30.4 Milk in baking

Milk itself, its forms and its sugar, lactose, are covered with dairy. see chapter 14: Dairy and cheese Dairy products are kept in a refrigerator at 2–4°C (36–39°F), in their own covered area, because their fat picks up strong smells.

In the dough

Milk raises the amount of water a dough takes up, so a milk dough should leave the mixer a little softer than one made with water. It can also stand more intensive mixing.

A milk dough has a higher pH than a water dough, which means it is less acidic, and it ferments more slowly. That changes the timing:

• Bench time runs longer, because the dough ferments more slowly at that stage.
• Final proof takes about the same time as usual, because by then the yeast has adjusted.
• The dough copes slightly better with a range of temperatures. Bakers call this fermentation tolerance.

In the oven

A loaf made with milk colors faster, and its crust ends up darker. Do not judge it by crust color alone. Pulled out too soon, it can sink a little and be hard to slice.

In the finished loaf

Compared with bread made with water, bread made with milk has:

• more volume, because the dough holds gas better
• a darker crust, from the lactose
• a longer shelf life, partly thanks to the milk fat
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• a finer, more "cottony" grain, which also makes it slice better

Skim milk and skim milk powder give less of these gains; the longer shelf life, which comes from the fat, is one that weakens. Lactose barely sweetens and yeast cannot ferment it, so a dough made with skim milk powder needs added sugar or it ferments very slowly. Lactose does caramelize easily, which gives a good crust color. The usual amount of skim milk powder is 2% to 8% of the flour weight in yeast doughs, and up to 15% in cakes.

Buttermilk and sour milk go into variety breads. Being lower in pH, they need a shorter fermentation.