A Note About Ingredients

Late in 2007, I bought a Nutrimill. If you are serious about baking, you should, too. Never mind your health (altho that will benefit as well). Freshly ground whole grains taste so much better than even good commercial flours it will just blow you away. You can order organic wheat berries (soft or hard, for pastry or bread) from Eden Organics. Shipping isn't too crazy. Bob's Red Mill sells spelt berries for a decent price and shipping, although more than Eden's wheat berries. Sun Organics and others also sell online. Depending on where you live, there might be a source you can drive to.

Needless to say, as a result, I neither sift nor fluff. I do still occasionally buy commercially ground flours, when I'm trying a new grain and am not sure if I want to buy a big bag or not. I usually buy Arrowhead Mills, unless there is something more local and organic available (as is generally the case in Seattle).

There isn't a lot of consensus on just how bad dietary aluminum is, but I, personally, don't care for the taste of most Baking Powders, over and above possible health risks. Rumford and Featherweight both contain no aluminum. If your market doesn't carry it, a lot of health food stores do. Featherweight is also no-sodium.

If you haven't figured it out from the recipes, I'm milk-allergic and lactose intolerant. If you are too, the following might be of interest.

Between trans-fat and saturated fat, I no longer use stick margarine. I was using Earth Balance a lot, but the sodium was causing trouble. I'm currently using Smart Balance Organic, which is almost as high in sodium, when I absolutely cannot substitute oil. Otherwise, I've been switching from creaming fat and sugar to emulsifying egg and oil, then adding sugars, etc.

I still occasionally buy Spectrum, with no trans-fat and at least some versions have flax seed oil. They also make a crisco-like, non-hydrogenated, trans-fat free bucket o' shortening that works okay for pies (and is also sodium free). It's palm based. Use at your own risk.

I generally use olive oil for oil in baked-goods recipes, and occasionally canola. I've basically been brainwashed by the fatty-acids crowd. I use soy milk almost exclusively, preferring the soybeans + filtered water ones with no added flavors or sugars; I've fully acclimated to the beany flavor, as have my husband and son, and I no longer much care what anyone else thinks. If you can't get what you want locally, Amazon sells some in their Prime grocery selections.

Created: January 7, 2008
Updated: January 8, 2008