beginner bread question . . .

[Scoop]

Quote:
I've used all the brands I've ever seen and they are all pretty much the same to me. I've also had that powdered buttermilk on hand for a couple of recipes so I don't have to drive out for buttermilk just to make something. You can also substitute milk and vinegar for buttermilk. I think they usually suggest 1 Tbl vinegar to a cup of milk. Put vinegar in first then fill to the one cup line. Let it stand 5 minutes. I have lots of luck with that.

 

[Kim_NC]

About the milks...
- Adoptedbyachicken is right about the delay cycle. Bread machine recipes often call for powdered milk so that you can use the delayed cycle. Regular milk could sour or spoil if left sitting on the delay cycle until the desired start time.

- milk vs water does change the product...both the texture and the crumb. The fats in milk make a softer product as Scoop mentioned. This is why many bread recipes (machine type or not) call for some milk, and some water.

- Also agree with Maizey that you can throw off the wet/dry ingredient ratio by making a straight substitution of water for milk or vice versa.

What's all that really mean in a bread machine?
- In a bread machine substitutions and exact measurements are important because the machine cannot make judgement calls and adjustments like you do when kneading by hand, timing the rise based on what you see visually, adjustments to baking time, etc.

- Because of that, bread machine loaves will more readily sink, have shrunken tops, poor texture, or over/under brown if measurements aren't accurate.

All that said, I DO substitute powdered milk and regular milk all the time in both bread machine recipes and 'by-hand' recipes. However, it's important to get the ratio correct.
Any given amount of powdered milk + water is the equivalent of a measured amount of regular milk. So, you want to figure out that equivalent, substitute that much regular milk, and then add any remaining volume in water.

Here's a powdered milk conversion chart. (Came from this blog: http://everydayfoodstorage.net/f/powdered-milk)

So, let's work through an example. Suppose your recipe calls for
2 Tbl powdered milk
1 cup water

Looking at the chart, the 2 Tbl powdered milk would be mixed with 2/3 cup water - making the equivalent of 2/3 cup regular milk. So I would use 2/3 cup regular milk AND 1/3 cup water.

Hope this is helpful.

edit: fix chart link
....and I've also used many brands of powdered milk. I cannot tell any difference. I purchase based on price.

 

[vfem]

I just want to say I am PROUD of you Katy!!!

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

thanks!!!!
the bread last night with the = sutitute milk for water & leaving out the powdered milk looked bad and had terrible texture but tasted a whole heck of a lot better. I did a lot of thinking and started a loaf this morn with the exact same conversion as kim is suggesting, then got on here and read that, so thanks kim wwe are thinking alike! we'll see how it goes. I am loving this so much

p.s. would it matter all that much if milk soured a bit before the making of bread?

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

Bread perfection!

so the basic recipe I used called for 1 1/3 cups of water and 2T of powdered milk
using the recipe exactly as stated the bread looked perfect but was horribly bland and flavorless
substituting milk for the water & leaving out the powdered milk gave me a better tasting loaf, but uneven in color & rise.
substituting milk for water AND substituting 1/4 cup milk for the 2T of powdered gave me a GREAT loaf, that I can be proud of.
more experiments tomorrow