How to Buy Flour in Croatia
As a baker, it was difficult to buy flour after arriving in Croatia. It is certainly plentiful enough and can be found in any supermarket. The problem was that I couldn’t figure out which kind to buy.
In the United States, the way flour is classified is much different than it is in Croatia. In Croatia, the German numbering system is used. So if you don’t know what the numbers mean, you have to guess, which is how I ended up with 3 kilos of fine blend flour I won’t ever use.
European Flour Numbering System
To solve the mystery, here is a breakdown of what the numbers mean so you can know exactly what you’re buying.
| United States | Germany/Croatia | France | Italy | Czech Republic | UK | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pastry/cake flour | 400-550 | 40 | 00 | Hladká mouka výběrová 00 | Patent White | ||
| All purpose flour | 550 | 55 | 0 | Hladká mouka | White | ||
| High gluten (aka bread) flour | 700-850 | 80 | 1 | Polohrubá mouka | Light Brown | ||
| First clear flour | 1100, 1600 | 110 | 2 | Hrubá mouka | Brown | ||
| White whole wheat | 1600-1700 | 150 | Farina integrale di grano tenero | Pšeničná Krupice | 100% Wholemeal | ||
Croatian Flour Vocabulary
In addition to the numbers, here are some other words to know when buying flour.
| brašno | "brosh-no" | flour | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| glatko | "glot-ko" | fine | ||
| oštro | "osh-tro" | coarse | ||
| bijelo | "bee-yell-oh" | white | ||
| polu bijelo | "pol-oo bee-yell-oh" | half white | ||
| pšenično | "p-shen-itch-no" | wheat | ||
| tip | "teep" | type | ||
| kukuruzno | "koo-koo-rooz-no" | corn | ||
| mješavina za | "m-yesh-a-veena za" | mixture for.. means it's a premixed flour for goods like pizza, donuts, etc. typically accompanied by a picture | ||
September 27, 2013 @ 4:28 pm
Oh, the horrors of international shopping. Baking is even more of a challenge. I am an American in Serbia. The flour I use comes from our farm. It tastes a lot different and I have had to adjust my recipes a good bit. Still, the challenges make me stronger and more confident, after they are overcome of course! 😉 Great post, I feel your pain!
October 1, 2013 @ 7:57 am
Hi Tina – There is a mill near Trilj that produces flour. I’ve been wanting to try it, but I’m sure it will take a lot of experimentation to get my baked goods right like what you’re going through. Does Serbia use the same numbering system for their flour?
October 26, 2013 @ 4:33 pm
Thanks for this useful guide – my baker husband found it useful! His big project is to build a brick oven in the courtyard of our house in Istria.
October 26, 2013 @ 4:46 pm
Glad it came in handy, Isabel! As I am a baker myself, I would LOVE a brick oven for making bread. You are one lucky lady. 🙂
December 16, 2013 @ 6:18 pm
Brilliant! Thanks for the guide – and Croatian pronuciation tips. I have been living in Korcula for several years and jsut recently started baking again. Your guide is great – going to pass it along to another recent arrival here.
December 17, 2013 @ 5:00 pm
Hi Ruth – Super glad you found it helpful!
November 26, 2014 @ 11:18 am
Soooooo grateful to find this breakdown on flour as I have stood and stared at the wall of flour choices only to leave frustrated! Thank you and happy baking!
January 21, 2015 @ 11:55 am
Thanks Melissa! Happy to hear you found it helpful. I’m a big baker, and it was such a struggle the first year I was here.
February 7, 2015 @ 5:24 pm
Hi Sara,
Thanks for for this incredibly useful post! Since moving to Belgrade I have tried to make chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies and both have failed miserably. Your blog taught me that it's because of the flour! (I was quick to blame the baking powder or baking soda)
Have you you found a good substitute for brown sugar? I thought of using white sugar + molasses buy I have no idea where to molasses!
thanks!
amy
February 7, 2015 @ 6:20 pm
Hi Amy!
So thrilled this post was helpful! Gosh, it can be so confusing. I was able to find brown sugar in Croatia, so didn’t need a substitute. Although, it wasn’t easy to find. I found it in the bio section of the grocery store and it was called muscovado. The organic stores (Bio & Bio in Croatia) have it too. Yes, molasses and white sugar is a good substitute but not in the Balkans where molasses doesn’t exist (although I wish it did!). Finding a bio store might be your best bet.
