Saturday, February 25, 2012

Search for the snowball maker . . .

I spent an hour surfing on the Internet, yesterday, in search of the snowball maker! Oh, you would like some clarification? Earlier in the week, I posted my attempt at replicating the wonder Schneeballen (snowballs in German) pastries my son and I enjoyed in Rothenburg, Germany.  Schneeballen are thinly rolled out pieces of dough cut into strips and then formed into a ball and deep fried. Although the taste was quite comparable, they didn't hold together as well in the deep fryer. How did those bakers in Rothenburg get them so round and perfect? My research revealed there is such a tool called a Schneeballen tongs. Great! I now knew what to look for specifically in my searches. I even found a picture of one. I did not, however, find anyone or any place that sold one. The closest I could find was a meat ball tongs but it was less than two inches in diameter and not nearly big enough for the fist-sized pastries.

My family did enjoy my rendition of the Schneesballen even if they were far from round. My daughter did let slip when she said, "Mom, can I have another of those Schneeballen brains?"

I told my husband that there was nothing for me to do but go back to Rothenburg to narrow down my search. For some obscure reason, he didn't seem to think this made sense! He ate my Schneeballen 'brains' yet he didn't want to eat them 'properly' as in a round pastry as they were devised to be? The quality of life in him has certainly faded in this area.

Meanwhile, if anyone knows where to get one, let me know. Given that a search on the Internet didn't discover one, I'm feeling rather hopeless on the subject. And, I could have started a Schneeballen craze here in California, too! :-)

2 comments:

Luz Maria Mateo said...

Hi there!!!! I came across this post and even though it's been almost a year I thought I could help. I've managed to make them and what I did was heat the oil but not super hot, grab the little pastry ball after you've tangled it and put it in one of those big spoons with holes in it and put gently in the oil, the trick is to push the spoon against the side of the pot to allow the ball to keep it's shape the first few seconds after touching the oil. You could also try and get the tea balls, the mesh ones and make them in smaller sizes. make the ball, put it in the cage, close it and drop it in the hot oil. there are tea balls that range from 2 to 4 inches so they can be really useful.

Barbara Maria said...

Since I'm still looking, it is yet a timely response! My son and I were blessed to visit Rothenberg over a year ago and fell in love with these simple treats. They can be addicting! I do appreciate the idea and it seems more than workable. The tea ball idea in genius!