[Sca-cooks] scalding milk

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On May 31, 2007, at 9:10 AM, Caointiarn wrote:

>
> Good Morning!
>  My Protogete is making bread pudding from an ancient family heirloom
> cookbook recipe,  and the instructions tell her to scald the  
> milk.   She
> wants to know  "WHY?" and I didn't have an answer for her.   So I  
> bring the
> question here for an answer.  Is the scalding of milk still really
> necessary?
>   Going over tonight to enjoy her efforts,
> Caointiarn

There are some potential benefits, depending on circumstances. If  
you're using unhomogenized milk, it's less likely to curdle under  
high heat if you scald it first. In this case I assume it has to do  
with the mechanics of custard-making, tempering egg yolks to prevent  
curdling, get a smoother custard, etc. Kind of like the difference  
between a cheesecake baked in a water bath versus one without it.  
Some people claim it's not essential, but many can detect a  
difference and think it's better to do it.

In the case of a bread pudding I'd do it; the overall baking time is  
less, and you're less likely to get watery curdy masses around the  
edges while waiting for the middle to be cooked through.

Adamantius