Hi folks;
In a message dated 11/26/98, Martine Hubaut wrote:
>a good supplier of plain normal bread - which should to my understanding only
be >flour, yeast and water!

True enough. For the record, you do not need milk to make bread!
Bread doesn't require milk or milk powder to be good. As I understand it, milk
is a binding agent, and also extends the shelf life a bit. But it isn't a
neccessary ingredient.
The only critical ingredients in bread are just that: flour, yeast, water.
Salt is right up there too; it controls and evens out the proofing process,
and adds flavor. Sugar also adds flavor, and gives the yeast or levain a
little kick. Everything after that is just frills (and in many cases, very
tasty frills!).  Martine's recipe for bread sounds great.
If you have a good little bakery nearby that makes some kind of artisan or
peasant-style bread, it's probably just flour, yeast,water, maybe salt, and
safe to eat.
You can make a great loaf of good plain white sandwich bread without milk,
too. Kids aren't always crazy about "different" bread, and yearn for just
plain old white. (As do I, frequently.)
So go ahead and bake bread without the milk. Feel free to fling in other
stuff, though - herbs, olives, spices, whatever you like.
But you don't need any milk!
Best -
Libby Rock