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Product Reviews: 5 Flour Mixes bought from German Supermarkets

In German Supermarkets, varieties of Flour Mixes are available. These mixes are mostly for bread and cakes. While cake mixes are easy to get in India too, bread mixes are yet to enter the Indian market in a big way. So, when I moved to Germany, I was quite intrigued by these flour mixes and wanted to try them out in my kitchen.

In this article, I shall share my experience using these products with my readers. With some products, I followed the instructions on the packet, while with others, I got experimental and tried some changes that came to my mind.

In this article, I have reviewed 5 products:

1. Vollkorn Bauern Brot Backmishung from Demeter
2. Hammermühle glutenfrei Mehl Mix hell
3. Pizzateig Glutenfrei from Bauckhof
4. Dinkelvollkornbrot from Küchenmeister
5. Haferbrot Vollkorn from Bauckhof

So let’s start:

Product 1: Vollkorn Bauern Brot Backmishung from Demeter

‘Backmischung,’ which is basically a mix of all the ingredients needed to make bread, combined in the required proportions and packaged. You need to follow the instructions on the packet, which typically involve adding a few extra ingredients like yeast and water to make the bread dough. I have always liked Demeter as a brand, especially its milk, about which I have written in my article about sourcing Ghee in Germany. So, I started my experiment with baking mixes with this brand.

Here are some pictures of the bread mix that I used and the bread that I made. It involved adding extra yeast and kneading the dough, then resting it for about 30 minutes and baking for another 30 minutes.

My review: Bread making with this premix was easy and hassle-free. The bread was soft but a little dense because it had whole grains of wheat, spelt and rye, but it was quite flavourful.

You can buy Demeter products from their farm, Rewe, Tegut, Alnatura and a few other supermarkets. You can also buy this product from Amazon.de.

Product 2: Hammermühle glutenfrei Mehl Mix hell

I found this product in DM. It looked interesting because the description on the pack said that it was similar to type 405 ( If you are unfamiliar with Flour types available in German Supermarkets, please read my article here), but surprisingly didn’t have wheat or spelt in its ingredients. The ingredients were Stärke (Kartoffel, Mais), i.e. Starch (potato, corn); Mehl (Mais, Reis), i.e. flour (corn, rice) and Verdickungsmittel: Guarkernmehl, i.e. thickener: guar gum.

There were two suggested recipes on the pack:

1. Recipe for Sweet Yeast Dough (süßen Hefeteig)
2. Recipe for Lemon Cake ( Zitronenkuchen)

Recipe 1 with Hammermühle glutenfrei Mehl Mix hell

With this product, I decided to get experimental. I skipped the recipes mentioned on the packaging and started with using a portion of the flour to make Banana Pancakes.

Here are the ingredients I took for making Banana Pancakes:

1. Flour Mix: 2 Cups
2. Ripe Bananas: 2
3. Milk: 2 Cups
4. Eggs: 2
5. Baking Soda: 1/2 tsp
6. Clove Powder: 1/4 tsp
7. Nutmeg Powder: a pinch
8. Salt: 1 pinch

In addition:

1. Any sweetener like maple syrup/honey etc
2. Any fresh fruit

Method to make Banana Pancakes:

1. Beat the eggs.
2. Add mashed bananas to the eggs.
3. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, clove powder and nutmeg powder. Sieve the mixture and add to the eggs and bananas.
4. Add milk and whisk it all together to get a batter of flowy consistency.
   
   
   
5. Heat a pan and drop small portions of this batter. Drizzle oil/butter and make the pancakes.
   
   
   
6. Serve with any seasonal fruit and any sweetener of your choice. I served these pancakes with raspberries and honey.
   
   

My review: I found the flour Mix quite suitable for making pancakes. The pancakes were soft, had a lovely golden hue and tasted great.

Recipe 2 with Hammermühle glutenfrei Mehl Mix hell

On another day, I used some more of this flour to make Banana and Nut waffles. Here is how I made them:

Ingredients needed to make Banana and Nut waffles:

1. Flour Mix: 2 Cups
2. Ripe Bananas: 2
3. Milk: 2 Cups
4. Fresh Cream: 2 tbsp
5. Eggs: 2
6. Baking Soda: 1/2 tsp
7. Clove Powder: 1/4 tsp
8. Nutmeg Powder: a pinch
9. Salt: 1 pinch
10. Walnuts: 1/3 Cup; toasted and crushed
11. Almonds: 1/3 Cup; toasted and crushed
12. Dry Plums: 8-10 pieces
13. Butter: for making the waffles

In addition:

1. Any sweetener like maple syrup/honey
2. Any fresh fruit

Method to make Banana and Nut waffles:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and bananas. Blend them well. Then add milk and fresh cream. Mix well.
   
