Carters milk bread recipe
Prep Time: ~20 minutes
Rise/Proofing Time: ~1½‑2 hours total (may vary by room temp)
Bake Time: ~30‑35 minutes
Total Time: ~2 ½ to 3 hours
Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ (Easy to Moderate)
Yield: 1 loaf (depending on pan size, about 8‑10 slices)
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Bread flour | 3 cups (≈ 360‑380 g) |
| Whole milk (lukewarm) | 1 cup (≈ 240 ml) |
| Active dry yeast or instant yeast | 2¼ teaspoons (about 1 packet) |
| Granulated sugar | ¼ cup (≈ 50 g) |
| Salt | 1 teaspoon |
| Egg, room temperature | 1 large |
| Unsalted butter, softened | 2 tablespoons (≈ 28‑30 g) |
| Milk (for brushing / glaze) | a few tablespoons |
(Optional sweet/cinnamon swirl version: you can add some brown sugar + cinnamon swirl inside, or sugar glaze on top.)
Equipment Needed
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Large mixing bowl (or stand mixer with dough hook)
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Measuring cups/spoons or kitchen scale
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Loaf pan (about 8×4 in or similar)
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Plastic wrap or kitchen towel
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Pastry brush
Instructions
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Activate the yeast (if using active dry yeast).
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Warm the milk to “lukewarm” (~100‑110°F / about 38‑43°C).
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Stir in the yeast + a teaspoon of sugar. Let sit ~5‑10 minutes until frothy.
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If using instant yeast, you can skip frothing and mix with the dry ingredients.
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Mix the dough.
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In bowl, combine the flour, remaining sugar, salt.
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Add the egg and the yeast‑milk mixture. Mix until you have a rough dough.
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Knead in the butter.
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Add softened butter and knead the dough (by hand or with mixer) until smooth, elastic, slightly tacky but not overly sticky. This may take 8‑10 minutes by hand, less with mixer.
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First Rise (Bulk Fermentation).
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Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or clean cloth. Let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Depending on temperature, 45‑60 minutes or more.
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Shape.
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After rising, gently punch down / deflate. Shape the loaf: you can roll into a loaf shape and place into greased loaf pan. If doing rolls or buns, divide into desired pieces.
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Second Rise (Proof).
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Cover loaf pan and let dough rise again until it’s visibly puffed and about ¾ to nearly double height of pan. This might take 30‑45 minutes.
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Preheat Oven.
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Preheat oven to about 350°F (175°C).
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Glaze / Brush.
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Just before baking, brush top of loaf with milk (or milk + a little egg for more shine).
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Bake.
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Place loaf in preheated oven. Bake ~30‑35 minutes, until crust is golden brown. If you tap bottom of loaf (carefully when cooled a bit) it should sound hollow.
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Cool.
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Remove from pan, let cool on wire rack at least 15‑20 minutes before slicing.
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Tips for Super Soft Milk Bread
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Using milk (rather than water) adds fat, lactose, proteins, which help with softness, browning, richer flavor.
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Room temperature ingredients help the dough develop properly.
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Don’t over‑knead or over‑proof; but make sure gluten is developed (you can test with windowpane test if you like).
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Soft bread like this benefits from storage in an airtight container or bag, at room temp for 2‑3 days; you can freeze slices.
Variations
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Cinnamon & Sugar Swirl: Roll out dough into rectangle, spread butter, sprinkle cinnamon + sugar, roll up, place in loaf pan.
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Honey Milk Bread: Substitute some sugar with honey.
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Enriched Version: Add an extra tablespoon of butter or even a bit of cream.
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Rolls / Buns: Divide shaped dough into rolls; follow same proofing & baking, adjusting bake time.
Approximate Nutritional Info (Per Slice or per loaf/10 slices)
| Item | Approx per slice (1/10 loaf) |
|---|---|
| Calories | ~150‑180 kcal |
| Fat | ~5‑6 g |
| Saturated fat | ~2‑3 g |
| Carbohydrates | ~22‑25 g |
| Protein | ~4‑5 g |
| Sugar | ~2‑4 g |
| Sodium | depends on salt, ~150‑200 mg |
