In the Christmas bakery
Editor: Kerstin Stenger
The days are getting shorter, the nights colder. Little by little, the windows are being festively decorated. And the Christmas decorations are also lovingly put up in the home. It's getting cozy. Christmas is approaching. For many of us, it's the most wonderful time of the year. But what really makes Christmas special is not just the twinkling lights and festive decorations, but also the sweet smells that waft from our kitchens.
The traditional cookie recipes are brought out just in time for Christmas. What could be better? Every family has its own traditions and preferences, whether it's the classic gingerbread house, cinnamon stars or moist stollen.
Our employee Julia Stanco, logistics expert at LANXESS in Germany, is really looking forward to the Christmas season. Her big hobby is baking. In 2021, she took part in a German TV contest called Das große Backen and won second. In October 2023, she won the Austria Food Blog Award. Her recipe "Pistachio Cake" was awarded first place in the "Baking with Love" category.
The interview with Julia Stanco
Julia, how did you start baking?
I started baking through my children. When my youngest son turned one year old, I wanted to create a wonderful cake for him, even if he couldn't eat it. The "baking" experiment was born. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted more.
The first cake, for example, still had a bought “Duplo figure” on top. My ambition was awakened for the next cakes. I wanted to make the figures myself. But first and foremost, taste is important to me. The cake shouldn't just look good. Above all, it should taste good. And so my baking project grew step by step. I have tried out and experimented a lot. I also realized that baking has a relaxing effect on me. Kneading the dough properly after a stressful day is my yoga 😊. Why should I give up such a relaxing hobby?
You are a passionate baker. You are baking all year round. When does Christmas baking start for you?
Of course, I bake all year round - mostly cakes or tray bakes. As soon as it gets cold outside, even in the fall, we start baking cookies. For me, cold weather and cookies go together like pasta and tomato sauce.
My two children also love baking with me. They even ask for it specifically. And what could be nicer than baking Christmas cookies together with your children?
What is your favorite Christmas pastry?
My personal favorite cookies are shortcrust cookies. They are quick and easy to make. You can also decorate them so beautifully.
Is there anything you really cannot miss in the pre-christmas time?
I really couldn't do without baking during the Christmas period. I absolutely need a plate of cookies at home. It has to be there by the 1st Advent at the latest, otherwise I'm totally sad. I love the smell of freshly baked cookies in the house. No Christmas without the smell of cookies and a plate of cookies.
Experience has shown that no cake or the popular Christmas cookies should be without sugar. However, the topic is controversial. How do you sweeten your cakes, tarts and cookies?
Yes, sugar is a sensitive issue. But foods such as sausage are also controversial because they contain unhealthy ingredients. With everything, it's the quantity that makes it unhealthy.
I always bake with sugar. Sugar has a special role in baking. It ensures the dough has the right consistency. When I make a sponge cake, for example, I whip the eggs and sugar until fluffy. This makes the sponge dough fluffy. This doesn't work well with alternative sweeteners. I tried it, but for me it didn't work well. Ultimately, everyone has to make this decision for themselves. There is no right or wrong.
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Sugar: a popular sweetener, especially at Christmas
As Julia says in our interview, sugar is a popular sweetener, especially in the pre-Christmas time. Did you know that sugar tastes so sweet because our Lewatit® ion exchange resins remove bitter substances and other undesirable substances?
Why is sugar actually so sweet?
With the help of Lewatit® ion exchange resins, the mentioned substances can be easily removed.
But before unrefined sugar can become white refined sugar or sugar syrup for the sweet industry, it must make its way through a rather long process. First, sugar beets and sugarcane are processed and an extract is derived from them. In addition to the coveted sucrose – the actual sugar – this extract also contains salts, acids and proteins. To remove these non-sugar components, the unrefined juice is blended with milk of lime and quicklime. Following this, carbon dioxide is added, and the result is a yellowish brown juice. This is where the ion exchange resins by LANXESS come in: They are used to filter the dark juice, softening it by removing the salts it contains.
The result is a bright yellow, clear liquid. The liquid is then placed in evaporator stations to thicken it, passed through ion exchangers to remove the remaining coloration, and then crystallized. The end product is refined sugar: the highest grade of pure, white sugar.
And this is how it works