   
   
2. Separately combine the flour mix with salt, baking soda, clove powder and nutmeg powder. Sieve it into the egg mixture. Whisk it all together to get a smooth batter.
   
   
   
3. Add crushed almonds and walnuts and chopped dry plums.
   
   
   
4. Now, get the waffle maker. Pour in small portions of this mixture. Add some butter. Close and let the waffles cook.
   
   
   
5. Once done, remove and serve with any sweetener ( I used honey) and any fruits( I used chopped bananas and strawberries).
   
   

My review: I found the flour mix quite suitable for making waffles too. The waffles were soft, had a lovely golden hue and tasted great.

Recipe 3 with Hammermühle glutenfrei Mehl Mix hell

The third recipe that I followed was the one given on the pack- Lemon Cake.

Here are the ingredients I took for making Lemon Cake:

1. Hammermühle glutenfrei Mehl Mix hell: 250gm
2. Unsalted Butter, softened: 175gm
3. Baking Powder: 15gm (1 pk)
4. Sugar: 200gm
5. Vanilla Sugar: 1 pk
6. Eggs: 4
7. lemon Zest: from 1 lemon
8. Lemon Juice: from 1 lemon

Additionally, I took the following for glazing( not mentioned in the recipe, but I did this anyway):

1. Powdered Sugar: 1/2 cup
2. Juice for 1 lemon.

Method to make Lemon Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 deg C for 10 minutes.
2. While the oven is heating, whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla sugar in a mixing bowl until it becomes foamy.
   
   
   
3. Then add one egg, and whisk. Then add another and whisk. That way, add all the eggs one at a time, alternating between adding the egg and whisking. This will avoid curdling of the batter.
   
   
   
4. Then add the flour mix, baking powder, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix well.
   
   
   
5. Transfer to a baking mould and bake for about 50 minutes. Test by inserting a toothpick into the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Else, bake for some more time.
6. After the cake is removed from the oven, let it cool completely.
   
   
   
7. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice and pour it over the cake. Cut and serve.
   
   
   

My review:

1. The flour mix was very light and fluffy. Hence the cake batter looked very light compared to a refined flour batter.
2. The recipe was good too, because the lemon cake was delicious and juicy. However, adding the glaze was not a part of the recipe. And I think that the glaze enhanced the taste to a great extent.
3. The cake, after being made, was more crumbly than a regular refined flour cake.
4. As you can see in the pic, the cake sunk from the middle. Sinking happens when the temperature is not enough for the cake to bake, OR the batter is very loose OR when the oven is opened in between, which makes it lose heat. I usually bake cakes at 180 deg C, but since I followed the recipe on the pack, I baked it at 160 deg C. The recipe mentioned that if the batter looks tight, you can add milk to loosen it. But my batter looked right, so I didn’t add milk. I opened the oven only once after 40 minutes to check if it was done.
   But, despite not making any apparent mistakes, I could not understand why the cake had sunk.
   However, that didn’t affect its texture or taste.

So, overall, I would say that the mix was a hit for me :). I liked it and will surely rebuy it.

I found this product in DM. You can also buy it from Amazon.de.

Product 3: Pizzateig Glutenfrei from Bauckhof

I found this product in Alnatura. This is also a gluten-free product. The two recipes given on the packaging were Pizza base and Zwiebelkuchen ( Onion Cake).

I decided to make Onion Cake. Here is how I made it:

Ingredients needed for Zwiebelkuchen (Onion Cake):

1. Flour Mix: 1 Pk/350 gm
2. Sunflower Oil: 1 tbsp ( for frying the onions)
3. Onions: 1 Kg
4. Cumin Powder: 1/2 tsp
5. Creme Fraiche: 100 gm
6. Fresh Cream: 100 gm
7. Nutmeg Powder: 1 pinch
8. Salt: 1 tsp
9. Eggs: 2
10. Warm water: 250 ml
11. Olive Oil: 2 tbsp ( for making the dough)
12. Extra oil: For greasing the mould

Method to make Zwiebelkuchen (Onion Cake):

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onion and fry them on medium heat till they turn translucent. Turn off the heat and let them cool.
   
