All About Baking Ingredients

FLOURS

Almond Meal

I love, love baking with almond meal, also called almond flour. It gives baked goods a lovely moist texture and sweet slightly nutty flavour. It’s gluten-free and low-carb so ticks all the right health boxes as well.

The only downside is that it’s very expensive. While writing this book I started buying in bulk (like 9kg / 18lb) and keeping it in my spare fridge which makes it much more affordable. There’s also the nut allergen problem for schools etc.

You can get blanched (skins off) and natural (skins on) almond meal. Generally I buy blanched because it looks more like regular flour for my boys. However, I accidentally ordered natural last time so many of the photos in this book were taken with my natural meal. I quite like the more wholesome look. The skins provide some fiber so natural wins on that front.

I generally buy insecticide-free almond meal and almonds rather than organic because I can’t justify the extra cost.

Best substitutes: Other nut meal, finely ground sunflower seeds, plain all-purpose flour. Just start with a 1:1 substitution (by weight) and adjust as you go.

Coconut Flour

There’s no doubt that coconut flour is a strange beast. My first attempts at baking with it were very discouraging. I’d pretty much given up on it. But having diabetes and looking for low-carb flours that weren’t nut based just left coconut flour.

I persisted for this book to give you some nut-free options. They’ll also help when Fergal starts school. Plus a friend gave me a 1kg (2lb) bag of coconut flour which I didn’t want to waste.

While coconut flour absorbs crazy amounts of liquid, it can give an unpleasant mealy, dry texture. I’ve found a solution though. Making sure your recipe includes lots of fat keeps the mouth feel moist and lovely.

Best substitute: None. Coconut flour is a unique beast.

Chickpea Flour

Also called ‘besan’, this is my go-to when I need a replacement for regular flour. Mostly it works 1:1 by weight.

I’ve had success with making puff pastry, empanada dough and some bread. It can be used to thicken sauces or for a batter to make onion rings. Yum onion rings!

The only problem is that while it is gluten-free and lower carb than wheat flour, it’s still quite carby. It still spikes my blood sugar (damn onion rings). So I only use it occasionally.

Best substitutes: Any plain all-purpose flour or flour substitute.

Ground Linseeds (Flax Seeds)

Linseeds are awesome nutritionally because they’re packed with fiber, good fats AND they’re super low carb. I generally buy golden linseeds because they look better but you can use regular ones interchangeably.

It’s super important to buy organic. My Dad had a friend who was a linseed farmer and apparently they’re a really tricky crop to grow. So they’re often treated with loads of pesticides.

I grind my own as needed using a dedicated ‘spice / coffee’ grinder. Don’t worry, I have a separate serious grinder for my morning java beans.

Best substitutes: Ground chia seeds. Sometimes almond meal will also work.

Ground Sunflower Seeds

I’ve been experimenting with using ground sunflower seeds as a nut-free alternative to almond meal. As with linseeds I buy whole seeds and grind as needed.

In theory it should work. But in practice I find the ground sunflower meal to be wetter and need longer baking times than almond meal.

Best substitutes: Almond meal, ground linseeds.

Canned Beans

It might surprise you how fabulously cannellini beans and black beans perform in sweet baking. I use organic, BPA-free cans more because I care about the can being safe than needing my beans to be organic.

I always wash my beans thoroughly because the ‘gas’ inducing oligosaccharides are water soluble and tend to leach into the canning liquid.

While much lower carb than regular flour, these do contribute some carbohydrate. If you need to watch your blood sugar, choose small serves or skip these recipes. I’ve labelled them with a ‘carb alert’ so you don’t forget.

Best substitutes: White beans can substitute for black but not the other way around. In theory chickpeas should work in both cases. Home cooked beans are also great (1 can = 240g (8oz) cooked beans).

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FATS & OILS

Butter

There are few things better than butter! Our favourite is ‘Kerrygold’ from Ireland.

I tend to use salted butter for savoury cooking and unsalted for sweet. Normally it doesn’t matter too much, so don’t stress if you don’t have the right type. EXCEPT if you try and make the lemon curd or my lemon delicious cake. Salt + lemon + sweet = weird taste.

