Soft Homemade Bread for Sharing
Warm and Inviting! Freshly Baked Soft Bread at Home
A recipe for moist and soft homemade bread, perfect for tearing and sharing. It’s ideal for enjoying with family and friends, and you can savor the warmth of freshly baked bread.
Bread Dough Ingredients- 200g bread flour
- 150ml warm milk
- 20g sugar
- 20g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4g instant dry yeast
- 2g salt
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
In a large bowl, place 200g of bread flour. Make a well in the center and add 4g of instant dry yeast and 20g of sugar, ensuring they don’t directly touch the salt. Add 2g of salt to the side. Pour in 150ml of warm milk and 20g of room-temperature unsalted butter. Begin mixing with a spatula or your hands until a rough dough forms. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead vigorously. Push, fold, and turn the dough repeatedly for about 10-15 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. The dough is ready when it’s smooth and no longer sticky.
Step 2
Place the kneaded dough into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it undergo its first proof in a warm place for 30 minutes. After the first proof, divide the dough into 6 equal portions, shape them into balls (round off), and let them rest for 10 minutes (intermediate proof). After the intermediate proof, divide them into 6 portions again, shape them, and let them proof for a second time for 20 minutes. Finally, place the dough into your desired bread pan(s) and cover with plastic wrap for a final proof of 1 hour. The dough is considered well-proofed when it has increased in volume by 1.5 to 2 times.
Step 3
To ensure the dough proofs properly and becomes tender, creating a warm environment is crucial. You can place the bowl on a slightly warmed electric blanket or tuck it inside a warm blanket. Always cover the dough with plastic wrap during proofing to prevent the surface from drying out. If your oven has a proofing function, you can use it by setting the temperature to around 35-40°C (95-104°F).
Step 4
Arrange the 6 portions of proofed dough into your bread pan(s), leaving some space between them. Cover the dough in the pan(s) with plastic wrap or a damp cloth. Allow them to proof for a final time in a warm place for about 1 hour. This final proof will make the bread rise significantly and achieve a soft texture. The dough is ready for baking when it has risen to about 80% of the height of the pan.
Step 5
Preheat your oven to 170°C (338°F) for 10 minutes. Carefully place the proofed dough in the pan(s) into the preheated oven. Bake at the same temperature, 170°C (338°F), for 19 minutes. The bread is done when the crust is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top begins to brown too quickly, you can loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
Step 6
Once baked, immediately remove the bread from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. For a fresh touch, garnish the warm bread with fresh basil leaves. This not only adds a lovely aroma but also makes the bread visually appealing. Enjoy your delicious homemade bread with butter or jam!
