On a cold winter day like today, making some hearty bread sounded like a good idea to me, after all, what’s better on a blustery winter’s day than warm bread, straight from the oven, slathered with butter? So I went to the kitchen to make some!
This soft braided bread is a very easy bread to make. I have used this dough to make bread rolls brushed with melted butter on top, and, I have made simple, soft-crusted bread loaves topped with sea salt and thyme. When I have a little extra time, however, I like to braid the dough and sprinkle it with sesame seeds and coarse sea salt.
How to make this soft Braided Milk Bread
If you have a stand mixer, this dough comes together in no time at all. As with all yeast-based breads, you have to let the dough rise once, then form it into a braided loaf and let it rise a second time. The milk produces a soft crumb and the egg white wash makes a shiny, crisp crust and ensures that the seeds will stay on as the bread bakes and expands.
Minutes after you slip this bread into the oven, you will be rewarded with the most amazing smell of all. The only difficult thing will be to wait for it to cool down a bit before you can slice a piece and enjoy it with some butter and jam!
Get the recipe for the soft braided milk bread:
- ⅔ cup warm water (110°F to 115°F)
- 1 package active dry yeast (2¼ tsp.)
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 3½ cups bread flour
- 2 tsp. salt
- ½ cup milk, lukewarm
- 1 large egg white
- --- coarse sea salt
- --- white sesame seeds (optional)
- --- black sesame seeds (optional)
- Place ⅔ cup of warm water in a large measuring cup. Whisk the yeast and the sugar into the water and let stand until it bubbles, about 5 minutes.
- In a stand mixer, equipped with a hook (or food processor fitted with a steel blade), add the flour and the salt and mix. Pour the water/yeast mixture and then the lukewarm milk over the flour and kneed until the mixture forms a soft ball and the dough is elastic and easy to handle. If your dough seems dry, add a little more water, a tablespoon at a time; if it is too wet, add a bit more flour.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for a few minutes. Place the dough in a bowl that has been well floured, turn to coat well and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, about one hour.
- Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Cut the dough into three equal sections. Roll each piece to form a thick long rope and, taking one piece at a time, start to "braid" the dough, pinching together each end. Tuck the ends under the braid and place it on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Alternatively, you can form a wreath with the braid! Let it rise for about half an hour.
- In the meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375° F.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg white well and then brush it over the bread. Sprinkle the bread with some coarse sea salt and some white and black sesame seeds and bake it on the middle rack of the oven until golden brown; about 30 minutes. Place the bread on a wire rack to cool.
This makes a very large braided bread. Most times, I prefer to make two smaller braids, by dividing the dough into two parts and each part into three equal sections to form the long dough "ropes".
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What size is the package of dry active yeast?
Hi Elaine, it is the standard package of 2 1/4 tsp. of yeast!
Maybe this should apparent, but how long are the ropes supposed to be? For either one wreath or 2 loaves? There isn’t an indication in the recipe and this seems like a key piece of information. Thanks!
Hi Jojo,
I usually make two smaller loaves, each rope, about 14″ long. Once the dough rests, it becomes very flexible, and you can stretch the ropes even more. For a larger loaf, I would definitely aim for a 16″ long loaf. I hope this helps!.
Thanks so much!