Comments on: The 8 High Spots In Bread Baking

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:07:52 +0000

Your elbow is actually more sensitive to water temperature than your wrist!

By: Sue

Sue — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:31:19 +0000

Just a brief comment re: the need to scald milk in bread making. At one time this was necessary but now milk has already been pasturized so this step can be skipped!

By: Robert Waldrop

Robert Waldrop — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:36:27 +0000

“Punching” down dough is really more like “patting” down dough.

I haven’t used milk in bread for a long time, I bake bread with yogurt. My breads are typically 100% whole wheat, and my experience is that the more sour the liquid, the better the bread.

By: TipNut

TipNut — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:46:52 +0000

Scalding milk may not be necessary but it’s debatable how important it is. If you’re a scalding-milk believer, it’s a vital step. Some choose to do so still because of how they believe it affects/benefits the baked loaf:

“Since pasteurization, scalding milk is no longer necessary, but many people continue to do so. I do for yeast breads. For one, it’s an old habit and old habits die hard. Secondly, after cooling to 110 degrees, it creates a nice warm environment for the yeast. And thirdly, it helps break down the serum protein in milk that can adversely affect the bread’s structure.”

Copied from here: Do You Still Scald Milk in Recipes? (About.com).

I personally can go either way, some recipes though do benefit from milk being scalded first (IMHO).

By: Pat B

Pat B — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:20:34 +0000

Milk does not need to be scalded anymore when baking bread. This was needed in case raw milk was being used; as raw milk has enzymes that will kill the yeast. So unless you are using raw milk, lukewarm milk is fine to use.