Water vs. Milk changes bread recipes by producing a softer loaf, due to the milk fat content, which also gives bread a richer flavor. Bread made with milk browns more easily than bread made with water, as lactose or milk sugar will caramelize as it bakes.
Milk is used to add flavor. It enriches the dough and gives the bread a creamy color, soft crumb and a golden crust.
If you're looking to make bread with a crispy crust and a chewy texture then it's better to use water instead of milk. If you want to make a soft bread with a soft crust then milk will help you achieve this.
The added protein and sugar from milk powder improves the structure and texture of yeast breads, making them loftier and more tender. It also intensifies the color of the crust, making your breads beautifully bronzed.
Milk will give sourdough bread a softer crust that can darken very quickly due to the caramelising lactose sugars. What is this? Adding milk to sourdough bread introduces fats (lipids) and sugars (lactose) to the mixture. Much like adding butter or oil, milk will give the sourdough a softer crust.
In the finished product, milk will make bread that has: Greater volume (improved capacity to retain gas) Darker crust (due to the lactose in the milk) Longer shelf life (due partly to the milk fat)
The fat and lactose in milk help with tenderizing the crumb of the bread making it softer and sweeter. The crust of the bread also gets more caramelization.
It has a milky-sweet flavor and a feathery soft texture that tears into wispy strands and melts in your mouth. It has none of the naturally leavened holes or sourdough tang that's prized these days among bread nerds.
Eggs help the dough rise and create a large crumb that's great for soaking up liquids, like a bowl of chocolat chaud (hot chocolate). The egg yolks give the bread a golden interior, and butter adds an extra boost of moisture. The result is a rich, buttery flavor, and deep golden-brown crust.
Adding butter (unsalted) or oil (olive or vegetable) in small quantities to bread results in a higher rise, a crisper crust, and a longer shelf life. When fat is added in large quantities, such as for brioche, it results in a softer texture and less volume.
Water vs.
Milk changes bread recipes by producing a softer loaf, due to the milk fat content, which also gives bread a richer flavor. Bread made with milk browns more easily than bread made with water, as lactose or milk sugar will caramelize as it bakes.
The amount of water you add to your dough directly affects how the crumb in your baked loaf. A more open crumb results in bigger holes and a softer texture, whereas a closed crumb results in a more robust textured bread. Simply put, the more water in your dough, the more open the crumb will be.
Overall, you can swap melted butter for oil in 1:1 in a quick bread recipe. If a recipe calls for creamed butter or solid butter, then it's best to stick with butter, and not swap out using oil. If the original recipe needs only oil but you want a lighter texture and stronger flavors, you can add both oil and butter.
Milk increases the gas retention properties of the dough which can improve the rise of the bread in the oven. Though the dough must be well developed otherwise the extra weight of the fat in the milk will weigh the dough down to produce a denser loaf with less oven spring.
Milk Bath: Brushing a loaf with milk before baking gives the baked bread a tender, golden crust. For a sweet bread recipe, sprinkle with sugar if desired.
But besides the nutritional benefits there are a few other good reasons to use egg in breadmaking. It makes the bread lighter and fluffier. The reason for that is the fat in the yolk that inhibits gluten formation just as any other fat would. This results in a looser dough that can expand and puff up more.
What happens if you don't put eggs in bread? The same thing that happens if you don't put anything except flour, water, salt and yeast in bread: you get bread. All you really need for bread is flour, water, salt and yeast. Oil is helpful because it helps keep the bread from sticking.
If your bread is especially hard, brush the outside with water before wrapping it. Then, heat it on the center rack of your oven for about 30 minutes for a whole loaf; or 15 to 20 minutes for a partial loaf, or if you have a long, skinny loaf like a baguette.
Why is Japanese bread so soft and fluffy and has the mochi-like texture? The answer is because of the “Yudane” method. The Yudane method makes the bread pillowy soft and fluffy and also keeps the bread from drying out quickly.
“Asian-style bread is high in fat and sugar – about 15 per cent ft and 25 per cent sugar. These two work together to give the soft texture.”
Why is my milk bread dense? If your milk bread is dense, mostly likely, the dough is under-kneaded. The dough needs to develop enough gluten to expand and become soft and fluffy. A sure way to ensure that the dough is kneaded enough is using the window pane test.
Canola Oil. One of the major reasons canola oil is so popular in baking and cooking is its neutral flavor. This helps bring out the original flavors of the baked goods and prevents the oil from affecting the taste negatively.
Final answer: Carbon dioxide gas given off during fermentation of sugar makes bread soft and fluffy.