# Bread and powdered milk help **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 31, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bread-and-powdered-milk-help/222006 "2003-12-31T21:14:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bread-and-powdered-milk-help/222006/1 "2003-12-31T21:14:08Z")
Found a great recipe for bread I’d like to make, but it calls for 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder. I only have real milk and going out for powdered milk isn’t an option, so how much should I use? TIA ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bread-and-powdered-milk-help/222006/2 "2003-12-31T21:24:48Z")
Most substitution charts I looked at listed 1/4 cup powdered milk, dissolved in enough water to make 1 cup = 1 cup skim milk. So if it were me, I’d substitute 1 cup of the water in the recipe with 1 cup skim milk. However, I can’t guarantee that you’ll get the same results with this substitution as you would with just using powdered milk. I’m not a bread-baking expert, but I’ve always been told that powdered milk affects the texture of the end result. OTOH, I have had some cookbooks tell me that the powdered milk is used in bread-machine recipes just because if you’re doing a delayed knead & bake, you don’t want fresh milk sitting there for hours. Maybe an expert will chime in. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bread-and-powdered-milk-help/222006/3 "2003-12-31T23:05:35Z")
Milk powder helps to make the loaf more moist and soft, but it isn’t really necessary; you could replace some of the water with fresh milk, as **Motorgirl** suggests - it won’t be the exactly same, but it will probably still work OK. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bread-and-powdered-milk-help/222006/4 "2004-01-01T01:40:03Z")
Can I also replace the sugar with sucralose? ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bread-and-powdered-milk-help/222006/5 "2004-01-01T04:39:28Z")
This is a quote from the [King Arthur Flour Company](http://ww2.kingarthurflour.com/cgibin/htmlos.cgi/26120.11.1962815765321411087#2). They have some great recipes, too. > [@](#): > > Q: What does milk do in bread? > > A: Using some milk in a bread recipe makes the interior softer and more tender than using water alone. The drawback is that, unless it is scalded first, milk contains an enzyme that attacks the gluten strands and creates a gummy texture. Many people see scalding the milk as too much of a chore. Others become impatient for the milk to cool after they scald it and add it to the yeast while it is still too hot, killing the yeast. A good solution is to use dry milk instead. You achieve the same tender texture without needing to scald the milk and let it cool. StG ---
**Author:** ![skeptic\_ev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@skeptic\_ev](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skeptic_ev)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bread-and-powdered-milk-help/222006/6 "2004-01-01T18:07:15Z")
I’ve been out of powdered milk before and just replaced the water with milk with no untoward results. I can’t recall, though, if scalding it beforehand really made a difference or not. (Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn’t.) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bread-and-powdered-milk-help/222006/7 "2004-01-01T18:13:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\*Can I also replace the sugar with sucralose? \*\* Probably not; the sugar is often added to give the yeast an initial boost. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bread-and-powdered-milk-help/222006/8 "2004-01-01T18:19:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by skeptic\_ev \* > \*\*I’ve been out of powdered milk before and just replaced the water with milk with no untoward results. I can’t recall, though, if scalding it beforehand really made a difference or not. (Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn’t.) \*\* Interesting; I didn’t know about the scalding thing, but by pure coincidence, the only times I have ever used liquid milk in a bread recipe, it was UHT from a carton, which is pre-scalded, I suppose.