Best substitute: Coconut oil or light olive oil.

Coconut Oil

I generally use virgin coconut oil when I’m happy to have that sweet, coconutty flavour and a refined coconut cooking oil when I don’t want to taste coconut. Because it’s saturated, coconut oil is very stable so a great oil for cooking. It’s also full of short chain fatty acids which are linked to brain health.

Best substitute: Butter or light olive oil.

Olive Oil

Again, I keep two different types of olive oil as well. This isn’t sounding very simple, is it?

I use light olive oil for any recipes calling for ‘neutral flavoured oil’. And extra virgin olive oil for savoury baking when I’m happy for the peppery flavour.

Best substitute: Any neutral-flavoured oil.

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SWEETENERS

Stevia

I use both pure stevia powder and occasionally granular stevia as my go-to sweeteners these days. For more details see An Important Note About Stevia [link to stevia page please]

Best substitutes: Depends on your preference! One of the best parts about using pure stevia powder is the only function it provides is to add sweetness, so you can easily substitute your favourite sweetener based on taste.

Honey

I love the flavour of real honey. But honey is pretty much the same as white sugar from a blood sugar perspective. So I treat it with care. There’s only one recipe in this book using a small amount of honey for flavour and stevia for the bulk of the sweetening.

Best substitutes: Maple syrup or just skip it.

Maple Syrup

Another gorgeous flavour I only indulge on very rare occasions. Like honey, maple syrup has the same impact on your blood sugar as sugar.

I have seen recipes calling for Maple Syrup ‘Extract’ which I assume is a concentrated form. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find anyone selling it in Australia but would love to experiment with using a tiny amount of maple extract with stevia for low-carb maple treats.

Best substitute: Honey or just skip it.

Molasses

I used to love baking with brown sugar. Those lovely caramelly flavours were the thing I really missed when I started baking with stevia. Until I had the idea to add a little molasses. Brown sugar is just white sugar that has been painted ‘brown’ with molasses. Hey presto!

Mine is black strap molasses which I think just means it comes from sugar cane. Am sure any molasses will give you a similar result.

Molasses is about 60% sugar which I don’t mind because it’s only a few teaspoons here and there but if you want to be 100% sugar-free you’ll need to skip it.

Best substitutes: Just skip it or use brown sugar (carb alert!).

Sugar

OK, I have some sugar in my pantry. I keep it for guests who like it in their tea or coffee. Apart from a batch of plum jam this summer, I can’t remember the last time I used sugar in my cooking. I’m so happy with the results I get with pure stevia powder, I don’t even feel tempted to switch back to sugar.

That being said, sugar does have a lot going for it. It’s inexpensive, it’s super delicious and it binds up moisture so makes food last longer (which I why I used it in my jam).

While it’s more addictive than heroin (in lab studies with mice), I don’t think sugar entirely deserves all the negative press at the moment. While it certainly isn’t a health food, I also don’t believe it’s the only factor responsible for the obesity epidemic. Surely white flour, factory farming and food processing have contributed something?

Many of the recipes in this book began life using sugar so if you are OK with the white stuff, then follow the ‘sugar-lovers’ variations. Many of my recipe testers did!

Best substitute: Granular stevia is the easiest. Usually if a recipes calls for sugar you can use half the amount of granular stevia without any problems.

Dates

While dates are super high in sugar (like 70%+), there are a few recipes in this book using dates to sweeten because they’re just so damn tasty. But they come with a ‘carb alert’.

There are two types of dates – cheap pitted dates and fresh Medjool dates (with pits in).

I use cheap pitted dates because (a.) they’re more economical and (b.) Medjool dates are addictive. If I have Medjool dates in the house I will eat them all, so it’s safer not to buy them. Plus there’s no need to remove the pits from pitted dates.

Medjool dates are higher moisture so if you’re using them you’ll need to skip the soaking (and don’t forget to remove the stones)!

Best substitutes: Other dried fruit like figs, apricots or prunes.

Other Sweeteners

I avoid sweeteners apart from stevia because they tend to either contain sugar (like honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, dates or agave) OR they’re man-made.

