Ingredients
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour (about 420 g)
- 1¼ cups warm milk (about 300 ml)
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast (about 7 g)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the warm milk, sugar and instant yeast. Give it a gentle stir. With instant yeast, you do not have to wait for it to foam, but if you see a bit of foam after a few minutes, it is a good sign the yeast is alive.
Add the melted butter, flour and salt. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until a sticky, uniform dough forms and no dry flour remains. The dough will look shaggy and wet. That is exactly what you want, and it will smooth out as it rises. Let the melted butter cool slightly before adding it so it does not scald the yeast.
Cover the bowl with a lid, plate, plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 60 to 90 minutes, or until doubled in size. The dough should look puffy, bubbly and airy.
A warm spot could be a turned-off oven with the light on, a spot near a warm appliance or a sunny corner of the kitchen. The rising time depends on the temperature of your kitchen. In a cooler room, it may take longer.
Grease a standard loaf pan well with butter or oil. A pan of roughly 9 by 5 inches (23 by 13 cm) works well. You can also line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
Use a spatula, or well-floured or wet hands, to transfer the dough into the prepared loaf pan. The dough will be sticky, so a little oil or water on your hands or spatula helps. Gently spread it so it fills the pan evenly and reaches the corners. Do not deflate it more than necessary.
Cover the pan and let the dough rise for another 30 to 45 minutes, until it rises near the top of the pan. You can start preheating the oven toward the end of this rise. Do not let the dough overproof, or the loaf may collapse in the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Place a rack in the center position so the loaf bakes evenly.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the loaf is cooked through. The bread should sound hollow when you tap the top or bottom, and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center should read about 190°F to 200°F (88°C to 93°C). If the top is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Let the bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer it to a wire rack to cool before slicing. For a soft crust, brush the top with a little melted butter while the loaf is still warm.