Soft Milk Bread
[Baking] Easy & Simple Milk Bread Recipe for Beginners
Hello everyone! I’m Bebe Tokki Mom, and since getting an oven, my dream has been to bake warm, fresh bread and enjoy it with strawberry jam and butter. Today, I finally made milk bread! It’s a dream come true to create this fluffy, soft loaf right in my own kitchen. This recipe is designed to be super easy for beginners, ensuring you can enjoy homemade bread fresh from the oven.
Ingredients
- 300g bread flour (high-gluten flour)
- 200g milk
- 12g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 5g salt
- 5g instant dry yeast
- 15g sugar
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, sift the bread flour into a mixing bowl. Create three small wells in the flour. In one well, place the salt. In another, add the yeast. And in the third well, add the sugar. It’s important to keep the yeast separate from the salt and sugar initially, as direct contact can hinder fermentation. Gently mix these ingredients within their wells before combining them with the flour. Gradually add the warm milk to the flour mixture and begin to combine until a shaggy dough forms.
Step 2
Once the dough starts to come together, add the softened butter (ensure it’s at room temperature for easy incorporation). Continue to knead the dough vigorously. This can be done by hand, stretching and folding the dough, or using a stand mixer. Knead until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky. The butter should be fully incorporated into the dough, resulting in a smooth, cohesive mass.
Step 3
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough undergo its first rise (bulk fermentation) in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Alternatively, you can use your oven’s proofing function set at 40°C (104°F) for about 40 minutes. To check if it’s ready, gently poke the dough with a floured finger; if the indentation remains, the first rise is complete.
Step 4
Gently punch down the dough to release the accumulated gas. (My dough weighed 501g in total, which I divided into 3 equal portions.) Divide the dough into your desired number of portions (I made 3). Cover the dough portions loosely with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let them rest for about 20 minutes in a warm spot. This ‘bench rest’ allows the gluten to relax, making the dough easier to shape. While you can skip this, it’s recommended for a better texture.
Step 5
After the bench rest, gently shape each dough portion. You can roll them out with a rolling pin into a rough rectangle. Then, starting from one edge, roll the dough up tightly into a log. Pinch the seam at the end to seal it securely, ensuring it won’t unravel during baking. Place the shaped dough into your greased bread pan(s) with the seam side down.
Step 6
Cover the bread pan(s) with plastic wrap and let the dough undergo its second rise (proofing) in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has risen to about 80-90% of the pan’s height. For a better flavor and texture, especially if you plan to eat the bread the next morning, you can cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap after the second rise and refrigerate it overnight.
Step 7
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake the bread for approximately 40 minutes. If the top of the bread starts to brown too quickly, you can loosely cover it with aluminum foil. Once baked to a golden brown, carefully remove the bread from the pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and enjoying. Savor the aroma and soft, fluffy texture of your homemade milk bread!