I would consider using xylitol occasionally because it’s from a natural source but have preferred to stick to stevia for simplicity. And I’m not sure how safe sugar alcohols like xylitol (and the erythritol found in granular stevia) are for our gut microbes.

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EGGS

I have my own chickens but often they don’t lay enough. So I make sure I buy free range eggs from small local producers. I prefer pastured eggs because the have more omega-3s. But for me the most important part is to make sure the chickens are happy.

Egg sizes vary considerably. I use large eggs (which weigh about 59g or 2oz).

For most recipes, though it won’t be a deal breaker if your eggs are slightly smaller or larger.

For recipes calling for egg whites and egg yolks, I’ve included in the variations whether you can substitute whole eggs.

I make a lot of mayo and am always looking for ways to use up egg whites. I generally freeze my whites in ziplock bags and write on the outside the number of whites contained.

But if you forget to label, like I do occasionally:
1 egg white = 40g (1.4oz)
1 egg yolk = 20g (0.7oz)

Best substitutes: While there are plenty of options, I’ve chosen to just stick to real eggs for this book. Mainly because I had enough to manage by removing the sugar from everything. Plus eggs are one of the best sources of protein out there and are soo nutritious. If you can’t eat eggs, please email me (jules@thestonesoup.com) and ask for a refund. Seriously.

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DAIRY & DAIRY SUBSTITUTES

Yoghurt

After almond meal, natural yoghurt is my next most favourite baking ingredient because it adds a fresh tangy flavour and keeps everything moist. I make my own yoghurt but you can use any commercial yoghurt as long as it doesn’t have added sugar or flavour.

When I do need to buy yoghurt I choose unsweetened full fat Greek-style.

I avoid yoghurts made with powdered milk solids because the spray drying process oxidizes any cholesterol present in the milk. And while dietary cholesterol doesn’t bother me, when it’s oxidized that’s another matter. You also get that unpleasant spray dried flavour.

Best substitutes: Coconut yoghurt, sour cream or whipping cream.

Coconut Yoghurt

The best dairy-free yoghurt option. There are plenty of good ones on the market these days.

I have a recipe for coconut yoghurt on my blog but it’s not the best one out there. Next time I try, I’ll be using this recipe without the sweetener.

Best substitutes: Greek yoghurt, sour cream or unsweetened coconut cream.

Milk

I buy unhomogenized full cream milk from a small local(ish) dairy. It’s not certified organic but I’m confident the owners of this small business care about their cows and their customers. Plus it tastes amazing!

Feel free to use your favourite milk.

Best substitutes: Almond milk or coconut milk.

Cream

One of my favourite treats is double cream which is pure cream, about 50% fat. When I was living in California it was practically impossible to find. Man did I miss it.

Generally I just dollop on double cream when I’m serving. If you don’t have access, regular whipping cream (35% milk fat) is fine.

When I whip cream to serve with desserts, I aim for ‘semi-whipped’ because I like the texture better. Instead of whipping until super thick, I stop as soon as the cream is thick enough to spoon. I prefer a hand balloon whisk because I like the little workout and I find it easier to avoid over whipping.

They way whipping works is to beat air into the fat globules so you need a minimum fat content to get the cream to whip. Temperature is also important so make sure your cream is nice and cold from the fridge.

Mostly if I use cream in cooking it’s whipping cream. I buy both thickened and pure whipping cream depending on what has the longest shelf life and use them interchangeably. The thickened stuff contains the same amount of milk fat but has been thickened using gelatine or a vegetable gum.

As with my milk, I don’t necessarily buy organic but try to source from small producers who care about their herd and their customers.

Best substitutes: Unsweetened coconut cream, yoghurt.

Cream Cheese

It is highly processed but I do love me some Philidelphia Cream Cheese. It’s hard to imagine a cheesecake without it. If you’re a fellow fan, you should check out my cream cheese tortillas for an addictive savoury treat.

Best substitutes: Other cream cheese.

