Description
This Milk Bread recipe yields a soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet loaf that is perfect for breakfast or snacks. Made with warm milk, honey, and butter, this bread is enriched and tender, featuring a golden crust and delicate crumb. The dough is kneaded by hand and allowed to rise twice, then baked until beautifully golden brown.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Dry Yeast
Wet Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup Warm Milk
- ¼ cup Honey
- 3 tbsp Soft Unsalted Butter
Instructions
- Activate Yeast: Take warm milk in a bowl and pour in the honey. Sprinkle over the dry yeast and let it sit for about 5 minutes until it foams up, indicating the yeast is active.
- Prepare Dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and salt. Pour in the yeasty milk mixture and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Add the soft unsalted butter and knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
- First Rise: Butter a large bowl and place the dough inside. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour or longer depending on ambient temperature.
- Shape and Second Rise: After the dough has doubled, punch down the excess air and knead lightly for a couple of minutes. Shape the dough into a loaf shape, butter a loaf pan, and place the dough inside. Cover and let it rise again for 30 minutes to 1 hour until puffed up.
- Preheat Oven and Bake: During the final 15 minutes of the second rise, preheat your oven to 190°C (380°F). Once the bread has risen, brush the top with milk to encourage browning and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
- Cool Bread: Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.
- Serve: Slice the cooled milk bread and serve plain or with jam for a delightful treat.
Notes
- Ensure the milk is warm but not hot, to properly activate the yeast without killing it.
- Kneading well is crucial for gluten development to achieve soft, airy bread.
- Double rising helps ensure a tender crumb and good loaf volume.
- Brushing the top with milk before baking promotes an attractive golden crust.
- Letting the bread cool before slicing prevents it from becoming gummy.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Western
Keywords: Milk Bread, Soft Bread, Homemade Bread, Sweet Bread, Breakfast Bread, Yeast Bread
