DEAR DAME EVELYN , A few years ago I discovered I was lactose intolerant. Also, I hate the way we're messing up our planet. You can probably see where I'm going with this: soy milk. It's a little thin, but most of the time I can live with it. I like the faint sweetness (even in the plain kinds) with my muesli in the morning, and it's not bad foamed up for cappuccino, though my machine is pretty lame foamwise. It's the baking thing I'm having trouble with. Maybe soy milk is just too much like water, because it seems to disappear in muffins. I feel like there is definitely some oomph missing. Real milk didn't really like me, and I ended up not really liking it, but it did bring body and moistness to my muffins. I am sad about my muffins. They seem listless. Am I a bad soy milk baker? Is there something you're supposed to add when you substitute soy milk for dairy milk in a baking recipe? Any wisdom you can share will be much appreciated.

Disembodied.

Muffin,

I am sad that you are sad about your muffins, truly. I feel your pain, your frustration, your ... disembodiedness, for I too am a lover of muffins, cakes, tarts, biscuits, brioches, and all those other floury, fragrant wonders we pull from our ovens. Lactose intolerance Dame Evelyn has heard of but has no personal experience with, unlike other sorts of intolerance we will not get into here, since we are not about crying over spilled milk of whatever kind but about getting on with it. The answer to your question, then, is, quite simply, yes. There is a secret ingredient you add when substituting soy milk for ordinary milk in baking recipes, and that ingredient is cider vinegar. The vinegar's acid promotes a bit of curdling, which provides that fullness you've been missing, along with a whisper of a tang, though the vinegariness disappears in the heat of the oven. Cider vinegar has many other uses around the kitchen, too, so you needn't worry that you're splurging for the sake of a single recipe. It makes a lovely salad dressing, reacts with baking powder to raise cupcakes, and, taken straight up like a proper shot, even serves as a bracing tonic. Bottoms up!

Cheers, E.G.-S.