Bake Like a Brit with These Ingredients

During our 2018 production trip to Great Britain, we picked up some new ingredients along the way with the help of British baker and TV personality Edd Kimber. Look to this guide for some of the most common products found in British bakers’ kitchens. 

GOLDEN SYRUP: Also called light treacle, golden syrup is a refined-sugar byproduct often used as the main sweet thickening ingredient in desserts like Treacle Tart or as a sticky topping for everything from English muffins to porridge. With a rich, buttery sweetness completely distinct from honey, molasses, or corn syrup, golden syrup has no true American equivalent. | Try It: Lyle’s Golden Syrup

SELF-RAISING FLOUR: Some contend that the main difference between British self-raising flour and American self-rising flour is the spelling. But American self-rising flour contains salt, as well as baking powder, since this type of flour is often used to create Southern-style biscuits. Self-raising flour contains only the baking powder and has a lower protein percentage. They’re basic equivalents, but tweaking may be required depending on the recipe. Pay attention to the salt content of the recipe and adjust accordingly. | Try It: Marriage’s Self-Raising Flour

PLAIN FLOUR: Plain flour is the British version of all-purpose flour, with a 7- to 10-percent protein content. American all-purpose flour is made with harder wheat, creating a 10-to 11-percent protein level. This can change the texture of tender-crumbed baked goods such as scones and sponge cakes but won’t affect those that require more gluten development, like cinnamon rolls. For more delicate desserts, our American substitution is cake flour, which has 8 percent protein and is a closer match to plain flour. For all others, we stick with all-purpose flour. | Try It: Marriage’s Plain White Flour

DEMERARA SUGAR: A favorite sweetener for British bakers, Demerara has a subtler, lighter taste than American brown sugar, with larger golden sugar crystals and only a slight stickiness. Though it resembles the more familiar turbinado sugar, Demerara has a higher molasses content and larger grain, lending a definite crunch to crumbles, cookies, and scones. | Try It: Tate & Lyle Demerara Sugar

MARMALADE: This jewel-toned citrus spread is marked by its tart fruitiness and jelly-suspended bits of rind. American versions can lack the satisfying bitterness of British marmalade, so invest in some authentic British marmalade, preferably made with pungent Seville oranges. | Try It: Wilkin & Sons Tiptree Orange Medium Cut Marmalade

CASTER SUGAR: Caster sugar, also spelled as castor and sometimes referred to as superfine, has the consistency between that of American granulated and confectioners’ sugars. Quick to dissolve and ideal for making fluffy desserts, caster sugar is fine enough to pass through a “caster” shaker, hence the name. Bakers beware: substituting either granulated or confectioners’ will affect a dessert’s texture, so it’s best to stick to the real deal. | Try It: Tate & Lyle Caster Sugar, a traditional caster sugar, or Billington’s Golden Caster, which is made from unrefined cane sugar.