Margaret Suran > wrote:

>Growing up in Vienna, Austria, in the late 1920's and 30's, we had
>only two types of sugar, as far as I know: Sugar cubes and powdered
>sugar. Only powdered sugar was used for baking, the cubes were for
>hot tea and coffee.
>
>I did not follow this thread, but why can powdered or confectioner's
>sugar not be used for baking? What does the cornstarch do in the
>baking process that makes it unusable for it?

I believe that the Austrian powdered sugar of the 20's isn't the same
as the American 10X sugar. I've no documentation for this, except for
the fact that the Austrian powdered sugar *could* be used for baking.

It's not the cornstarch that makes it unusable for baking. It's the
physical difference between a powder and a granulated solid that makes
powdered sugar unuseable.

Most US baking takes advantage of the way that granulated sugar
behaves when mixed into a dough or batter. Powdered sugar doesn't
work the same way. Powdered sugar doesn't dissolve into liquids or
'melt' into a batter the same way granulated sugar does.


jenn
--
Jenn Ridley :