Milk Bread

Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 55 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 cup 1% low-fat milk, warmed but not scalded

Recipe

• 1 grease a standard size loaf pan.
• 2 sift the flour into a large warm bowl and add the egg, butter, yeast, salt and sugar.
• 3 gradually mix in the milk--not all of it may be necessary--and knead by hand or by machine until smooth and elastic.
• 4 cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for approximately 1 hour.
• 5 knead the dough again, briefly and fit the dough into the loaf pan.
• 6 let rise again in a warm place for approximately 45 minutes; then glaze the top of the loaf with either some beaten egg or some milk.
• 7 bake the loaf in a 450°f oven for 15 minutes; then reduce the oven temperature to 425°f and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the loaf is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on it's base.
• 8 this bread was declared by victorians to be a nice soft loaf with a good storage life and deemed perfect for teatime or breakfast use.
• 9 prep time includes time for the dough to rise.