Most French breads do not have milk or eggs and some don't have oils either.
Check them out.

Dan

"Maximillian" > wrote in message
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> I am about to undertake breadbaking. I am a pretty good cook
> otherwise, but this will be new to me. There is a bakery near my
> mother's home and when I go for my annual visit I get addicted to
> their bread, and I want to try to reproduce their recipe at home.
>
> The difference in their breads (and, I have observed, most commercial
> breads) is that almost every recipe I have come across on the web
> contains oil or milk or eggs or all three, and their breads contain
> none of these. My wife is lactose intolerant, and in my cooking I try
> to maintain a low-fat regimen, so I would like to make my bread like
> they do.
>
> Here are the ingredients lists for breads from Stone Mill Bread &
> Flour Company.
>
> Sesame Sunflower. Freshly milled whole wheat flour, water, honey,
> sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, yeast, salt, egg whites
> (brushed on top for browning)
>
> Bronze Honey Wheat. Freshly milled whole wheat flour, water, honey,
> yeast, salt, egg whites (brushed on top for browning)
>
> Cranberry Pecan. Unbleached white flour, water, honey, cranberries,
> pecans, yeast, salt, egg whites (brushed on top for browning)
>
> You can see that no oil or milk is used and only the whites of eggs
> (most likely reconstituted powdered egg whites, which I use).
>
> Obviously, they have a basic whole wheat recipe and a basic white
> flour recipe from which they can vary added ingredients. I want to
> start by making a basic whole wheat bread. So the question is do any
> of you have tried and true basic recipes and maybe some tips for
> baking bread without milk or eggs? (It seems to me that the milk/eggs
> either add some quality or reduce the amount of work involved,
> otherwise why include them since bread can be made without them).
>
> Thanks for your responses.
>
>