Ricotta

Ricotta is an Italian cheese made from the whey of other cheese making. There are two types. Firm ricotta, usually sold in delis, and smooth ricotta, sold in tubs at the supermarket. I use both from time to time but for the recipes in this book I’ve used the smooth, creamy stuff in tubs.

If the only ricotta you can find is dry and crumbly, see the substitutes below for other options.

It’s one of the easiest cheeses to make at home. To have a go, here’s my ricotta recipe. You just need milk and lemon juice.

You can also get low fat ricotta but you can probably guess my thoughts on that.

Best substitutes: Cream cheese, mascarpone, whipped cream.

Mascarpone

Mascarpone is another Italian cream cheese that is similar to smooth ricotta. It has a slightly salty, creamy flavour which I love.

Interestingly there were a few recipe testers who weren’t fans or their children didn’t like it. The good news is there are plenty of easy substitutes.

Best substitutes: Smooth ricotta, double cream, whipped cream, coconut yoghurt, coconut cream.

Coconut Cream

Of all the ingredients, this one caused the most problems for my recipe testers. I buy organic coconut cream in BPA-free cans. More because I want to avoid toxic plastics from the cans than I really want organic coconut products.

It’s unsweetened. The ingredients are just coconut, water and a thickener. And it’s about 21% fat.

If you’re not sure about your coconut cream, please email me (jules@thestonesoup.com) to double check. I don’t want you to have a baking disaster!

To whip coconut cream, chill your can in the fridge for a few hours. When it’s cold, open and scoop the solid cream into a bowl, discard the watery part (or use in smoothies or drink it). Then whip the cream until light and fluffy. As with regular cream, successful whipping involves incorporating air into the fat globules and it’s important for the fat to be cold.

Best substitutes: Unsweetened Coconut milk.

Coconut Milk

Again you want unsweetened. Generally coconut milk is the same as coconut cream but with more water added to each can (for the same price per can!). So I only use coconut cream and water it down myself if I don’t want as much fat (which generally doesn’t happen. I love fat!)

Best substitutes: Unsweetened Coconut Cream.

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NUTS & SEEDS

General Nuts

At any one time my pantry will have a multitude of nuts. At the moment there are pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, cashews and almonds (sliced flakes and whole).

I also buy macadamias (expensive but super-low carb) and brazil nuts.

I always choose unsalted, so I can control how much salt is added. With the exception of peanuts and cashews, I buy unroasted nuts.

I like having roasted peanuts around because they’re one of my Irishmans favourite snacks (and much better for him than potato chips). And I keep roasted cashews so I have one roasted nut ready and waiting. Both are dry roasted so I know they haven’t been exposed to dodgy vegetable oil.

Because we go through our nuts pretty quickly, I keep them in the pantry. If you’re worried about not eating them before they go rancid, store in the fridge or freezer. The cooler the temperature, the slower the rancidity reactions develop.

If I do have some nuts with a little rancidity, I pop them in the oven for 5 minutes (180C / 350F) which freshens them up. But if it’s really bad, I throw them out because rancid (oxidised) oils promote inflammation in our bodies.

In terms of roasting, I hate to think how many batches of pine nuts (in particular) I’ve burnt over the years. Now my favourite method to is to spread the nuts on a baking sheet and roast at 180C (350F) for 10 minutes. Setting my timer! If they’re not done I stir and keep checking every 5 minutes.

To be honest, I often just use raw nuts because I’m in a hurry, even though I generally prefer the more intense flavours of roasted nuts.

Best substitutes: Other nuts. I group pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts together and all the rest in another group. Mostly I substitute within each group so use pecans, walnut and hazelnuts interchangeably. Seeds are great when you have nut-allergy situation. Toasted bread crumbs can also work when you just want textural interest.

Seeds

Since writing this book, my seed collection has been expanding. My favourites are sunflower seeds, golden linseeds (flax seeds) and sesame seeds. I always buy organic linseeds but am not so picky with sunflower or sesame.

Occasionally I buy pepitas (pumpkin seeds), but I don’t love them. Sometimes I also buy chia seeds but find them over-priced and nutritionally not much different to linseeds.

