plllog- As I said earlier, it often depends upon how much..... If you have a copy of Shirley O. Corriher's excellent book, "CookWise", check out page 80 for the information. She had this issue with bread when she increased nonfat dry milk in a recipe to 1/2-cup. She says at the end of the information, "I imagine you will find that it does not matter in some recipes, but it may in others." And goes on to say, "Personally I am going to scald both milk and reconstituted nonfat dry milk just for my own peace of mind." It's been several years ago now, but someone here in the group posted the information from "CookWise" (copyright 1997) when we had a discussion on the subject and that's when I purchased "CookWise" and fell in love with the cute as a button Shirley Corriher (who was often a guest on Alton Brown's show) with all her cooking science as a trained chemist. Michigan State University researchers, T. Volpe and M.E. Zabic, isolated the protein in whey that was responsible for the reduced volume and poor texture. And as you can see, the protein is also present in nonfat dry milk. I also have information from Oregon State University (Sept. 2005) on the subject: "There is an unknown constituent within milk that will weaken gluten. The constituent is likely one of the whey proteins acting somewhat as a protease. Scalding denatures it. If not done, the loaf will have a course structure and decreased volume ....." On a personal note, I was trying to develop a high-protein bread with copious additions of whey-based milk substitute powder and vital wheat gluten for about 20% of the flour in the recipe and ended up with lots of bread problems characteristic to those associated with the whey protein. I also experimented using sweet dairy whey powder in sweet dough recipes, to get sweetness without all the additional sugar, and encountered the same problems. So those are examples that are out-of-the-ordinary in the testing world - not a regular recipe. An old family favorite for Dill Bread has 2-cups of cottage cheese in the recipe. If I heat the cottage cheese, then cool to room temperature before adding it to the dough, I don't have a problem. But if it's only room temperature, the bread has a lumpy (rollercoaster-like) crust that gets huge bubbles and separates from the crumb. I would often see similar recipes when judging yeast breads at County Fairs with the same poor bread characteristics. I eventually switched to a Dill Bread recipe that has 1/2 c. plain yogurt (I generally used kefir curd with some of the whey drained) and I got much better bread quality. Until one tries the loaf with AND without scalding the milk, they will not know if scalding will alter the bread texture and loaf characteristics. The same goes for adding the fat to a bread recipe. You can make the same enriched dough recipe with the same ingredients, and when you add the fat late in the kneading (after the gluten has developed), the loaf will be higher and lighter with a more open texture. When you add the fat early in the mixing, it shortens the gluten and the result is a more dense, tender, compact, almost cake-like loaf. Neither is right or wrong, it's just information to know if you would like to alter the end product. A more open texture is nicer for toasting (the holes are great for holding butter and jam), while a dense texture will work well for a sandwich-type application (meat spreads and condiments don't fall through a dense crumb texture). -Grainlady

You missed the entire point of my post.. I was looking for feedback from anyone that has used the finish on wood counters (not a cutting surface butcher block) I was not looking for someones thought on the product that hasn't used it. I did understand your point, you don't like that it is Vermont "natural" coatings you don't think it is any more natural that other products out there. And it seemed implied that I couldn't possibly have done any research if I had any thought to use it. I have done my research. They use whey protein (a byproduct of making cheese) in place of heavy metal driers and the toxic binders and carcinogenic solvents typically found in finishes. My thought is is more natural than many other finishes and it holds up great underfoot! Is it the perfect finish probably not there maybe something better out there. I know a LOT of people use waterlox on their non cutting wood counters and I was thinking of this an an alternative. So back to my original question does anyone know how it would wear on a non cutting surface counter top, Or even how it has worn on your dining table.

Updating my kefir experimentation results: I made a kefir cheese ball, by hanging the curds is a bag until solid, then adding dried onion flakes, red pepper flakes, granulated garlic, basil flakes, salt, pepper, and a little sugar to try to balance the sourness of the cheese. I still didn't care for it without the butter and cream cheese, but my son loved it with crackers, so I sent it home with him. If I have extra cheese, I'll save it for his visits. I made sugar cookies today, using a drop cooky recipe that I've been using for many years, but I substituted 1/2 cup kefir cheese for 1/4 cup of the butter, and left out 1 Tbs of the milk. Since the cheese was a little 'curdled' and very sour, I added a couple of Tbs. of corn syrup and substituted 1/4 tsp of baking soda for 1/4 tsp. of the baking powder, because of the lactic acid. Oh my, are they good!

Arkansas girl, If you haven't found a cheese sauce you like, this might work. I made it exactly by the recipe. (I always do the first time.) If you leave out the Mexican spices, it should be what you want. The texture was perfect. It melted well and did not clump. I am going to use mild cheddar next time and adjust the spices. Homemade Nacho Queso Dip 8oz block of sharp cheddar cheese (I will use mild next time), grated 12oz can evaporated milk 1 Tablespoon cornstarch 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 - 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper Optional milk for thinning sauce as needed and toppings as desired. (I didn't use any extra milk or any other toppings) Off heat, place all ingredients in a medium sauce pan and stir to combine well. Be sure cornstarch is fully dissolved. Turn heat on medium and stir until mixture is completely melted and smooth. (I stirred cornstarch and spices into milk, then added cheese.) http://www.chewoutloud.com/2016/02/04/homemade-nacho-queso-dip/