Dry milk in bread: purpose, and substitutions
I've been looking for a good 100% whole grain bread recipe that I like, and came across one that looks promising in the book Home Grown Whole Grains (pp. 152):
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ cup warm water
- 2 cups warm water
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 6 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups whole wheat flour
- ½ cup dry milk powder
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the ¼ cup water and allow to stand until the mixture begins to bubble. Add the 2 cups warm water, oil, honey, and salt and then begin beating in the flour. When you have about half of it worked in, beat in the dry milk, a little at a time, taking care to break up any lumps. Then beat in the rest of the flour....
What is the purpose of the dry milk? And what guidelines can I follow to replace the powdered milk with something more "self sufficient"? Perhaps normal milk, and a little less water?
Best Answer
Milk is added to bread for flavour, a tender crumb and well-coloured crust.
Dry milk is used because it easy to store and easy to use in bulk. Milk also contains an enzyme called glutathione which can weaken gluten and result in a poorer quality loaf - the drying process destroys this enzyme.
You can substitute regular milk in various proportions, but you may as well simply replace the 2 cups of water with it, which will give you a nice soft loaf. Opinion is divided whether you should scald the milk (by heating to 180°F/82°C according to How Baking Works, page 150) to destroy the glutathione, but in any case it's probably a good idea to warm it anyway, to help the rise.
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Quick Answer about "Dry milk in bread: purpose, and substitutions"
- tablespoon sugar. ¼ cup warm water.
- cups warm water.
- tablespoons oil.
Why do you need dry milk in bread?
Dry milk powder: A handful of soft sandwich bread recipes call for Baker's Special Dry Milk, which helps loaves rise high while also boosting nutrition and flavor.What is a substitute for dry milk in breads?
Regular milk. Regular liquid milk is an easy substitute for reconstituted milk powder. After all, dry milk is just the evaporated solids from regular milk. The main benefits of using regular milk are its nutritional content and flavor, both of which will be similar to those of powdered milk ( 4 , 5 ).How does milk powder affect bread?
7 Ways to Use Dry Milk Powder: A Pantry Staple- Cooked cereals such as oatmeal or grits. Add \xbd cup non-fat dry milk powder to each cup of dry cereal. ...
- Smoothies. ...
- Coffee or tea. ...
- Biscuits, muffins, pancakes, yeast breads, cookies and cakes. ...
- Canned soup. ...
- Mashed potatoes. ...
- Puddings, custards, gravies and sauces.
This is How Milk Affects Bread Dough | How to Use Milk in Breadmaking
More answers regarding dry milk in bread: purpose, and substitutions
Answer 2
According to the good folks at "King Arthur Flour" dry milk is added so that:
Your bread will be softer and more tender, and will stay fresher longer when you use dry milk.
The most direct effect that I noticed is that it tends to make the crust softer. This has been the result in a "bread machine" where the only recipe difference was dry milk.
Answer 3
I used 22ml oat milk instead of dried milk in a bread maker and added 15g extra white flour.
The whole wheat loaf looked a good colour, the texture difference was unnoticeable and the taste was just as good.
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