Jungle Jim’s German Baking Class Notes

Facebook Group

People Who Love to Eat is my Facebook Group exclusively for students from my classes. If you have questions from class, need help with a recipe, or just want to chat, it’s the best place to get ahold of me. I hope everyone will join and participate. Please post photos of what you bake, share great finds, and ask questions. Anything food, cooking, or baking is fair game! Click the link below and request to join via the button on the right side of the screen.

Click here to join the People Who Love to Eat Facebook Community

Baking with a Scale

The best way to become a better baker is to start using a scale and measuring your ingredients by weight rather than volume.  The following photo is a link to the scale I had in class. This is my favorite scale in terms of durability, functionality, and affordability. I recommend ordering it from Amazon.

Baking Cups to Grams Conversion Chart

I created a chart that gives you the conversions many of the most used baking ingredients. This is a handy tool to print out and keep in your kitchen. You can download it by clicking the box below and following the prompts.

Click Here to Download the Cups to Grams Baking Conversion Chart

Black Forest Cake

One theory is that the Black Forest Cake was inspired by the traditional costumes worn by the women in the Black Forest region of Germany. The whipped cream represents the white blouse, the chocolate shavings represent the black dress, and the cherries represent the hat.

Proofing Dough in Cambro Food Storage Containers

Cambros are my favorite containers for proofing bread and dough. They are also great for storing big batches of soup, granola, etc. There are all different sizes and shapes but I think 4-6 quart containers are pretty good for proofing dough.

Lebkuchen Hearts

Here’s an example of the lebkuchen hearts sold in Germany for Oktoberfest and Valentine’s Day

Kirschwasser

You can use any Kirschwasser but here’s a photo of a bottle I purchased at Party Source recently. It was the smallest, most affordable bottle and I was happy with the quality. It’s made in Oregon, not Germany, so I was still breaking German Law. I know there are some authentic German versions available at Party Source too.