Cooking & Sugar

If you have ever tried to follow a German or Scandinavian recipe with American substitutes, this is the shelf that fixes it. Half of European home baking depends on small packets that simply have no equivalent in a US supermarket.

Dr. Oetker is here properly — not two token boxes but the working aisle. Gustin fine cornstarch, Sahnesteif to stop whipped cream weeping, Käsekuchen Hilfe for cheesecake that sets, Tortenguss Rot for glazing a fruit tart, clear glaze, Bourbon vanilla sugar, plain vanilla sugar, instant yeast, baking powder, gelatine fix, Grießbrei semolina pudding and the original pudding mixes.

Alongside it: DanSukker pärlsocker, the Swedish pearl sugar whose coarse nibs stay whole on top of a bun and are close to impossible to substitute. Odense almond paste for marzipan, kringle and stollen. Canasuc rooster-shaped sugar cubes from France. RUF chocolate sprinkles, and Swan potato starch flour.

Everything here is dry, shelf-stable and ships anywhere in the United States. European Food Store has imported baking ingredients to Santa Rosa since 2011.