Recipes

Can I make your yeast bread recipes with sourdough? If you’re an expert baker and regularly adapt yeast recipes to use with starter, then certainly – if not, and you’re a beginner, I would recommend seeking out a recipe that’s been tested with starter instead. I have made many of my recipes using starter in place of yeast but lower protein flours like spelt are so much more difficult to work with that I prefer to share sourdough versions that I’ve tested many times. Generally speaking you can replace 2 teaspoons yeast with 100 grams active starter but many elements of the recipe will change.

Can I substitute gluten-free flour? I will often share gluten-free recipes using flours like buckwheat, chickpea, and oat. If the recipe uses a wheat type like spelt, I won’t have tested it with a gluten-free flour. I can’t provide much guidance on using blends but many readers have said that they’ve made things like cookies and muffins with 1:1 blends with good results.

Can I use dairy products to replace non-dairy? Definitely, and in more recent recipes I do try to note that. Please note though that I’m allergic to dairy protein and can’t consume it so I rarely test recipes with it (sometimes I’ll ask a colleague or friend to try a recipe with dairy if I’m not sure). Generally speaking, using dairy to replace non-dairy substitutes (like oat milk) in yeast and sourdough recipes will increase the elasticity due to added protein and will make the bread easier to work with. For things like quick breads you can sub it without any changes. Using butter to replace oil will have different results.

How can I reduce or omit the oil? While you can reduce the oil in some recipes and replace it with substitutions like applesauce, know that the end result will have a different taste, texture, and appearance from the recipe.

What substitutions can I make? If substitutions have been tested and were successful, you’ll see them outlined in the recipe post. Sometimes I’ll provide substitution ideas for things like add-ins, which won’t change the chemistry of the recipe. For baking in particular making substitutions will always impact the end result.

What type of oven do you use? Because I travel all the time and don’t currently have a home base, my recipes are tested in many different kinds of ovens. I always carry a portable oven thermometer to make sure temperatures are correct. If you have an older oven that doesn’t automatically adjust temperature based on setting (fan-forced will be hotter) then a little thermometer is a great purchase for reliable bakes.

Blog

Can I use your photo or recipe? I ask that original recipes are not republished from the blog, in any shape or form, without prior consent. If you adapt one of my recipes, please use proper accreditation. In terms of images, one from a post can be used if you link back to the original post with credit. All images and recipes are under copyright. For any other types of use, please ask for prior permission. If you want to purchase an image or you’re interested in publishing my work, please contact me for rates and availability, or view and purchase some of my photographs through Picture Pantry.

Can I guest post on your site? We don’t accept guest posts. All posts and recipes are written by Alex.

Can we send you a product in exchange for review? I don’t write posts or share on social media in exchange for product. If you’re interested in a sponsored post, please email me and we can chat. Cookbooks are a little different – I’m always happy to receive books! I’ll write reviews or post on the blog for books I absolutely love or if I have a connection with the author.

We’d like to work together. What are your rates for sponsored posts and social media? To enquire about rates please use this contact form. Please include as many details as possible including the scope, timeline, budget, and any other relevant details, and I’ll get back to you with an answer and media kit if desired.

What camera equipment do you use? I have a Nikon D750, and go between a 50mm 1.4 lens and a 100mm 2.8 macro lens. Older pictures are shot with a Nikon D7000 and really old ones with a Sony point and shoot. More recent work is mostly photographed in artificial light. I edit through Lightroom and Photoshop and don’t use filters.

Contact

If you have any questions that haven’t been answered here, reach out via email at alexandra(at)occasionallyeggs.com. If your question is regarding a specific recipe, read through the post carefully first and if your question still isn’t answered, leave a comment on that post.

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