
Flour
There are two basic types of flour: Stone-ground flour and roller-milled flour.
Stone-ground flour contains both the germ and the bran. Roller-milled flours have the germ and bran removed. The germ and the bran contain a lot of flavour – so if you want more flavour this is the route to go.
Beware though if you are new to baking. The bran in stone-milled flour interferes with the development of the gluten so it’s easy to end up with a flat pancake. Roller-milled flours like to rise to the sky!

Spelt
Spelt is an ancient grain which has been grown in Somerset, England since the start of the Iron Age. It is a cross between Emmer wheat and goat grass. It has a unique gluten structure which makes it easier to digest than modern wheat. It is high in protein, rich in fibre and has more minerals and vitamins too. It is a good source of slow release energy, so much so that the Roman Army called it their ‘marching grain’.


Yeast
The array of yeasts available can be very confusing.
I experimented with all of them until deciding to stick with just using fresh yeast and my sourdough. However not everyone can get fresh yeast so an alternative needs to be found.
To make it easier to understand the yeast options, I have compiled a table to give you a quick overview of what’s what:

Fresh Yeast
Moisture Content
70-80%
Keeps
2-3 weeks (refrigerated)
To activate
Add lukewarm (90°-100°F) water
Active Instant Yeast
Moisture Content
3%
Keeps
2 years
To activate
Add lukewarm (90°-100°F) water
Instant Dried Yeast
Moisture Content
3%
Keeps
2 years
To activate
Add directly to flour
Sourdough Starter
Moisture Content
100%
Keeps
Indefinitely if maintained
To activate
Keep in fridge and feed weekly if not using; feed daily with equal quantities (c50g) of flour and water for 5 days before baking with 100 g rye flour and 80-100 ml lukewarm water