Food Availability

[POMPOOEYMAN]

Could someone please help me as next time i go back home to my village i want to bake some cakes for my kids.

Can you buy Bicarbinate of soda in tesco lotus or big c.

And can you buy flour in these supermarkets and if so which types can you buy eg self raising cornflour etc etc.

thanks POMPOOEYMAN

[percy2]

Could someone please help me as next time i go back home to my village i want to bake some cakes for my kids.

thanks POMPOOEYMAN

Can you buy Bicarbinate of soda in tesco lotus or big c.

Yes

And can you buy flour in these supermarkets and if so which types can you buy eg self raising cornflour etc etc.

Both and more , also yeast if you want to make bread and different types of sugar.

Cheers

[sceadugenga]

There seems to be a range of cake mixes available as well; I can't comment on them not being a sweet tooth so I suppose it would be trial and error.

[POMPOOEYMAN]

Could someone please help me as next time i go back home to my village i want to bake some cakes for my kids.

thanks POMPOOEYMAN

Can you buy Bicarbinate of soda in tesco lotus or big c.

Yes

And can you buy flour in these supermarkets and if so which types can you buy eg self raising cornflour etc etc.

Both and more , also yeast if you want to make bread and different types of sugar.

Cheers

THANKS from some very happy children and an even more POMPOOEYMAN

[POMPOOEYMAN]

Could someone please help me as next time i go back home to my village i want to bake some cakes for my kids.

thanks POMPOOEYMAN

Can you buy Bicarbinate of soda in tesco lotus or big c.

Yes

And can you buy flour in these supermarkets and if so which types can you buy eg self raising cornflour etc etc.

Both and more , also yeast if you want to make bread and different types of sugar.

Cheers

THANKS from some very happy children and an even more POMPOOEYMAN

What about plain flour.

[sheepshank]

Hi PPM - I get the impression (don't ask me how) that, maybe, you are not used to baking and stuff . You are most likely to need any one of 3 types of flour when baking, all 3 types are/should be available from any major supermarket chain in Thailand, although I've noticed recently that Tesco Lotus' shelves have been bereft of the stuff here in Khon Kaen. But that's no loss to me because I've always got it 30% cheaper in my local mom and pop shop in downtown Phukieo! The 3 types I am going to describe are all produced by the United Flour Mill Public Co Ltd and sold in supermarkets at approx 35 baht for a 1 kg pack, and I believe Thai Flour Mill Industry Co Ltd also offers the same range of products.

1) White Swan Bread Flour comes in a predominantly green/black plastic bag with a white swan in the top left hand corner. It has a high gluten content which means that it is ideal for making all kinds of bread and rolls with the addition of yeast as a raising agent.

2) Kite All Purpose Flour comes in a predominantly blue/black plastic bag with a kite in the top left hand corner. As its name suggests it has a mulitude of uses including many different types of pastry, pizza bases, cakes and biscuits, toad-in-the-hole, Yorkshire puddings, thickening up soups, stews and gravies etc. It is also called "plain flour" back home in UK. I use yeast as a raising agent when making pizza bases and baking powder (available in Tesco and Big C) when using it to make a sponge cake. Most pastry (with the exception of suet crust pastry) doesn't need a raising agent and Yorkshire puddings rely on the conversion of water into steam in order to rise.

3) (????) Cake Flour comes in a predominantly orange/black plastic bag and it is used for making ... er cakes. It is not so versatile as all purpose flour. In fact I don't have any at the moment. I threw my stash away recently because it had been hanging around for 3 years and I didn't want to take any chances with it. However, if you do use it for making cakes it has the built in advantage of not needing any raising agents because it is what yours and my mum would know as "self-raising flour".

Hope this helps. Must dash, it's time to put the leg of lamb in the oven for dinner tonight. Yum yum.

[cathyy]

Also please note that what is labeled as "corn flour" is cornstarch to a Yank. Yellow corn meal can be found in Bangkok for making cornbread.

Cake flour is made from soft white wheat with little gluten. Bread flour is made from hard red wheat with a lot of gluten. All purpose flour is in between. Self-rising flour is all-purpose flour with baking powder and salt already added. You can make your own from all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.

[POMPOOEYMAN]

THANKS to everyone for the advice and information.

Don't let that leg of lamb burn and when i get back it will be cakes for everyone and perhaps some scones.

THANKS TO YOU ALL a Very Very POMPOOEYMAN