I keep whole seeds in the pantry and grind my own using my ‘spice’ grinder (actually a dedicated coffee grinder that I use more for seeds than spices). Whole seeds are more stable than ground.

Best substitutes: Other seeds, nuts.

Coconut

OK, I know it’s not really a nut. I like using the biggest flakes of coconut I can find for my granolas because it adds lovely lightness and bulk without relying on carby rolled oats. They look like pencil shavings and are called ‘chipped coconut’ in my health food store.

The other coconut I use is finely chopped desiccated coconut which I only buy on the odd occasion that I make a batch of lamingtons.

Best substitutes: Sliced ‘flaked’ almonds (for large chips) OR ground nuts (for the desiccated).

Peanut Butter

OMG if I was only allowed one treat ingredient it would be a toss up between dark chocolate and peanut butter. As you may have guessed from the number of peanut butter recipes in this book!

I keep both crunchy and smooth in the house. Generally they can be used interchangeably, you’ll just get a different texture with the crunchy.

Many commercial peanut butters contain sugar and added (dodgy) vegetable oils. Check your label to make sure the only ingredients are peanuts and salt.

My peanut butter is roasted which I think gives better flavour. They also use high oleic peanuts which contain more stable oils than regular peanuts. There can be problems with mould growth and aflatoxins (known carcinogens) in peanuts(!) So make sure your supplier has impeccable quality standards.

Best substitutes: Other nut butters, sunbutter or tahini.

Other Nut Butters

Occasionally I buy a jar of almond or cashew butter or ABC (almond, brazil nut, cashew) butter. But they’re so much more expensive and my boys prefer peanut butter so they’re not pantry essentials around here.

Best substitutes: Tahini or peanut butter.

Tahini

Don’t use unhulled tahini unless you love bitter flavours with your baked goods. One of my recipe testers had a massive flavour fail with the tahini cookies because she used unhulled tahini.

I only buy hulled tahini because I prefer the flavour. And I tend to buy organic but it’s because I like the label – not very scientific of me 😉

Best substitutes: Almond or cashew butter. Sometimes peanut butter will also work.

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FIBER SOURCES

Psyllium Husks

Psyllium is some sort of crazy high fiber plant that originated in India. It’s super high in soluble fiber and was a key ingredient in a cholesterol lowering breakfast cereal marketed by Kellogg when I worked for them.

It’s not grain based, so is paleo friendly and naturally gluten-free. It’s my go-to ingredient when I want to add a little fiber and don’t want to use linseeds (flax seeds).

I’ve only ever seen the husks which look like fine bread crumbs. Apparently you can get psyllium powder as well. I’ve read that 1 teaspoon psyllium powder = 1 tablespoon of the husks if you need to convert.

Best substitutes: Psyllium powder, chia seed bran, ground linseeds (flax seeds) but check the recipe, in some cases you really need psyllium for its special moisture absorbing properties.

Oat Bran

Depending on who you talk to, oats are either inherently gluten-containing or likely to be cross contaminated with wheat. Confused? Me too.

While it’s possible to buy gluten-free oats, I wouldn’t risk it if I were coeliac. But it’s up to you to experiment.

These days I prefer psyllium when I want to add fiber but there is an older recipe in the book that calls for oat bran so I thought I’d included a description.

Best substitutes: Psyllium, linseeds (flax seeds).

Chia Seed Bran

Mentioning this here because I used to buy it until I decided I preferred the simplicity (and economics) of just keeping psyllium husks in the house. None of the recipes in this book require chia seed bran.

Best substitutes: Psyllium husks, ground linseeds (flax seeds).

See also: Chia Seeds, Linseeds (Flaxseeds)

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FLAVOURINGS

Chocolate

Always buy the best you can afford. I tend to use Lindt 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate for cooking. And their 90% cocoa solids for snacking!

The higher the cocoa solids, the less sugar and the more cocoa butter you’re getting (which is much more expensive than sugar). So higher cocoa solids chocolate is a much better deal.

The only thing I find with 90% cocoa solids chocolate is that it is more prone to ‘splitting’ which is why I generally go for 70% when cooking. I hate when chocolate splits.

