jasdip: You can leave the milk powder out. According to my research the milk powder is for "fragrance" and most of the recipe translated from Japanese and Chinese say "optional". I buy small tin of whole milk powder from Wallyworld for about $1.50 (brand NIDO) - I keep in freezer. We use the NIDO to make DIY evaporated milk because we can not use carageenan (sp??) which is in canned evap milk. I've become addicted to using this water roux/tang zhong method. I think the folks who make the Challah at our local grocer must use this method because the bread has about the same texture. Cheers, DL

My husband says it was the best bread I ever made..........but then he says that with every loaf I make. I made 4 loafs last week and they have all been eaten so I wanted to make some more. I have some store bought bread that I need to use up but our homemade is so much better. I have made this recipe several times and it just keeps getting better. It's a slack dough so you don't get a real puffed up bread. one of these days I think I will make it in a dutch oven and see how it does....Anyway, this is a good bread to make.

Hey Lucy, a couple things. The proof setting is 125 degress...WAY too hot to be proofing anything. That said what I do when the house is really cold is turn on the proof setting and let it run for a few minutes while watching the temp. and turn it off when it reaches 90. The problem also with the proof is that a fan is blowing in the oven which would dry out things that are rising unless you cover them well. The reason that Alton has you using the hot water is just to get a quick rise of the rolls. So you can either set any old bowl of hot tap water in there with the rolls...nice moist warmth to rise them in, or you can use the proof but cut it off before it reaches 125 and let your rolls rise or a combo of both and set the warm water in there....I wouldn't use boiling just your usual hot water from the tap and turn on the proof and then cut it off and you will have warm and humid. Oh also do cover the rolls as they rise or you will get a dry skin on the top of the dough. You can brush then lightly with with oil or spray with PAM to keep them from drying out...this is the same as when you place a ball of dough into an oiled bowl and then turn it over to coat the top. Hope this wasn't too long. c PS please post pics !

LOL that's funny! But hey, we can always make lemonade with lemons! This is what we did with our imperfect loaf...