Sweet Milk Bread recipe - Chef Lola's Kitchen (2024)

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Sweet Milk Bread – Nothing whets the appetite like the aroma of a yeast bread baking in the oven. This white bread is soft, slightly chewy, milky and sweet.

Sweet Milk Bread recipe - Chef Lola's Kitchen (1)

WHITE BREAD

Baking fresh bread at home does not only bring rich soul-satisfying fragrant aromas, but it also delivers a quintessential home-baking experience.

Growing up, we lived a couple of blocks away from the bakery so we had access to fresh Bread almost every time, so when I lefthome a couple of years ago I began to crave for that sweet, soft and slightly chewy Bread that I grew up with.

I searched different grocery stores but I did not get exactly what I wanted. The only choice I had left was to start trying out recipes. I tried out a ton of Bread recipes both online and in books, and years after (yes you read right, years!) I was able to come up with this beautiful sweet milk bread recipe after a lot of trials, fails and now, success!

Sweet Milk Bread recipe - Chef Lola's Kitchen (2)

You can make this Sweet white Bread with or without a mixer. However, in order to achieve a perfect result, you need to useBread Flourbecause it has a higher gluten content compared to the all-purpose Flour.Though I’ve used all-purpose flour a couple of times and it turned out good but I will favor the outcome of Bread flour over that all-purpose flour because the difference is clear.

How to make the Basic Sweet MilkWhite Bread with the stand Mixer

The first thing to check is the capability of your machine. A large stand mixer will successfully handle about 7 to 8 cups of flour. However, if you have a smaller stand mixer, I will advise that you divide this recipe into two.

Another important fact is that there is a very high tendency for you to over-knead the dough while using a stand mixer. Therefore, I will advise you to start checking how the dough is doing after about five minutes from the time you started the kneading process.

To use the stand mixer, simply add all the ingredients into the mixing bowl and start mixing together using the dough hook on low speed till a mass of dough is formed. Continue to process until the dough cleans up the sides of the dough.

If all your ingredients are correctly measured, you will have no need to add more liquid. However, if there’s a need to add more flour, feel free to do that (a little at a time) until you achieve a soft and elastic but not sticky dough.

Sweet Milk Bread recipe - Chef Lola's Kitchen (3)

How to Make the Sweet Bread without a Stand Mixer

This bread loaf can also be made with no stand mixer. You will need a clean table with a comfortable height and of course, some elbow strength! This hand kneading method should take about 10 minutes.

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, once everything is well combined, turn the dough to a lightly floured work surface and begin to knead until the dough is no longer sticky and it becomes soft, smooth and elastic.

Just like I stated for the machine method above, if you measure all your ingredients correctly, you will have no need to add more liquid. However, for the hand kneading method, you will need to add more flour – a little at a time as needed until you achieve a soft and elastic but not sticky dough.

Other Bread Recipes you might want to try:

  • Quick and Easy Hot Dog Buns Recipe
  • How To Make Bread Rolls
  • Sausage Bread Rolls
  • No-knead Bread Rolls
  • No-knead Garlic Bread-Garlic Knots
  • Chicken Stuffed Braided Bread
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  • Meat Buns
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Please note that you need to induce steam into the Oven by pouring water in a pan and placing it on the bottom rack of the oven. This will ensure that the bread bakes well and rises to its full potential before the crust is formed. It also helps to achieve that soft crust.

Sweet Milk Bread recipe - Chef Lola's Kitchen (4)

This is not a quick bread method, but the wait time is well worth it, therefore, let the dough rest well. This rest period will allow the gluten to develop well. Don’t hasten or shorten the rest time and you will be rewarded with a perfectly soft and chewy sweet loaf of bread.

Let’s talk about Yeasts

There are a whole lot of yeast types that you can use in bread making. However, I will be talking about the two main types that are common to the home baker.

The first is the active dry yeast and the second is the instant yeast (also known as the fast rice or rapid-rise yeast). Learn the difference and similarities of active dry yeast and instant yeast here.

The active dry yeast may or may not be proofed. I know this may be a bit surprising because a lot of people think that there is a need to proof the active dry yeast. I have used the active dry yeast several times without proofing it and with great result.

On the other hand, Rapid Yeast does not require any proofing. You can add this directly to your dry ingredients. It will work just fine.

I will always encourage those who are new to baking to always proof their yeast with warm water between a temperature of 110°F and 115°F and a bit of Sugar just to make sure that the yeast is alive and well. A bad yeast will produce a bad bread.

For this recipe, I proofed my yeast just to help new bakers get it right. If you are not new to baking, you may skip that step.

