My name is Hayley Mick and I'm a writer with the Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper. I write for the Life section, mostly about health issues but also about people's extracurricular pursuits.

Right now I'm researching a story about how rising food prices are affecting amateur bakers (particularly Canadian bakers!). Have you been forced to bake less? Or maybe you're getting more creative with your recipes -- Or discovered new places to buy ingredients at a discount. 

If you're able to chat, I'd need to speak to you this week, by Wednesday at the latest. Just send me your number and I'll give you a ring, or my numbers are below. 416-585-5118. email hmick@globeandmail.ca.

Thanks, hope to hear from you soon.

Hayley

Does vegetable oil work as a substitute for butter in baking yeast breads? I use it (or applesauce) in baking other stuff. I don't have access to butter or shortening.

I'm new to baking-bread-from-scratch but trying to learn...

I just moved to a rural area in China where they don't sell bread. My husband misses it a lot, so I'm trying to learn to make it. However, what I'm reading on here sounds a bit intimidating. I've baked yeast breads in the states, but I had any ingredient I could want and just did step by step recipe instructions, without trouble. Here, I just have the basics.

I asked around on grouprecipes.com's bread group about ideas. I was recommended to check into the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes' master recipe and Irish Soda Bread (but I don't have cream of tartar here).

From what I've read online, the master recipe (and maybe some others?) would work for me in some ways, but not others. Here's what ingredients and equipment I do and do not have access to:

*UPDATE* - I looked around and found more available ingredients: soy flour, black and purple rice, sesame seeds, millet, sticky rice flour, corn flour and corn meal, lotus root starch, sorghum (milo) and sorghum flour.

INGREDIENTS I DO HAVE:

*white flour
*rolled oats (and a small mill if I need to grind them)
*buckwheat flour
*honey
*soy oil
*yogurt
*applesauce (can make it)
*fruits of all varieties, inc. dried like raisins
*white sugar
*brown sugar
*salt
*cinnamon (can buy the whole bark and use mill to make it ground)
*soy flour
*purple rice
*black rice
*sesame seeds
*(yellow) millet
*sticky rice flour
*corn flour
*corn meal
*lotus root starch
*sorghum (milo)
*sorghum flour

EQUIPMENT I HAVE:

*small countertop oven (with options for turning on both elements, just the top, or just the bottom)
*refrigerator
*electric stovetop
*cookiesheet
*rolling pin
*mixing bowls, spoons, that type of thing

I can get (from a city an hour and a half away):
*baking powder
*baking soda
*packets of dry yeast

I do NOT have & don't have access to:
*whole wheat flour
*bread flour
*shortening
*butter
*margarine
*sour cream
*cream of tartar
*'coarse' or kosher salt - not even sure what this is
*vanilla
*peel
*baking stone

Any ideas? I'm considering buying the book but not if I am lacking something for all the ingredients. General tips about baking without a baking stone, or about alternatives for it, and ingredient subtitutions related to my lists above, and that kind of thing are also appreciated. Thanks!

I'm frugal. I've watched the cost of flour go up 50% in less than a year. I'm now paying 30¢ a pound (50 lb bag of enriched bleached bread flour from Costco $14.99)

There has been a lot of discussion of flours available in the U.S., continental Europe, the U.K., Australia, etc. The German and French flour types are government regulated, in both cases according to ash content. In the U.S., we categorize flours by protein content, mostly. But one mill's "bread flour" often differs significantly from another's. So, communication about ingredients across continents has been largely a guessing game.

Last week I was in a hurry to get my regular brioche prep out of the way so I could get on with my other loaves, and forgot to put the sugar in. There isn't much in there, but boy does it make a difference!

Buying ingredients in small quantities can be expensive.  For instance caraway seeds sell locally for almost $4 for 1.75 ounces.  I was going through a couple of those a month and decided to shop around on the internet.  I found a much less expensive source at about $10/pound + shipping.  When I bought some other items at the same time my shipping cost for the caraway seeds came in at $2.50.  My total cost was approximately 78 cents/ounce.  The local cost was $2.29/ounce, and then I had to factor in driving, time, etc....

It probably crossed your mind the minute you heard it.  Concern.  Those of you with connections, what have you found out?