White Milk Bread or Rolls

Recipe #5 was from Apples for Jam, one of the most gorgeous cookbooks ever. It's a cookbook categorized by color! How amazing is that? So there's a section with all red foods, all yellow foods, all green foods, etc. So fun to look through. These white milk rolls were pretty easy to make and delivered good flavor. I still have a texture issue with homemade bread. It seems most of them turn out heavy and dense. I think the issue is bread flour. Something about higher protein levels in bread flour? I don't know. I'm no bread making expert, that's for sure. That being said, there's nothing better than homemade bread, fresh from the oven, slathered with butter. Except for enjoying said bread without your children knowing about it.

White Milk Bread

from Apples for Jam

1 1/4 cups warm milk

1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast

1 tsp honey

3 2/3 cups bread flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 tbs butter, melted

Put the milk, yeast, and honey in a small bowl, and stir until honey melts. Leave it for about 10 minutes, or until it begins to froth a bit. Put the flour and 1/2 tsp in a larger bowl. Add the yeast mixture, the egg, and butter, and mix well. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand. Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave in a warm, draft-free place to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until it has puffed up well.

Lightly grease a 12 by 4 in loaf pan (if making a loaf) or a cookie sheet (if making rolls). Punch down the dough to flatten it and shape it into a loaf to fit the pan (or cut into equal sized portions for rolls). Cover with a cloth and leave in warm place to rise another 45-60 minutes, until puffed up again.

Preheat oven to 375. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the top is firm and crusty and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.