THE BREAD DOCTOR

Our resident bread expert, Barney Desmazery, answers all your baking queries

Is there an easier way of making sourdough?

Strictly speaking, what I’m about to suggest isn’t ‘sourdough’, but it’s a great place to start if the idea of constantly caring for a starter is a step too far. Use a sourdough starter for flavour – you won’t be relying on it for leavening – and add a little fastaction yeast (use 3g for every 500g flour). The dough will be better behaved, and as long as you cold-prove it in the fridge overnight, you’ll still get the tangy flavour of sourdough. You’ll need to feed the starter once you’ve used some, but you won’t need to worry about how active it is when you mix the dough. Proper sourdough doesn’t contain yeast, but Good Food is all about kitchen inclusion and this little trick means everyone can get involved.

Can I use up milk in my bread dough instead of water?

As long as the milk hasn’t spoiled, it will work in many bread doughs. In fact, lots of types of bread are based around milk instead of water. Simply swap the water for the same amount of milk in the recipe. The addition of milk will make your bread softer with a spongier crumb, and it will keep fresh for longer. But, you won’t achieve the same crisp crust that you get with water-based bread. This doesn’t just apply to cow’s milk; soy, almond, oat and goat’s milk all work well in bread recipes, too.