Good luck in your baking,
Sara
March 31, 2020 @ 1:09 pm
Hi Sara, Interspar has Molasses sugar! You can melt it or add a bit of water to create molasses! Stay safe!
March 31, 2020 @ 1:53 pm
Thanks for the tip, Jeanne! I buy the molasses sugar all the time for my chocolate chip cookies. 🙂
Stay safe and healthy!
Cheers,
Sara
February 12, 2015 @ 11:20 am
Hallo Sara,
We want to visiting Istrie by camper for three months. We want to bake our own bread. Can we buy whole wheat flour in the supermarket in Istrie. If not, we take the flour with us from Holland.
Thanks and many greetings
Marjan
February 12, 2015 @ 11:29 am
Hi Marjan,
It should be possible to find whole wheat flour in Istria. I’ve seen it at groceries store, typically in a bio section (separate from regular flour). If you don’t find it there, you can definitely get it at Bio & Bio. They have locations in Pula and Rijeka. You can find their addresses here: https://www.biobio.hr/nase-trgovine/
Happy travels!
Sara
February 12, 2015 @ 4:06 pm
Hoi Sara, thank you very much for youre information 🙂
Greets
Marjan
June 30, 2016 @ 8:01 am
Can anyone direct me to a shop in Sibenik, Croatia where I can buy rye flour for a bread maker.????
October 23, 2016 @ 7:35 pm
Am I understanding this correctly 400 crostian flour is equal to 00 flour. Thank.
November 7, 2016 @ 11:51 am
Hi Deirde,
Yes, they are similar. However, I recommend testing to make sure you get the same results you are used to as there are slight differences.
Cheers,
Sara
June 11, 2017 @ 9:39 am
Do they have self raising flour in Croatia or do I need to use baking powder.
July 5, 2017 @ 10:37 am
Hi Nicola,
I have not seen self raising flour here. You could use yeast, baking powder or soda bicarbonate, depending on what you are baking.
Cheers,
Sara
December 21, 2020 @ 5:56 pm
We use baking mixes like Bisquick in us for pancakes, biscuits or sausage balls..what should I buy for that in Zagreb…thank you
January 3, 2021 @ 1:10 pm
Hi Karen,
You could try larger shops like Mueller or Interspar to see if they have pre-packaged mixes like these. They aren’t traditional Croatian things, so you may not be able to find them.
Regards,
Sara
December 20, 2018 @ 5:38 pm
What type of flour can I use to make pasta. I normaly use simolina.
Thanks,
January 10, 2019 @ 3:17 pm
Hi Napoleon,
You can use fine semolina.
Regards,
Sara
February 8, 2020 @ 11:46 am
Hi Sara, what a useful guide — thank you! We’re in Makarska and I’m hoping to whip up a batch of banana bread (with gluten) for our neighbors. Before I found your guide, a woman at the grocery store recommended that I try an even mix of 400 and 550. I’ll give that combination a whirl, but now I’m wondering if a flour with a higher number would’ve actually been better. I usually use gluten-free mixes so the European numbering systems are new to me! Fingers crossed.
February 10, 2020 @ 3:17 pm
Hi Tricia,
Thanks!
For banana bread, I’d go with 550. I’m a baker by former trade, and I’ve also used 550 in place of all purpose. Never had an issue. 🙂
Regards,
Sara
July 19, 2020 @ 12:08 pm
Hi. I will establish a donut bakery in Bosnia and I wonder if there are “Ready Donut Mixes” in Croatia or nearby countries. I mean mixes like the ones from Dawn, JW Allen etc.
Thanks a lot
July 20, 2020 @ 10:11 am
Hi Ahmed,
I haven’t seen any around, but if I do, will let you know here.
Regards,
Sara
December 1, 2020 @ 8:27 pm
Thank you for this! I am coming to Vukovar this December and I want to bake Christmas stuff for my fiancé but am worried about finding ingredients. Good to know I might not be able to find brown sugar…sugar cookies might be okay though!
December 9, 2020 @ 10:56 am
Hi Kiki,
You’re welcome!
Light brown sugar is pretty much non-existent, but they have dark brown sugar (called “muskovado”) in the health food sections of the supermarket and also at health food stores.
Regards,
Sara