By Daniel Gray
Just flour, sugar, butter, an egg, a dash of salt, a bit of baking powder can transform your entire house into a time capsule. Baking cookies in the kitchen is almost every child’s first foray into cooking. Play-dough trained us in the technical skills of mixing and forming cookie shapes and our short stature is perfect for peering into the television like oven to see our creations transform into delicious confectionaries.
Baking can be problematic in Korea, especially if you don’t know where to go. Most households still lack ovens- and if you do have an oven, you might not know where to get all the proper tools such as pans, spatulas, pastry bags, measuring cups, and mixers. While most modern supermarkets such as E-Mart or Lotte Mart now carry some baking supplies, the price of the ingredients is astronomical and subpar; so baking requires a true investment of your time and money. I posed this dilemma to my friend Elinza Pretorius, who has her own baking company; she pointed me towards Bangsan Market near Dongdaemun.
Go to Jongno 5-ga exit 7 and walk straight. You’ll cross a brick bridge that crosses over Cheonggyecheon river and you’ll see a sign that reads, “방산종 한시장.” (Bangsan Jong Han Shi-jeong). As you pass through the gate, don’t be disappointed. It may not be the bakery wonderland that you may have expected. Walk about 50 meters and you’ll see a little bakery shop called “Seoil Total Bakery System (설토탈베이커리시스템).” It is a small shop and they have a reasonable array of baking supplies such as molds, cookie cutters, scales and other supplies. Walk a little farther and you’ll see a red sign that reads “박스” (Parks). Turn into this alley and you’ll find a cluster of 10 or twelve bakery shops that sell everything from ovens and KitchenAid mixers to 1-kilogram containers of cream cheese, non-dairy whipping cream, sprinkles, whole wheat flour, chocolate- basically all you need to make your favorite cakes, cookies, pies, and bread.
Under a yellow canopy you’ll find “의신상회” (Weishin Sang Hee). This was the bakery ingredients store that was featured in the popular Korean drama, “My Lovely Sam-Soon.” This store is well laid out and there is a vast array of different kinds of flour (including cake and whole wheat flour), nuts, dried fruit, sprinkles, Dutch process cocoa, and canned fruit for pies such as cherries, blueberries, and pear. The prices on bulk items are quite reasonable. A 1-kilogram bag of chocolate chips costs a mere 5,500 won and a block of Anchor butter will cost 4,500 won. This is also the place to get baking chocolate; they have a large variety of milk, bitter, and dark from all over the world.
So you have your ingredients, but that’s not enough. You will also need pans and trays to transform your ingredients into edible works of art. I recommend “d & b” and “경훈공업” (Kyoung hoon Gong Ap). These stores have friendly personnel and a willingness to discount their products for big-ticket items (haggling is expected.) Also, they often add a few extras, as service, if you spend upwards of 200,000 won. Gas ovens are also available for purchase. Used ones range from 80,000 to 150,000. New and commercial models start around 300,000 won.
“d & b” is a well laid out store with a vast array of different pastry tips, spring form pans, cake pans, spatulas, cookie cutters and mixers. They also have silpat and silicone heat resistant oven mitts. The KitchenAid mixer prices at “경훈공업” (Kyoung Hoon ) seem to be the lowest out of all the places I checked out. Their mixers range from 450,000 won to 550,000 won. And they will deliver these items and the new products come with warranties.
If you just want ingredients delivered to you can contact Happy Baking at www.happybaking.com; however, the site is in Korean only. Their shop is located across the street from where you entered into the “박스” (Parks) alley. This seems to be a popular little store that is always packed with people getting their supplies and wares. The service is excellent and the workers seem have a lot of baking knowledge.
Now, if you can’t make it all the way to Bangsan market there are a couple other alternatives for your baking needs. In Itaewon there is the “Foreign Mart.” Here you can get most cooking ingredients, but you won’t be able to get hardware. In addition to baking supplies, you’ll be able to get Thai, Phillipino, and Indian ingredients for your Tom Yom Goon or Chicken Masala.
In Hannam near the Volvo dealership, there is the “Hannam Supermarket.” Here you’ll be able to get baking supplies and some of the more exotic ingredients such as fresh herbs, frozen raspberries, and artisan chocolates. Hannam prices are a bit expensive, but they are conveniently located.
A ways down from the Hannam mart is Haddon House. They have many of the same goods as the other stores, but they also sell whole turkeys to go with your hot holiday buns.
Being a foreigner in Korea, I know how important it is to have reminders of home. The process of baking is often a ritual that transports us to another time and another place. When I bake at home, I am reminded of Christmas with my mother and sister as we formed a family assembly line. We made Sand Tarts- thin sugar cookies topped with cinnamon and sprinkles. My sister and I would fight over who would lick the spoon and, although we were told we would have to save the cookies for Santa, my mother would let us have a few cookies right out of the oven. When I bake at home, I am home.
Seoil Total Bakery System
02-2267-0871
suhilco@naver.com
d & b
02-2267-4000
www.bakingmall.com
Happy Baking
02-2268-6009
www.happybaking.com
경훈공업 Kyoung Hoon
02-2275-5902
www.kyounghoon.com
의신상회 (Weishin Sanghee)
02-2265-1398
Haddon House
02-794-0511
Hannam Mart
02-702-3313
Foreign Mart
02-793-0082
