versions of the Black Forest Cake), and other “fancy” cakes for company, but most of the recipes are for delicious items that a home baker would produce. The recipes you bake for family and friends. Delicious cakes that give us pleasure and make us proud to share. I already tested the Peach Streusel Cake… because I wanted to try her yeast dough version (and because I absolutely LOVE streusel). It came together as easily as promised… and tastes and smells heavenly (our mail lady asked about the wonderful smell when she came by!) I’m interested in trying both recipes for Apfel Strudel (one made with a puff pastry, the other with a sort of “rough puff”). And you’ll find a lot of favorites like Marmorkuchen, Rhabarbarkuchen, SchokosahneTorte, Blitz Torte, and Käsekuchen mit Quark… and another with Ricotta.
The Kleingebäck and Cookies are perfect for every day. There are plenty of traditional German cookies, like Sandgebäck and Nussecken… but she also shares recipes for Haferflocken (Oatmeal) Plätzchen, a recipe I associate with America, but recipes travel in both directions (and I’m always happy to eat an Oatmeal cookie it feels like you are being healthy…). The Skor Toffee Cookies (that’s a Heath Bar for you Americans) are so good, it doesn’t matter where they come from! Included in this section are Windbeutel (cream puffs) and Räderkuchen (fried pastries).
Finally, just in time for the holidays, we arrive at the Weihnachtsbäckerei. Gerhild shares her recipes for classic cookies like Vanille Kipferl, Linzeraugen, and Zimtsterne, and also a few recipes for Lebkuchen. I’m looking forward to trying her Quarkstollen (made with Greek Yogurt) and Königskuchen (King cake).
Through the whole book, you hear her voice (or is it your Oma’s voice?) talking you through the tough bits and telling you what to look for at each step of the recipe. There are tips for each recipe, and tips between recipes to help understand what you can do with leftovers, and why you shouldn’t open the oven door during the baking process (I’m guilty of that one). Each recipe comes with an introduction that personalizes it… and every recipe has a black and white photo so you know what it’s supposed to look like when you are done.
You are never alone when using the Baking Just Like Oma cookbook, instead, it feel like you have Oma beside you in the Kitchen making sure those baked goods come out just like hers.
I’d like to thank Gerhild Fulson for sending me her book to share with you. Just like her cookbook, German Meals at Oma’s, this I’ve already managed to dog ear the corners, and get splatters on the pages. All signs that this is a cookbook that I treasure and USE. I’d also like to thank her for supporting my efforts. All ships rise when we work together.
You can find more of Gerhild Fulson’s delicisous German Recipes on her website QuickGermanRecipes.com… and join in the conversation with her followers on the Facebook Kaffeeklatschers group.
Order Your Copy of Baking Just Like Oma HERE
Baking Just Like Oma: Traditional German Recipes for the Home Baker
I had previously visited Gerhild Fulson’s site but was a little disappointed that she didn’t use metric measurement for her baking. I just looked again and was very happy to see that saw she has now included them.
Yes! This book has metric too