Other Notes:

  • Make sure you measure all the ingredients accurately.
  • Bring all the Eggs and butter to room temperature before using it.
  • Be sure that the water you use is warm, not hot or cold.
  • I added Vitamin C Powder. You can replace this with Vinegar. This acts as a preservative and it also creates an acidic environment which helps the Yeast to work better.
  • When the dough is rising, it’s very important to place it in a warm place. I usually place mine in the Oven with the oven light on.
  • Depending on the Oven you use, some ovens require that you rotate the bread from back to front during the baking process for even brownness.
  • To test for doneness, simply insert a skewer inside the middle of the bread
  • Once the bread is done, butter the surface to give the bread a shiny, soft and tender crust.
  • To get the best texture from your bread, let it cool down completely before slicing it.
  • Always let the Bread come to room temperature before wrapping it and storing it.

What type of Oven Should I use for baking my Bread?

All types of Oven – Gas oven, Electric oven, Convection oven or conventional Ovenwill all give you a good bread. However, I will like to talk a bit about the effect of the electric oven on the bread.

The electric Ovens have coils that are exposed, and this produces direct heat on the pan from the bottom. Therefore, there is a high tendency for your Bread to burn when using this type of Oven. To prevent this from happening, simply place a foil paper over the oven rack before placing your bread pan on it. The foil paper will prevent the directeffect of the exposed coils on the bread

For all oven types, you may want to rotate the bread halfway during the baking process in order to achieve the even brownness.

Sweet Milk Bread recipe - Chef Lola's Kitchen (5)

There are a couple of Bread recipes that I usually make in my house (Yep, we love Bread). Feel free to check here to see if you

Sometimes, we forget about the Tea, Sauce, Butter or Eggs and we end up eating the bread as is within a couple of hours. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Sweet Milk Bread recipe - Chef Lola's Kitchen (6)

Sweet Milk Bread recipe

Sweet Milk Bread – Nothing whets the appetite like the aroma of a yeast bread baking in the oven. This white Bread is soft, slightly chewy, milky and sweet.

4.60 from 112 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: Global

Keyword: homemade, Milk Bread, Sweet Bread, White Bread

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 Loaves

Calories: 1026kcal

Author: Lola Osinkolu

Ingredients

  • 6 Cups Bread Flour 6 to 6.5
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Vitamin C Powder Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt
  • 3 Tablespoons Butter
  • 2 Tablespoons Yeast
  • 1 Cup Water
  • 1 Cup Milk
  • 2 Eggs

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

Without a Stand Mixer

  • Dissolve the yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar in warm water and the Yeast to Proof for 5 minutes or till the yeast becomes frothy.

  • In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, and salt. Mix well.

  • Create a well in the middle of the flour mixture, add the yeast mixture, eggs, milk, melted butter and vinegar (vitamin c powder) andbegin to mix with your hands until a mass of sticky dough is formed.

  • Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and begin to knead dusting the table with a little bit of flour at a time to prevent the dough from sticking to your work surface.

  • After about 10 minutes of working the dough, it should become smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough inside the large mixing bowl.

  • Coat it with a little oil to prevent it from drying out and cover with a damp cloth. Place in a warm place to rise for one hour or until it's doubled in size.

  • After one hour, bring out the dough and punch it down to remove the excess air. Don't overbeat it.

  • Transfer the dough back to the work surface. Divide it into four equal parts and shape each into a loaf. You can also knead the dough into a rectangular shape with a rolling pin and then tightly roll it up (as you would a Mat) into a loaf.

  • Prepare four loaf pans by greasing them with oil and dusting them with flour or simply spray them with a non-stick cooking spray.

  • Place the shaped dough inside the prepared loaf pans, cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes.

  • After 30 minutes, place the loaves inside a 350°F preheated oven and bake between 20 to 25 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean.

  • Leave to cool for a couple of minutes and enjoy!

Stand Mixer Instructions

  • Dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water and the Yeast to Proof for 5 minutes or till the yeast becomes frothy.

  • Add all the ingredients (except the butter) inside the bowl of the mixer. Set the mixer to medium speed and begin to mix.

  • Afterabout 4 to 5 minutes of mixing the dough, turn off the mixer and add the butter. Then continue to mix for about 2 to 3 more minutes until the dough becomes elastic and pulls away from the sides of the Bowl.

  • (Proceed with the remaining steps from 6 above)

Notes

1-I added Vitamin C Powder. This can also be replaced with Vinegar. This acts as a preservative and it also creates an acidic environment which helps the Yeast to work better.

2-The Butter helps to enhance the flavor, texture, and moisture in the bread.

3-I steamed up the Oven so that the Dough will have enough time to rise before the crust is formed.

4-I Buttered the Bread surface to get a shiny, soft and tender crust.

Nutrition

Calories: 1026kcal | Carbohydrates: 196g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 722mg | Potassium: 330mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin A: 480IU | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 9.1mg

Watch the step by step video on how to make this sweet Milk Bread

Let’s Connect.

You can find me onFacebook, andInstagram.I love keeping in touch with all of you!

