FAQ

Yes you can although you will need to follow the instructions for 'soda bread' or 'yeast free bread' if those settings are available. You will probably have to play around with baking times and level of liquid in the bread before hitting the perfect combination. To be honest though, there is hardly any gain in using a breadmaker since making my breads takes such an incredibly short amount of time (since there is no kneading or rising time involved). My advice is; skip the breadmaker and use the storage space for something else!

There could be one million and seven reasons for your baking to go bad. It could be the ingredients, the oven (too high heat or too low), too much humidity in the environment or it could just be one of those days when nothing works out the way it should (I have those all the time)! All recipes are triple tested when I put them on my website so I definitely know that they worked at home. However since I am not familiar with your kitchen, equipment or ingredients you might need to do a 'trial run' of a few recipes before you feel confident using healthier ingredients. Also make sure you follow the recipe carefully and when you are confident enough you can play around with it a bit.

Welcome to yeast free baking! Yeast free breads are never as light and airy as breads made with yeast. It is specifically the yeast that creates air and makes the breads light. Although it is hard making light and airy yeast free breads it is essential that you do not over mix the dough. You will only need to stir the ingredients (once the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet ingredients) a couple of times (8-10 folds). Often it is only necessary to fold (not stir) the mixture. The less you fold/stir usually the better. This is especially important when baking muffins and tea breads. Although the baked goods will be heavier than baking with yeast you can keep in mind that it takes only minutes preparing the breads (a lot less time than traditional breads) and there is no kneading required and no waiting whilst rising.

• If the bread was undercooked on the inside but the crust very hard the dough probably contained too much liquid to begin with. Reduce the liquid next time.
• Also, the oven could have been to warm. Try lowering by a few degrees and bake for longer next time.
• Start with half the liquid you think you will need and then add more if needed. Spelt flour is sensitive to moisture and humidity in the environment so you need to take that into consideration when adding liquid. A rainy day or wet laundry can even reduce the amount of liquid needed!
• It is good to keep in mind that the bread dough should not be so wet that it would drop off a spoon easily, however it should be very sticky and it should be quite difficult to knead (due to the stickiness). You should in general not need to knead the dough.

In general you can substitute baking powder in place of baking soda (it may affect the taste), but you can't use baking soda when a recipe calls for baking powder. Baking soda on its own lacks the acidity to make a cake rise. Both baking soda and baking powder are leavening agents, which means they are added to baked goods before cooking to produce carbon dioxide and cause them to 'rise' and give them 'air'. It does not however work like yeast. Baking powder contains baking soda, but the two substances are used under different conditions. Some recipes call for baking soda, while others call for baking powder. Which ingredient is used depends on the other ingredients in the recipe. Baking soda will give a bitter taste unless countered by the acidity of another ingredient, such as buttermilk or yoghurt. Baking soda is often used in cookie recipes. Baking powder however contains both an acid and a base and has an overall neutral effect in terms of taste. Recipes that call for baking powder often call for other neutral-tasting ingredients, such as milk. Baking powder is a common ingredient in breads, cakes and biscuits. Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate, but it includes the acidifying agent already (cream of tartar), and also a drying agent (usually starch such as wheat). It is usually best to bake recipes immediately after combining baking powder and moisture/liquid as leaving the mixture on the table might produce 'flat' results (as the gas will have been released already), depending on the type of baking powder you are using.

You can make your own baking powder if you have baking soda and cream of tartar. Simply mix two parts cream of tartar with one part baking soda. I use aluminium and gluten free baking powder which means that there is no aluminium used and instead of the starch used (usually wheat) a gluten free starch is used. I use it in same amounts I would regular baking powder.

No. In general I don't use anything in my recipes that has been manufactured in a lab or by chemical engineers/scientists. It's just not the way I roll. I always recommend that people use no chemical sweeteners at all, but use natural sugars instead. The best thing to do is avoid all artificial and chemical sweetener substitutes. They have NO food value and they trick the body into thinking it is eating something sweet. Some say that they have by-products of harmful toxic side effects. The side effects most often reported in relation to chemical sweeteners is headache, migraine, mood changes, dizziness, depression, nausea and more. I don't know how much of these can be attributed to sweeteners alone (and I don't care to find out for myself) but whatever nature doesn't produce in some form, I'm not eating.

Curd Cheese is a fairly low fat cheese which is similar to soft cheese/cream cheese. I have used it in cheesecakes and it holds well during baking. You can use low fat Philadelphia Cheese instead of curd cheese. I am however not fond of using soft cheese in general and my cheesecakes are the only recipes where I would use it.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a food additive often used as a ‘flavour enhancer' in fast food, dried food (such as soups), snacks, crips and tinned and frozen food. Chemically speaking, MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid (thus, the name monosodium glutamate). Glutamate may be described as E621, glutamic acid, autolysed yeast extract or sodium caseinate. MSG may also be included under vague descriptions such as ‘seasonings', 'flavourings', 'flavour enhancers' or ‘hydrolysed protein'.

The potential ill-effects caused by MSG were first described in a medical journal as ‘Chinese Restaurant Syndrome'. Symptoms including numbness and palpitations were reported shortly after visiting a Chinese restaurant. Such claims have never been specifically linked to MSG however, and could be due to common allergies to other ingredients like peanuts and shellfish. MSG has however been linked to many conditions including migraines, rashes, brain tumours, asthma, depression and Alzheimer's and Parkison's Disease, although it has never been isolated as a cause (well they said the same for smoking and lung cancer for a long, long time). Some scientists say that avoiding MSG is hysteria and that people won't become sick from eating it. I would personally never consume MSG because food tastes plenty good without it in my opinion and why rock the boat in terms of your health?

Tofu (bean curd) is made from soybeans, water and a coagulant, or curdling agent. Tofu has very little flavour on its own, so it can be used either in savoury or sweet dishes, and it is often seasoned or marinated to suit the dish. It is low in fat, high in protein, iron and calcium and is known for its ability to absorb new flavors through spices and marinades. A stable in Asian diet, it is mainly used in the Western world by vegans and vegetarians in place of dairy or meat. Look for tofu in the produce section of your grocery store (or health food store). There are two main kinds of tofu, silken or soft tofu (often used instead of dairy products in smoothies, frosting and more), and firm or regular tofu (marinated and cooked and used instead of meat). When using firm tofu you will need to drain the water and press it using a kitchen towel to remove excess liquid. For silken tofu you can use it as it is.

You will find pure, organic maple syrup in your local health food store or you can order it online. Maple syrup is often available in supermarkets as well. Just make sure that the maple syrup you purchase is 100% pure and organic and does not contain glucose syrup, colourants or flavourings. Pure maple syrup is expensive but worth every penny. I use it in all kinds of cookies, ice creams and cakes.

No, just a virtual one, for now. If however I win the Lottery things might change.

See this list of things to keep in your cupboard.