🍞 Soft Homemade Bread

🧾 Ingredients:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup warm milk (not hot)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter (softened)
• 1 egg (optional, for richer texture)

👩‍🍳 Instructions:

1. Activate yeast
   In a bowl, mix warm milk + sugar + yeast. Let it sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy.
2. Make the dough
   Add flour, salt, butter, and egg (if using). Mix until a soft dough forms.
3. Knead
   Knead the dough for about 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
4. First rise
   Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for 1–1.5 hours until doubled in size.
5. Shape
   Divide dough (if making 2 loaves), shape, and place into greased loaf pans.
6. Second rise
   Let it rise again for 30–45 minutes until puffy.
7. Bake
   Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 25–30 minutes until golden brown.
8. Finish
   Brush with butter while warm for a soft crust.

💡 Tips:

• Don’t use hot milk — it can kill the yeast
• If the dough is sticky, add a little flour gradually
• For extra softness, cover the bread with a towel after baking