A day or three ago I read a message from someone who asked, very reasonably, why make bread from scratch when it's possible to turn out bread from prepared mixes at  lower cost and which rise every time. They're good questions and they're ones we may all have asked at some previous time.

 My reasons are that I can now make bread with a better taste and texture doing it from scratch. My loaves stay fresh (this is Tuesday evening and I've just eaten some of the bread I made last Thursday morning) and have a great taste. But, more than that, I'm persuaded that modern "factory Bread" is not something I want to eat or to dose my family with. (I include pre-packed mixes in that exclusion.)

I encourage anyone interested in this topic to go to http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/the-shocking-truth-about-bread-413156.html and http://www.grain.org/seedling/?id=471 for two articles which, although based on the views and research of one highly successful baker, are sufficiently different that it's worth reading and printing out both of them.

I'm sorry to have misplaced the original post but hope the poster may come across this reply.

Sojourner

Hello!

I have just stopped following an alkaline diet which banns yeast consumption. My reasons for stopping were the lack of science behind the approach. However, some things remained with me, like the sugar free part of the diet.

However, for a couple of years now I've been suffering from repeating skin rashes on my legs, which improved dramatically while following the diet. I am obviouly not interested in reversing that process. I have been told that yeast (which feeds on sugar) is not highly recommended untill symptoms are gone.

After reading a few posts here, it seems like some people here are quite educated about the different types of yeast and bateria, and might be able to give me some sound answers.

So I wanted to know:

1. Will sourdough be better for me?
2. Is unleavend bread the best?
3. What about baking powder or self rising flour?

Thank you very much!

I decided after a few sensible, somewhat alarmist, posts here on TFL that i would not buy unglazed flooring tiles (terracotta, saltillo, etc) for use in my oven. There are too many health concerns involved with the manufacturing and raw material differences between flooring tiles and bakeware. Any cause for concern should not be ignored. It's likely that flooring tiles could be perfectly fine to bake with. On the other hand, maybe not.

It helps that I'm getting a good amount of money back after taxes, which I decided to spend on a baking stone and other baking equipment. And to keep track of what I could get, I'm putting together this list:

Sur La Table, (Best Manufacturers) $42, 14x16x5/8

Old Stone, (via Amazon) firebrick, $29.95, 14x16x?

Breadtopia, Fibrament, $51, 13x17.5x3/4, $69, 15x20x3/4

Ace Mart, American Metalcraft, Corderite, $44, 14x16x1/2

Central Restaurant, Fibrament, $58.49, 15x20x3/4

i never thought i'd see the day that sur la table looked like an economic option!

I'm a bit ashamed that this will be my first forum post on this awesome site, but anyways...

I work in a bakery, and over the past few months I've been getting a runny nose, lots of sneezing, watery eyes, etc. I assumed it was the weather or a long, mild cold, but it came back with a vengeance today, I did some research, and it looks like I have Baker's Rhinitis. Apparently it's quite common, and as many as 25% of occupational bakers develop the allergy at some point in their career.

I'm a bit upset right now especially because my wife and I have been seriously considering buying the bakery where we work, and I was betting on a lot of long shifts.

But it's somewhat debilitating when I have to blow my nose and wash my hands every five minutes.

Is there any hope? Would wearing a mask help? I'll go to a doctor and get some allergy tests done, but at this point it's making a lot of sense.

Does anyone know anything about Baker's lung/flour lung? I've been having some respiratory problems for the past three or four weeks - not like asthma, there's no wheezing - just tightness/constriction in my throat and chest. My DH made a link between when I got my grain mill...and I've been grinding wheat every day since then...and the coughing/constriction. It comes and goes, but it seems to be getting worse. Went to the doctor, and he didn't detect anything (wouldn't ya know...) and told me I'm perfectly healthy. It makes it tough to breathe. Does anyone have experience with this or links for more info?

Jeni

White Whole Wheat -- What is it?

I understand that whole wheat contains the bran, rich in fiber, endosperm, the largest part of a wheat kernel, consisting of protein and water, and the germ, the embryo of the wheat, surrounded by highly nutritious vitamins, minerals and oils. What parts of the wheat kernel consist the white whole wheat flours we see today?