April 2, 2013 - 9:22am
Scalding milk - effect on texture
I was reading the latest issue of PMQ Pizza Magazine and their "dough doctor" Tom Lehmann was answering a question about using milk in pizza dough. He said that milk "should be scalded prior to using it in dough - this will prevent unwanted softening of the dough." He didn't elaborate.
Yet I've read statements that when using milk in bread dough, scalding is necessary to result in a softer loaf. I suppose I could conduct an experiment to find out, but short of that, anybody know what gives here?
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scalding milk
ps: Big believer in scalding milk myself. So (relatively)easy (for me), I don't see why not.
Scalding denatures a protein in milk that interferes with full gluten formation (the first time I saw this explanation was in Maggie Glezer's Artisan Baking). More gluten development in a pizza dough will help you get a chewier crust texture. Similarly, in an enriched white bread dough, scalding will help you get a fluffier, higher-rising loaf.
There are a number of people who claim that it is not necessary to scald milk if you are using pasteurized milk. I use condensed canned milk in a 1:1 water dilution instead of messing around trying to scald milk. It has worked for me for 40 years without any problems.