My 9 year-old grand-daughter, Ellie has had a preliminary diagnosis of intolerance to wheat and dairy, so the last few months have been spent experimenting with a variety of recipes, using gluten-free and spelt, none of which she found very appetising. By accident we discovered that she suffered no reaction to any of the bread I make using organic wheat flours. As part of the experimentation on avoiding "dairy" we tried making our own goats' cheese using a kit. Hidden in the small print in the instructions was a suggestion that the whey could be used for bread-making. So why not give it a whirl? This was my first attempt and I am bowled over by the results.

Ingredients:

For the starter:

250ml Goat's whey

1/2 tsp honey

100g Light Rye flour

2 tsp Dried Yeast

For the dough:

300g Strong White Flour

1/2 tsp salt.

2 tbsp Olive Oil (for kneading)

Method

I am a fan of "slow fermentation" when using rye flour, so used the whey straight from the fridge. Poured it into a medium sized mixing bowl, beat in the honey and the flours and then folded in the yeast. I covered with cling-film and left it to bubble at room temperature. After about 90 minutes it was showing signs of vigorous activity, so I added the white flour and salt and mixed to a dough. I gave it about 3 or 4 minutes to "rest" and then kneaded for about 10 minutes using the olive oil.

The dough then went back in the lightly oiled bowl, covered with cling-film and left at room temperature to rise. After about 40 minutes it had more than doubled in size. I tend to knock back rye mixtures fairly gently, so this was done on a floured board, using fingertips only. I have recently acquired one of the new "holey" bread tins and have become a fan. This was oiled and the loaf left in it to prove inside a plactic bag. My oven (notionally) goes up to 260°C, and has a baking stone in the bottom, so I set it on full to warm up.

The loaf had doubled in size within 40 minutes, so I slashed the top using a sharp knife and put the loaf in the oven, turning the temperature down to 250°C for the first 5 minutes. At that point it had risen well, so I turned the heat down to 220°C for 10 minutes. As it was colouring well I gave the final 5 minutes at 180°C.

Allow to cool.

Note: For cheesemakers, I have been assured that the recipe works just as well with other types of whey.