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Soft Milk Bread

Where were you in 2020?

Were you doing home workouts? Baking bread? Crying? If you said yes to all three, then same. 😀 The year changed my life in many ways, as I’m sure it did most of us. But if anything good came out of it for me at all—it’s that I found comfort in something as trivial as an oven, because it gave me this: my first ever yeasted bread, Milk Bread.

It’s one of the two recipes I worked on several times until I landed a recipe that I truly love—my first experience doing R&D, not realizing I’d be doing it as a career three years later.

Soft and so flavorful on its own, but also a great base to a variety of sweet or savory fillings. My go-to bread recipe for almost anything.

Give it a try and check out my tips! This viral recipe is also on TikTok, where it has 400k views and counting. Love!

RECIPE: SOFT MILK BREAD

Yield: 2 loaves
Prep Time: 30 minutes prep + 90 minutes wait
Airfry Time: 20-25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • Dough

    • 375g bread flour
    • 75g granulated sugar
    • 6g instant dry yeast
    • 8g fine salt
    • 50g egg (1 large)
    • 236g whole milk
    • 75g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

  • Egg Wash

    • 1 large egg
    • 1 tbsp. water

METHOD

  1. MIX. In your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine bread flour, sugar, and instant dry yeast. Mix for a few seconds, then stream in your milk, egg, and melted butter. Knead on low-medium speed until it forms a rough dough, then add salt.
  2. KNEAD. Starting on medium speed, gradually increase to high speed and knead until the dough is smooth, stretchy, and passes the windowpane test. This step can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes, depending on the strength of your mixer. See tips.
  3. PROOF. Shape the dough into a ball, then place into a large bowl. Cover with cling wrap and allow to proof in a warm area for 45-60 minutes or until at least doubled in volume.
  4. DIVIDE. After proofing, uncover the dough and punch down the gases. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, about 130g each.
  5. SHAPE. Prepare two 8×4″ loaf pans by lightly greasing with oil/butter and lining with parchment paper. Flatten each piece of dough by hand or with a rolling pin to form a rectangle placed vertically towards you. Fold the left and right sides towards the center, then roll the dough upward to form a log. Pinch the seams.
  6. PROOF. Place 3 logs per loaf pan. Cover with cling wrap and proof for about 30 minutes or until doubled in volume, ideally until the dough meets the top of the loaf pan. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 180°C.
  7. EGG WASH. Beat egg and mix with water, then lightly brush on the proofed loaves.
  8. BAKE. Bake the loaves at 180°C for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

TIPS

How do I know when to stop kneading?
 The total kneading time is highly variable. Factors such as the strength and size of your mixer, the brand of your bread flour, and more can affect this step. It’s important to note that the main objective of kneading is to build structure through gluten development. Follow these visual cues, you’re in for a successful batch:

    • The dough is much smoother.
    • The dough is very stretchy and less sticky.
    • The dough passes the windowpane test.

If after 20 minutes of kneading your dough is still very sticky, you can sprinkle small amounts of flour, no more than a teaspoon at a time.

I don’t have a loaf pan. Can I still make this?
Yes! This dough is highly versatile, and you can divide it into smaller portions to make bread rolls. Sometimes I do rolls AND a loaf in one batch by portioning 3 pieces of 155g logs for the loaf, and 9 pieces of 35g rounds for the rolls. I bake the rolls in an 8×8 brownie pan, but you can simply use parchment-lined trays too.

Can I have the measurements in cups?
No. Jk! (But really.) Baking can be so therapeutic yet frustrating at times, and I’d hate for you to be disappointed over bread mishaps caused by inaccurate measurements. A kitchen scale is a great tool that gives you the best chance at baking amazing loaves and much more! (Less dishes to wash, too!)

Can I use other kinds of milk?
You can try, but I personally haven’t tested. Different kinds of milk contain different amounts of fat, and fat plays a major role in the flavor and texture of this bread. (It’s called milk bread for a reason!) If I do create a dairy-free version of this, I’ll post it here. ☺️

Thank you for checking out my recipes! Let me know when you try them out. If you have any questions, comment below or reach me on TikTok/Instagram!

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