   
   
2. Turn on the oven and preheat it to 225 deg C for 10 minutes.
3. While the onions are cooling, prepare the dough. Combine the flour mix with warm water and oil and knead it together.
   
   
   
4. In a mixing bowl, combine the cooled onions, cumin powder, salt, Creme Fraiche, Fresh Cream, Nutmeg Powder and eggs.
   
   
   
5. Grease a baking tray. Spread the dough.
   
   
   
6. Pour in the onion mixture.
   
   
   
7. Bake at 225 deg C for about 40 minutes.
   
   
   
8. Let it cool a bit before cutting and serving it.
   
   

My experience with the product:

1. On the package, it was mentioned that the dough, when kneaded, would be loose, which was true. Since this is a gluten-free flour, there was no stickiness to the dough. It felt like I could just bring the ingredients together. The dough couldn’t be rolled. In Step 5, I had to put the dough into the mould and spread it with my hands. Because the dough could not be rolled, it couldn’t be spread evenly.
2. The packaging mentioned a baking time of 20 minutes. However, there was no mention of the size of the baking mould, on which the baking time would depend. I used a baking mould that had a depth of about 2 inches. It took me about 40 minutes to bake it.
3. After baking, the crust felt a little tough and dry, though its taste wasn’t bad.
4. If I compare an onion cake made with ‘regular’ dough with this gluten-free dough, I will rate the former higher in terms of texture and taste. However, it serves as a good replacement for someone looking for gluten-free products.

I bought this product from Alnatura. You can also get this product on Amazon.de

Product 4: Dinkelvollkornbrot from Küchenmeister

I bought this product from Netto and followed the recipe given on the pack to make bread.

Ingredients needed:

1. Dinkelvollkornbrot from Küchenmeister: 1000gm
2. Lukewarm Water: 660 ml

Method:

1. Combine flour and water and knead for about 10 minutes.
   
   
   
2. Rest the dough for 30 minutes.
   
   
   
3. Then, knead again, transfer it to a mould, and rest it for 60 minutes.
   
   
   
4. Bake in a preheated oven for about 50-60 minutes.
   
   

My review:

1. The recipe called for 660 ml of water, which, when added, made it very sticky and difficult to knead. I had to add about two tablespoons of regular whole wheat flour to be able to knead it well.
2. The rest of the process was simple and straightforward. The dough rose well on proofing, and the bread tasted great.

The bread was flavourful and had a lovely texture. I liked it and would recommend buying it.

I bought this product from Netto. You can also get this product on Amazon.de

Product 5: Haferbrot Vollkorn from Bauckhof

I bought this product from Alnatura; however, you can also get it from amazon.de.

I followed the instructions on the pack to make bread. The ingredients used were:

Ingredients:

1. 500 gm Bakckmishung ( bread mix)
2. 1 pk dry yeast
3. Water to knead the flour
4. Oil for greasing the baking mould and the top surface of the bread.

Method ( as mentioned on the pack):

1. Combine the flour mix and yeast.
   
   
   
2. Knead thoroughly for 5 minutes using a stand mixer or by hand. Rest the dough for 20 minutes.
   
   
   
3. Brush oil on the surface and grease the baking mould. Bake for 60 minutes in a preheated oven at 200 deg C.
   
   
   
4. Remove.
   
   
   
5. Slice it when the bread gets cooled.
   
   

My Review:

1. The dough was quite stiff and difficult to manage. Despite adding sufficient water, it felt hard; therefore, kneading it was pretty challenging. The instructions mentioned that it could be done using a stand mixer or hand. So, I would say that given that it is difficult to knead it by hand, buy this product only if you possess a stand mixer.
2. After baking, the bread became very dry. It was also about 90% done. Despite baking it for 60 minutes at 200 deg C ( as per the instructions) and using the correct size of the mould, the bread was not fully done. In some parts, it felt raw.

In conclusion, I didn’t quite like this bread and will not rebuy it.

Check out other recipes from my kitchen here.

To learn more about products in German Supermarkets, click here.

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