Here’s what you will need to make a soft Wheat bread at home:
Wheat Flour – 3 cups
Butter – 2 cubes
Milk – 1 cup
Sugar – 15 grams
Dry yeast – 6 grams
Salt – 1 teaspoon
Oil – 1 tablespoon
Step 1: Activating the Yeast
Add 2 cubes of melted butter, 1 cup of warm milk, 15 grams or approximately 1 tablespoon of sugar and 6 grams or 1/2 tablespoon of dry yeast into a bowl. Mix it well for the yeast to activate. There is no need to rest the mixture. Too much waiting at this stage can make the dough too sour. You can move on to step 2 immediately.
Step 2: Preparing the Dough
Add 3 cups of Wheat flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoons of oil. Add the activated yeast mixture. Additionally you can add 1/4 cup of water to make the dough. Dough making is a very crucial step. Keep kneading the dough for about 15 min, until the dough becomes glutenous. You must be able to stretch the dough into a thin layer. This is important for the dough to have enough room for the gas released while the dough is rising.
Step 3: Resting
Add some oil to the bowl before placing the dough back. Cover the bowl with a cling wrap or a wet towel. Make sure you choose a big enough bowl that can hold double the size of the dough. Set aside for 2 hours after which the dough would have doubled in size.
Step 3: Proofing
After 2 hours, knead the dough again into a cylindrical shape. It should be such that it fits into your baking pan. Grease the pan with some butter or oil. Place the dough now into the baking pan. Cover it with a wet towel or cling wrap and rest for 30 minutes. The dough should rise an inch above the pan.
Step 4: Baking
Brush some milk on the dough. This gives a good brown color. Place the baking pan in a pre-heated oven on a low rack. Bake at 180 degree Celsius for 40 minutes.
Enjoy the aroma of the baking bread spread around your kitchen and home 🙂
Allow the bread to cool and then cut them into slices.
