A Tale of Two Powders

Many of you have already baked this Giant Cinnamon Roll, the Bake Club recipe for November, and we’ve been seeing a lot of comments about the texture. “The bread was so tender, the filling was fantastic.” “Delicious and fluffy.” “Omg, that filling is amazing.” “Light and tender.”

I am thrilled to hear this, as I spent a long time optimizing the textures of the dough and filling for this cinnamon roll. After multiple attempts, the real breakthrough came by way of two ingredients—dry milk powder in the dough and instant vanilla pudding mix in the filling. I was hesitant at first to call for two ingredients that some of us may not have at hand, but the results were so night and day for me, I took the risk of running the recipe with both included. And you lot have really come through with all of your great results! I thought I’d dedicate this post to explaining the role of each and why they’re both such game changers.

Using Milk Powder for Big, Bouncy Bread

Let’s start with what milk powder actually is. It’s just fresh milk with nearly all the liquid evaporated. The resulting powder is a matrix of milk protein and milk sugar, or lactose (the thing that makes you feel like an inflatable pool float if you have an intolerance). It’s these proteins and sugars that make milk powder incredibly valuable. The added protein and sugar improve the structure and texture of yeast breads, making them loftier and more tender. It also intensifies the color of the crust, making your breads beautifully bronzed.

Molly Marzalek-Kelly, senior recipe developer at King Arthur Baking Company, says milk powder helps yeasted breads “have a higher rise and softer texture. Milk powder lends an added level of tenderness while also helping to increase the item’s shelf life.”

We’re focusing on unflavored, nonfat milk powder, the kind most available to home cooks. Find it in the baking aisle or by the milk flavor mixes such as strawberry Nesquik and Ovaltine. I tend to stay away from full-fat milk powder because it’s a bit harder to find, for one thing and secondly, it’s prone to turning rancid because of the fat content.

The Magic of Instant Pudding Mix

A few years ago, if you showed me a box of pudding mix, I would have rolled my eyes at you. But consider me a girl converted. Instant pudding mix is a marvel of science and I can’t shut up about it.

To be clear, I never actually make plain pudding with instant pudding mix. What I’m really after is the miracle ingredient that’s mixed in with the sugar and flavoring: modified cornstarch. When a starch—be it corn, wheat, tapioca—is chemically or physically modified, it starts behaving in entirely unexpected ways. Think about the cornstarch in your pantry. It thickens liquids like soup or pie filling only when heated. But when mixed with cold water, it’s merely a white sludge at the bottom of the bowl. Modified cornstarch, on the other hand, starts setting up in cold liquids like water or milk without any heat. Translation: a no-cook thickener.

In the filling for our big spiral of a cinnamon roll, instant pudding mix acts as a binder, creating a thick, stable, gel-like mixture that’s incredibly easy to spread on the dough. As it bakes, the modified starch locks in and holds on to the moisture from the melting sugar and butter, creating sticky, shiny rivulets of filling that reveal themselves when you cut into the bun.

My other favorite use for instant pudding mix is to stabilize whipped cream. I’ve used it to that effect in a chocolate roll cake and a banoffee pie (both excellent options for Thanksgiving, should you need ideas).

Speaking of Thanksgiving, the cinnamon roll makes a standout breakfast for the big day. Wishing you a week of great bakes. —Shilpa