newcomer to dairy free, and dairy free cooking!

[alexx]

I've only been doing this for three weeks and it doesn't seem to be getting any easier :(
I was wondering if anyone has any tips for dairy free baking? If I substitute dairy free margarine like Pure soya for butter, will that work? And can you use soy or rice milk to bake, is unsweetened or sweetened better?
I really want to bake cakes again and feel really daunted :(

[cnc]

I made a chocolate sponge cake with pure sunflower spread yesterday, seems to be fine to me. I've never used butter for baking cakes always margarine and its never been a problem.

I also had yorkshire puddings made with unsweetened Alpro Soya milk the other day and they worked fine and tasted like the normal ones.

Just experiment and see what happens, it should all work fine though.

[Copper]

I have made cakes and muffins with Pure and they were fine. I have used unsweetened soya milk too and that worked. I have never used butter for cakes but shortbread does not taste the same if you don't use butter.

[rebecca c]

Like the others I use pure for baking. Used to use Soya but now I know that makes me ill too I use the sunflower - both work fine. I also use rice flour which is good too. I use rice milk for pancakes which is not too bad. Its just a question of experimenting.:)

[matt]

as has been said baking not your biggest problem. keep at it. it becomes easier.

[Pam]

Stork blocks (but not tubs) is dairy free as is Vitalite and you already know that Pure is ok for baking (loads of recipes on Pure web site and free recipe booklet and possibly money off vouchers if you contact them). I usually use soya or oat milk in cooking as rice is a bit thin. Oat milk does not work in Yorkshire puddings but I've not had a problem with it in anything else (except that porridge doesn't taste the same with extra oat flavour in). I tend not to buy sweetened soya milk but obviously it is better to use unsweetened in savoury recipes but sweetened will be ok for sweet ones. There are very few recipes that you can't do if you are just avoiding milk so don't let it hold you back.

[alexx]

thanks guys - I really wasn't sure about the soy/rice milks! :)

[Nic]

I just wanted to add that So Good (the fresh sort) makes wonderful pancakes! I don't like it in general (not keen on my tea tasting of vanilla!) but it is really good for cooking sweet things like pancakes, and also custard.

My wedding cake was made by my mother-in-law, who is a fantastic cook but had never used non-dairy margerine before. She made it with Pure, and it came out so well that she's still cooking with it, rather than butter. It was a fruit cake (very alcoholic!) but it works just as well for sponge cakes etc. And none of the guests notice anything different, either.:)

Nic

[cnc]

Most people don't notice anything different. My mum cooks with Pure and my brother and Dad will both eat it, as long as they don't know its dairy free, because then (especially my brother) they are convinced they won't like it and turn their nose up at it!!