A super enriched and soft milk loaf, this is delicious as a soft pillowy slice for breakfast, or as toast with tea – but it also makes a wonderful sandwich loaf as it keeps well.
A super enriched and soft milk loaf, this is delicious as a soft pillowy slice for breakfast, or as toast with tea – but it also makes a wonderful sandwich loaf as it keeps well. This makes an oversized loaf with a beautiful bulbous crown, if you prefer a neater rectangular loaf you can make it in a 1.35kg tin.
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Yields:
12 serving(s)
Prep Time:
25 mins
Cook Time:
50 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 15 mins
Cal/Serv:
412
Ingredients
For the loaf
125g
runny honey
500ml
whole milk
50g
butter, plus extra to grease
7g
sachet fast-action dried yeast
750g
strong white bread flour, plus extra to dust
1
egg, beaten
flaked sea salt, to sprinkle, optional
For the whipped honey butter
125g
butter, softened
3Tbsp.
set honey, at room temperature
1/2tsp.
vanilla bean paste
Directions
Step 1For the loaf, measure the honey into a medium pan and pour in the milk. Gently heat, stirring occasionally, until the honey dissolves. Stir in butter until just melted, then remove pan from heat. Pour into the bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook, or a large mixing bowl, and leave to cool until just warm. Stir in the yeast and leave for 10min, until the mixture is foaming.
Step 2Add the flour and 1tsp fine salt to the bowl and mix to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Knead on medium speed for 5-8min. If kneading by hand, tip dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10min, or until smooth and elastic. Return to a large, greased bowl, if needed. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 11/2hr, or until doubled in size.
Step 3Lightly grease a 900g loaf tin (see intro). Press down the dough in the bowl and knead a few times (in the bowl). Divide into 3 equal pieces (weigh for best results) and roll each piece into a neat ball. Arrange the balls in the greased tin (seam down and squeezing to fit). Loosely cover with greased clingfilm (butter-side down) and leave to rise again for 1hr, or until noticeably puffed.
Step 4Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Lightly brush the top of the loaf with beaten egg and sprinkle over the flaked salt, if using. Bake for 40-45min, or until well risen and deep golden.
Step 5Meanwhile, make the whipped honey butter. In a medium bowl using a handheld electric whisk, beat the butter until very pale. Beat in 1/2 the honey until combined. Add remaining honey and vanilla and beat for 1min. Pipe or spoon into a jar or serving dish and set aside at room temperature.
Step 6Once baked, leave bread to cool in tin for 10min, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve in slices with the whipped honey butter.
TO STORE: Once cool, wrap the bread well in foil and store at room temperature for up to 5 days. Cover and keep the whipped honey butter at cool room temperature for up to a week.
Per slice (with 2tsp honey butter):
Calories: 412
Protein: 9g
Fat: 14g
Saturates: 9g
Carbs: 60g
Total sugars: 13g
Fibre: 2g
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An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
