Hawk, to me, if it has milk it may be nice braided bread but it isn't challah. Traditionally challah is used at Shabbat and holiday dinners and that would usually mean a meat meal. Someone who keeps kosher doesn't eat milk and meat together so challah would not have milk. pkguy and Carol, at the point where I realized the recipe called for powdered milk, I had already added the liquid so substituting wasn't an option. If I did add milk I remember the earlier discussion about the need to scald because of the enzymes. In any case, I don't think the changing the amount of liquid in the recipe to milk would provide an equivalent amount of milk solids as 2/3 cup of powdered milk. I did wonder about substituting evaporated milk which would be closer. But because we keep kosher, I generally prefer my bread not to have milk so if the bread comes out fine without it I'd be happy with that. But we don't eat much meat so I could make it with milk and just not use it with meat.

Lars, I often substitute water for milk in bread, mostly because I'm out of milk, I don't buy it as often because I only drink one glass for breakfast daily and it's always skim, Ashley likes chocolate milk, whcih might actually be OK in some breads but not most. I've also successfully substituted my homemade yogurt for sour cream and milk in bread and muffins without noticeable problems. If it were me, I'd just substitute water in most bread recipes. Croissants are more tender, so that might not be as good an option for them, I'd probably try to sub something else for the milk in those. Annie

vacuumfreak - If you ever order from King Arthur Flour, I'd suggest Baker's Special Dry Milk, which is a NON-instant non-fat dry milk specially formulated for yeast bread baking (see link below). It doesn't adversely effect the finished loaf like other instant and non-instant dried milk products can. Dry milk powder comes in both INSTANT and NON-INSTANT. Instant dry milk products are usually large-grained. Non-instant (such as Nestle NIDO - I get it in the Latino section at Wal-Mart) is usually a very fine powder. You need to be careful of the amount of liquid milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, or non-fat dry milk added to yeast breads. Too much dairy products will reduce the bread volume, affect the symmetry, cellular structure, and texture of bread when you use too much. You'll know you've added too much when the top of the bread, more-or-less, resembles a roller coaster ride, rather than a smooth top. I learned this lesson when I was trying to develop high-protein breads and was using excessive amounts of whey in my recipes. Then I read CookWise and learned why.... As Shirley O. Corriher points out in her book, CookWise, there is a protein in the whey of liquid milk as well as powdered milk products that is responsible for the reduced volume and poor texture when too much is added. That's where Baker's Special Dry Milk powder has been formulated to avoid those poor attributes. I use nothing BUT dry milk powder and whey-based milk powder, reconstituted for liquid milk, for our drinking and cooking, so I have at least 4 brands of dry milk products on hand at all times, but I prefer Baker's Special Dry Milk for yeast breads. I've never found a dry milk powder in my arsenal that has the positive effects on the loft of breads that Baker's Special Dry Milk does. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: King Arthur Flour - Baker's Special Dry Milk

Annie: Fiasco farms doesn't have a link. But....DH has a yogurt maker (the styrofoam box contraption) somewhere under the house and I'm sure there are recipes galore. Never underestimate the inventory of a pack-rat/foodie. Remember the pressure canner I saw up in the garage rafters? I can use 1/2 pint canning jars and the Ball plastic lids, right? LindaC I'll keep one or two packets for those kinds of emergencies. jojo I don't have a dog....unless I'm POed at one of the other family members and feel like pulling a 'Prince of Tides' meal. Heh heh. jcrowley, I'm making up hot choc AND chai mix from the ideas here! PK: Good point and I'm going to start putting it into DS#2's morning 'coffee'. Don't ask. Just leave it as he could use more calcium. Lou you bet I'll use that spoon. Gotta get it from beside the bed though, been using it for something else. Just kidding! jclepine, yup, thats another option. I just unloaded my pantry of other stuff that Food Pantries could use. Rita and Sprout - cutting and pasting good ideas, and yes my headache is gone for today, thanks! I have kosher, vegetarian, low sodium and weight watcher friends so that soup recipe would be a low fat and sodium alternative. Thanks everyone, I know where to go from here (and I'm getting email responses via GW so I will know when someone has added a comment).