If you make thisSweet Milk Bread, I’d love to see pictures of your creations on Instagram or Facebook.#cheflolaskitchen

Sweet Milk Bread recipe - Chef Lola's Kitchen (7)
Sweet Milk Bread recipe - Chef Lola's Kitchen (8)

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Sweet Milk Bread recipe - Chef Lola's Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Why is my milk bread not fluffy? ›

If your milk bread is dense, mostly likely, the dough is under-kneaded. The dough needs to develop enough gluten to expand and become soft and fluffy. A sure way to ensure that the dough is kneaded enough is using the window pane test.

Why is my milk bread gummy? ›

The gummy line at the bottom of a sandwich bread or pan loaf is fundamentally about gravity — the crumb structure sinks downward. This can be avoided with a quicker heat-set of the structure, different shaping, and fermentation timing.

What does adding milk instead of water do bread? ›

Milk changes bread recipes by producing a softer loaf, due to the milk fat content, which also gives bread a richer flavor. Bread made with milk browns more easily than bread made with water, as lactose or milk sugar will caramelize as it bakes.

What makes milk bread different? ›

Milk bread (aka Hokkaido milk bread) is a slightly sweet Japanese white bread that is known for its super soft, fluffy texture. What is milk bread's so-soft texture and whispy pull-apart secret? Strands of the heated milk and flour paste known as tangzhong.

What is the trick to fluffy bread? ›

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

Why is my homemade bread dense and not fluffy? ›

The usual reason why bread becomes too dense is due to using flour with low protein content. When your loaf is spongy and heavy, you might have also put too much flour into it or made the dough in a cooler or too warm setting.

How do you troubleshoot gummy bread? ›

Uneven heat in your oven can be the culprit – if you loaf is nicely golden on the outside but gummy or moist in the inside, it's baking too quickly on the outside. Trying reducing the temperature you're baking at and bake for a bit longer. Experiment until you find the sweet spot, and take notes along the way.

Can you over knead dough? ›

Instead, the range of which a dough can be properly kneaded is quite broad. It's possible to under-knead the mixture by a small amount, or over-knead it and still yield a delicious loaf of bread. Doughs usually flop when they are severely under or over-kneaded. That being said, it is quite easy to over-knead dough.

How do you fix gummy dough? ›

After the first rise, you would normally knead the dough again. However, if you find your dough is too sticky at this point, do not knead it again. Instead, gently press and deflate the dough. You can also use a light coating of flour on your hands and working surface to press and stretch the dough.

What does adding egg to bread dough do? ›

besides the nutritional benefits there are a few other good reasons to use egg in breadmaking. It makes the bread lighter and fluffier. The reason for that is the fat in the yolk that inhibits gluten formation just as any other fat would. This results in a looser dough that can expand and puff up more.

Is it better to use butter or oil in bread dough? ›

The spongy texture and moist flavor that oil creates can be a boon to certain recipes. Not to mention oil is cheaper and easier to work with. Butter will always provide superior flavor and that melt-in-your-mouth texture. In many recipes, combining the two gives the best of both worlds.

What does adding butter to bread dough do? ›

Butter (or another fat) can also be added to a bread dough in smaller quantities to aid in extensibility, yielding a larger volume, not to mention more richness, than a lean dough. As fat inhibits starch recrystallization, bread that includes butter will stay soft longer, increasing the loaf's shelf life.

What is another name for milk bread? ›

Other names for it are Hokkaido milk bread, shokupan, and pai bao. Shokupan translates to "eating bread" or "food bread" or "plain bread"; in Japan the style is considered the standard bread of the country, where it is a common breakfast meal or eaten as a snack. It is carried in many bakeries in Asian countries.

Is brioche the same as milk bread? ›

Brioche is a much richer bread than Japanese milk bread. It uses a lot more butter than shokupan dough, giving brioche a sweeter and more buttery taste. Brioche is also made with eggs. This helps give brioche its signature golden color and a denser, chewier texture than shokupan.

Why does milk bread taste so good? ›

Part of what makes milk bread so satisfying to eat is that feathery softness, which many bakers attribute to tangzhong, a roux that's incorporated into the dough.

Why is my bread not fluffy and soft? ›

Over-kneading the dough can lead to a tight gluten structure and result in a dense texture. Using too much flour or not enough yeast can also affect the rise of the bread. Additionally, insufficient proofing time or improper shaping can contribute to a heavy loaf.

Can you over knead milk bread? ›

While underworked dough can simply be fixed by a little more kneading, severely overworked dough cannot be fixed. Instead, the overworked dough will result in a hard loaf that will likely not be eaten. It's important not to overwork your dough and continually check for overworking throughout the kneading process.

Why aren't my bread rolls fluffy? ›

Too much flour, or not the right kind, could be to blame. Dough made only from flour with a high or even average amount of protein (like bread flour or all-purpose flour) can become tough from overmixing.

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