Egg yolks, oil and milk increase the "keeping quality" of the bread,
and they do affect taste of course.
I.I. loaves go stale slower with milk, yolks and oil added.

You can safely eliminate the egg yolks, fat and milk
in any bread recipe, just be sure to add less flour or substitute
an equal volume of water for the eggs, fat and milk.
Substitute about 1/4 cup for each whole egg, or 1-2 tablespoons for each
yolk.
Lots of bread is just flour, water, salt and yeast--some boast of this.

If you simply leave out the milk, fat or eggs, be very stingy as
you add the last 1-2 cups of flour as you are kneading it.
In general, 1 cup of liquid needs 2 1/2 to 3 cups of flour/dry ingredients
to form a
dough of the correct consistency.

This last is just a guideline however, and most recipes will give an
approximate flour amount, usually adding the last 2-3 cups of flour as you
knead, adjusting up or down as dictated by the "feel" of the dough.

Baking bread is one of the most satisfying things a cook can embark upon.
I bake so often that my husbands starts telling me to slow down as the
freezer is bursting! I start to send them home with guests after that.

Good luck!

Barb
"Maximillian" > wrote in message
news
> 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.
>
>