betterthanabox
Senior Cook
I just bought a bread machine, and don't know what to do with it. All of the bread recipes that I see call for dry milk. I don't want to run out and get some, any tnt recipes?
When I make a loaf in the bread machine I use dry milk, but I have also used regular milk. I believe the recipe called for scalding it first?
Would there be an issue proofing the yeast with milk?
Bread machines typically use instant yeast, so no proofing necessary, but if you use regular yeast and proof it in milk (which I've never heard of) I'm pretty sure you would need to scald the milk like I mentioned earlier. At least King Arthur recommends scalding, so it doesn't affect the yeast, but some people say you don't need to scald pasteurized milk. When I used regular milk instead of dry I scalded the milk. Maybe someone needs to do a comparison.
I have made all kinds of bread dough using a bread machine. I have used milk, sour cream and milk, water, powdered buttermilk, dry milk, buttermilk, potato water...I don't bake the bread in the machine. I don't like the crust. So, I guess I use mine like you'd use a mixer with a dough hook. I find as I get older, kneading is harder to do, so I use the machine to mix the dough. I made a whole-wheat french bread yesterday. Bread machines can cut the cost of bread and you control the ingredients. I think the DH figured out that his "daily" bread costs about 50 cents/loaf with the cost of the electricity and the ingredients. Now, electricity rates, flour, etc. have gone up in price since he figured this out...might be $1 now.