Just curious - a lof of bread recipes call for water and dry milk powder in the ingredients ...

S

sandi-in-hawaii

Well-known member
What does the dry milk powder do to the texture of the bread? Is it different than using milk, instead of water and dry milk powder?

Or is it just a matter of convenience?

The reason I ask is that I'm lactose intolerant, and am wondering if I can just omit the dry milk, and just use a milk substitute (like rice or soy milk).

Of course, I could always find a recipe that doesn't have the milk powder in it, but I was just curious if the breads with milk powder are texturally different than breads with water alone, or a milk substitute.

I was looking for a soft, fluffy, sticky bun recipe, and found this one from King Arthur Flour:

Classic Sticky Buns

Want a sweet, rich, gooey treat? This is it!

Dough

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, 110°F

1/4 cup brown sugar (or maple sugar)

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

OR 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

2 eggs

1/4 cup Baker's Special Dry Milk

or nonfat dry milk

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1 cup King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour

2 teaspoons salt

5 to 5 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Filling

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar (or maple sugar)

1/2 cup EACH raisins and chopped nuts

Topping

1 pound brown sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

Make a smooth, supple dough, by hand or machine, let it rise for 1 1/2 hours, then punch it down and roll into a 12 x 24-inch rectangle. Brush with butter and sprinkle on the remaining filling ingredients.

Grease a 14-inch round pan and add the topping ingredients. Roll up the dough, long side-first, jelly-roll style, and cut into 1-inch thick slices. Place the slices in the pan, cover and let rise 30 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, using foil to prevent over-browning. Carefully invert onto a cooling rack. Yield: about 2 dozen STICKY buns.

http://kingarthurflour.com/recipes/getrecipe.php?id=R74

 
Not a baker, but milk powder enhances browning because of the lactose...

or milk sugar. Depending on the amount of liquid in the formula, a richer concentrate can be added without affecting the moisture content. This, I guess, would affect the texture.

 
Sandi, a bit of info from the King Arthur catalog

describing the dry milk...

" Baker's Special Dry Milk
Our nonfat Baker's Special Dry Milk is specially prepared for use in yeast doughs; the high-heat processing disables protease, an enzyme that normally slows down yeast growth. Substitute our special dry milk in any yeasted recipe, and see how much taller your bread rises.

The addition of 1/4 cup dry milk will result in better nutrition (extra calcium) and a more tender crumb. (Dry milk won't reconstitue, so combine it with your other dry ingredients). In 1-pound bag.

• Comes with complete instructions and a
delicious recipe! "

Leaving it out of the recipe you posted might change the texture a bit, but I doubt it will ruin the batch.
Give it a go!

http://shop.bakerscatalogue.com/detail.jsp;jsessionid=08301820131136900950928?id=1188&pv=1136900951155

 
Dry milk powder does make a difference in the texture but

I would sure go ahead and make this recipe using rice or soy milk instead of the dry milk powder/water, Sandi- it won't be such a radical difference that it will "wreck" anything. Go for it!

A long time ago I "tested" (just in my kitchen to quell my own curiosity) dry milk powder/water vs fresh milk in many yeast dough recipes and I found there was a difference in the final texture of the dough once it was baked but the batches I baked with fresh milk were wonderful too!

 
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