When I worked for Australia’s largest biscuit (cookie) manufacturer, we made our own chocolate. I loved learning about the process and (of course) just hanging out in the chocolate room. The smell was a-maz-ing. It gave me a huge appreciation for the complexities of making chocolate and how important the conching process is.

If you’re wondering, conching is where the chocolate is mixed in huge machines for hours and hours (in some cases 12 hours or more) to develop the flavour.

I hate when I see sugar-free chocolate recipes using coconut oil and cocoa powder. They’re completely missing out on the texture and flavour you get from a well made chocolate. And don’t get me started on ‘raw’ chocolate.

Best substitutes: There’s no substitute for real chocolate!

Cocoa Powder

While I’ve experimented with ‘raw’ cocoa powder, my favourite cocoa is good quality dutch-process because of it’s beautiful colour and intense chocolatey flavour.

Even if there are a gazillion more anti-oxidants in the raw stuff I’d rather focus on flavour. (And get my antioxidants from red wine!)

Best substitutes: You can sometimes use melted dark chocolate instead, but generally only cocoa powder will work.

Fruit

I love using fresh and cooked fruit to add flavour, sweetness and prettiness when I’m baking. My faves are berries, apples, pears, rhubarb and stone fruit because these are the lowest sugar / carb options. Although there are a few recipes here using high carb tropical fruits like mango and banana, I’ve marked them with a ‘carb alert’.

Generally frozen fruit can be substituted for fresh, just expect the baking times to be slightly longer unless you defrost before using.

If freezing your own fruit to make ice cream or to store it, best to peel, remove any stones and chop into bite sized pieces before freezing. This way it takes up less space and you’ll be moments away from delicious sorbet or ice cream.

Best substitutes: Other flavourings or fruit.

Vegetables

Carrot cake has always been one of my favourite cakes. It’s so awesome to be having a sweet treat AND getting a serve of vegetables at the same time. Plus there’s the bonus of the moist texture vegetables bring. These days I’m mindful of the carbs in carrots so tend to favour zucchini for sweet baking.

But there are also recipes using sweet potato (marked with a carb alert). And I’ve included some winning savoury recipes using cauliflower and broccoli.

I generally use my food processor to grate raw veg before baking. Or I use it to finely chop things like broccoli or cauli. If you don’t have a food processor, a box grater will do the job and give you more of a workout. Bonus!

And I never peel veg. Just rinse or scrub and you’re good to go.

Best substitutes: Broccoli and cauli can be used interchangeably. Carrot and zucchini are also good subs for each other. Roast sweet potato can swap with roast butternut or other Winter squash or pumpkin.

Vanilla

I adore the subtle sweetness of vanilla. It’s one of my favourite favourite flavours. It’s wonderful for low-carb baking because vanilla enhances sweet flavours without adding extra sugar.

I use whole vanilla beans which I buy in bulk from my favourite spice supplier. Sometimes I just slice up the whole bean and toss it in, like my Vanilla Roast Pears and then discard before serving.

Other times I slice the beans lengthwise and use my knife to scrape out the seeds. I then use the seeds like in my No-Bake Berry Tart and add the bean part to my home made vanilla extract stash.

I also sometimes scrape the seeds and then infuse both the seeds and bean in a liquid (like the cream for my Panna Cotta). The seeds stay in the dessert and I remove the bean and wash and dry it before adding to my vanilla extract.

Vanilla extract is really easy to make. Just get a glass bottle tall enough to hold lots of vanilla beans, fill it with vodka (cheap stuff is fine) and then add vanilla beans as you accumulate them. Keep for a few months in your pantry before you start using. It will smell lovely and vanillery when it’s ready. I then keep adding beans and topping up with a little vodka from time to time.

Commercial vanilla extracts are fine. Generally the more you pay the nicer the flavour.

I avoid vanilla ‘essence’ which is code for artificial vanilla flavour. But if your budget is tight, a little artificial vanilla isn’t going to cause much harm. It’s a relatively simple molecule to synthesise and has been around forever so should be safe.

Best substitutes: Vanilla powder, vanilla bean paste.

