It's week two of Lily's Kitchen Stories and you can watch my instagram stories here.
As a keen home cook and baker the wide variety of dairy-free milks on the market these days makes life in the kitchen much more exciting... soya milk, oat milk, coconut milk, rice milk, pea milk; the choice is endless but where on earth should we begin?
Below I've chosen the best products to pour in your morning coffee and cereal, and those that are best to bake and cook with:
Best for your morning coffee
for that silky consistency and excellent flavour
In terms of barista style milks, what I'm after is a silky, frothy texture and an oaty flavour wrapped up in one. Having been an oatly barista guzzler for some time, I've recently switched to Moma's Oat Milk Barista Edition which is a delicious addition to my morning cup of tea; it also froths up beautifully and has the perfect silky consistency for a matcha latte, my favourite hot drink. I also wouldn't mind alpro's slightly sweet soya milk in my morning cuppa if that was on offer.
Best for porridge
for that perfect creamy consistency
When it comes to porridge, I'm all about that perfect creamy consistency and enhancing the oaty flavour. For this reason, I love to use half water, half provamel oat milk. But if you prefer a sweeter porridge, I would use half water, half Rice Dream.
Best for cereal
for that velvety texture that still retains the perfect crunch
I want a milk that stands alone in flavour and texture when it comes to cereal. For that I tend to use Provamel oat milk for its velvety quality. I have also been known to use Moma's Oat Milk Barista Edition as it actually tastes like leftover cereal milk on its own.
Best for baking
to add structure and moisture to your bakes
The high protein content found in soya milk makes it the best dairy-free and nut-free option for bakes that need both structure and moisture; ideal for cakes or enriched breads. The protein also creates a lovely brown colour which is what you want in un-iced cakes such as a Victoria Sponge. In my own experience I've found soya milk to be the best for making dairy-free buttermilk too as it thickens the milk easily. Alpro unsweetened works well for such recipes. Alternatively, a full fat coconut milk would be an ideal ingredient for a decadent aromatic traybake or indulgent coconut sponge.
Best for cooking
For dairy-free béchamel sauces, I would either opt for Provamel oat milk to enhance the creaminess. Or any alpro soya milk would work very well too. A good glug of Alpro unsweetened will also be the perfect addition to a pillowy mashed potato.
