Linda, mahleb is like cardamom, hard to describe. It's made from the pit of the sour cherry and is used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking, especially sweet breads. This is how some sites describe its taste: "Mahleb tastes somewhat nutty and bitter." "...quite sweet with notes of cherry and almond. Some describe it as resembling marzipan." "... a combination of fragrant rosewater-like sweetness and a nutty and faintly bitter, but not unpleasant aftertaste." "Because of its fragrant character and potential for bitterness, use it sparingly, 1/2 to 1 tsp to 2 cups of flour in a recipe." "Especially in Greece, mahleb is loved for specialties like tsoureki [ÏÏοÏÏέκι], a brioche-type braided sweet bread that is traditionally baked and eaten only at Easter time." That's what I was trying to make. Penzey's doesn't carry it, but The Spice House does. Here is a link that might be useful: The Spice House

I know this is a little late to respond, but I make Rotis all the time. I try to limit the amount of wheat I eat, and using flat breads makes that simpler. I always use whole wheat flour, I find King Arthur the best, because it is finely milled and it makes for a smoother dough. Rule of thumb 1/2 as much liquid as flour. So if I am using 1 cup of flour, I use 1/2 cup water (I often use a tablespoon of whey or even yogurt or kefir - adds a little more flavor to the roti) and salt usually between 1/2 & 1 tsp. The dough is always going to be a little different. If the dough is sticky, I add a little more flour, just enough to make sure it is not sticky. I roll it in a ball and coat it in olive oil then let it rest for at least 15 minutes but usually overnight. (Soaking the dough helps remove the phytic acid, making the nutrients more available. This also makes for a more flavorful roti, as it will sour a little.) I knead the dough briefly to mix in the oil, then roll into little balls, which I flatten and roll in flour until I roll them into disks about 6". The trick with rotis is to make sure your pan is in the right heat zone. Too cool, and the roti will just sit on the pan without puffing, too hot and the roti will burn. I normally use a medium hot...it will be different on every stove. Often my first roti wont puff. If it doesn't puff a little, it will be too dense and a little unpleasant to eat. I just remove it and raise the temp before adding the next roti. Once I have the right temp and the rotis puff before burning, I add the original roti back on. Usually within a few seconds it will puff. I use a spatula to press down on the areas that don't puff, to encourage them to puff. ( I only press down on the cooked side, so not until I have flipped the roti at least 1 time.) I think I generally get about a dozen rotis per cup of flour. I don't usually try seasoning them with anything until they are cooked, because I use them for everything. I have slathered with peanut butter, and sprinkled choco chips and covered with a second roti, back on the grill. I make grilled sandwiches with them, eat scrambled eggs in them, use them for tacos/burritos, heat them, and coat them with cinnamon and sugar, they make great quesadillas, and I even throw them back on the griddle on low heat/or in the oven until they get crispy, and use them for crackers.

You don't say what part of dairy you are having a problem with? If it's lactose intolerance, then it's a different "beast" than an allergy to milk. If it is lactose intolerance, then you can actually still consume dairy using a Lactaid supplement to aid the digestion of the milk. Choose high fat sources, such as butter or cream, because they naturally have less lactose in them to begin with. Use ghee, instead of butter, since it is the fat only from butter and the milk solids have been removed. If it's an alergy to milk, you can use nut milks as a dairy substitute. A good book on the subject is, "Not Milk...NUT MILKS!" by Candia Lea Cole. It's easy to make your own at home. Almond milk is a fairly good source for calcium and tastes good. You can get good almonds at a good price from Sam's Club. Coconut oil is a fairly good substitute for butter as a spread on bread. I'd suggest a brand that doesn't have the coconut flavor, such as LouAna brand (I can get it at Wal-Mart in the same area as Crisco). If you start looking at vegan cookbooks and vegan web sites, you will find a lot of useful information about avoiding dairy products. As far as yeast... do you have Candida or thrush? Yeast is not just one thing and you haven't been specific enough. For instance, people who avoid baker's yeast (the kind you use to make bread), often use sourdough (or natural yeast). You'd probably have to start making your own breads, because even most "sourdough" breads made commercially will also include baker's yeast. They are two different types of yeast. Naturally-occuring yeast is on everything, and it's impossible to avoid "yeast". Tortillas will work very well to make sandwich wraps, instead of using yeasted bread. There are other yeast-free flat breads that will substitute well. Good luck. Keep a book of menus and a nice long list of foods you CAN eat. You'll be surprised how much there is out there. Our son had to avoid dairy, and we never felt deprived. -Grainlady

Eat protein and vegetables for meals. If you want baked goods, substitute water or juices for the milk and use baking powder and/or baking soda for the rising. Sprite soft drink works well in hotcakes.