Cinnamon

While I love the flavour of cinnamon spiced baked treats, my Irishman isn’t a fan so I don’t use it as often as I’d like to. Generally I use ground cinnamon but occasionally, like when roasting or poaching apples I’ll use a whole cinnamon quill.

Best to buy small quantities from a specialist spice shop for maximum flavour and freshness.

Best substitutes: Skip it or use pumpkin spice or mixed spice.

Smoked Paprika

This would be my dessert island spice. I just love the sweet smoky flavour of Spanished smoked sweet paprika. I’ve heard it called ‘the ghost of chorizo’ and it adds a lovely smoky complexity to savoury dishes.

In this book it’s just used in my smoked paprika & rosemary roast almonds. But if you do buy some you won’t struggle to use it. Wonderful with tomatoes, poultry or meats or anywhere you want some smoke!

I also occasionally buy hot smoked paprika but now I’m cooking for little ones, I tend to use the milder version. Worth paying extra to get the real Spanish stuff.

Best substitutes: Regular or Hungarian paprika. It won’t have the same smokiness though.

Shicimi Togarashi

Another spice just used once in this book but don’t let that put you off. This Japanese spice blend adds zing wherever it goes. It’s fab in the roast cashew recipe but my favourite way to use it is to sprinkle liberally over my avocado on toast (using my brococoli bread). Also wonderful on poached eggs. For more ideas on how to use it, see this blog post.

You’ll need to go to a specialist spice store or Japanese grocery to get it. I’ve found the quality varies widely so prefer to get mine from my favourite spice supplier.

Best substitutes: You could try making your own by mixing some chilli powder with sesame seeds and a little orange zest. But chilli powder or flakes on their own with a little sea salt will do. It just won’t have the fragrance and depth of flavour.

Herbs

From memory the only herb used in this book is rosemary. It’s one of my favourite flavours for savoury cooking.

It’s super easy to grow but if you don’t have green thumbs, keep an eye out when you’re walking around your neighborhood. Every where I’ve lived there’s usually been a healthy rosemary bush spilling over onto the street. Just asking for some ‘pruning’.

Rosemary keeps for months in a plastic bag in the fridge. You can also freeze. It will be a little wilted when defrosted but still fragrant and useful.

If you have an abundance of rosemary, I’ve recently been getting heavily into rosemary tea which is meant to be excellent for the liver (just the thing for reformed wine makers like me!). Just infuse a sprig in a medium tea pot.

Best substitutes: Thyme or lemon thyme. Sage can also work.

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LEAVENING AGENTS

There are a number of different ways to ‘leaven’ or lighten the texture of baked goods. Whisking egg whites and folding in the airy foam is one. Creaming butter and sugar (or stevia) is another way to physically incorporate air and make light, fluffy cakes.

And then there are chemical ‘leavening agents’. These sound much scarier than they actually are. Chemical leaveners are my preferred method because it’s much easier to add a teaspoon of baking powder than whisk a bowl of egg whites!

Baking Powder

Is a blend of different leavening agents combined with an acid so you end up with a neutral pH and more importantly, no ‘soapy’ taste if you use too much.

I buy an aluminium-free one from Bob’s Red Mill.

Baking powder loses its power over time, so make sure yours is still within the best before date. It’s also important to keep it in a sealed container because moisture will reduce its effectiveness.

Best substitutes: Bicarb / Baking Soda generally use 1:1.

Bicarb Soda or Baking Soda

This contains just one leavening agent, sodium bicarbonate. While it is an excellent raising agent, it needs to be used in moderation because large amount will raise the pH of your food and leave a distinctive ‘soapy’ taste. When I used to work for a cookie company I remember tasting a few accidents with too much bicarb that were really disgusting.

I generally only use it for cleaning.

Best substitutes: Baking powder.

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Still not sure about a particular ingredient?

If you’re not sure about your ingredients, please email me (jules@thestonesoup.com) to double check. I’ve tried to make these recipes suitable for a global audience, and my recipe testers were amazing for helping with that. But I’m sure there are still a few things that might not be 100% clear to everyone. I don’t want you to have a baking disaster so please get in touch first!