Smooth, Light and Rich Bread Made With a Bread Machine

1. 1

   Put all the ingredients in the bread machine, and choose the 'soft bread' option or the 'light crust' option and press start.

2. 2

   If you are baking this in a bread pan: After the 1st rising is done, lightly deflate the dough, divide it into 4 portions and leave to rest for 15 minutes, taking care not to let it dry out.

3. 3

   Once again deflate the dough, and round off neatly.

4. 4

   Place the dough balls with the seam sides down in a bread pan, and let rise again (2nd rise) at 35C for about 40 minutes (until the dough rises up to about the rim of the pan).

5. 5

   Make a rather deep slash on top, and top the slash with butter.

6. 6

   Bake the bread at 180 C for 30 minutes.

7. 7

   I'm not good at slashing bread, so I just cut it with kitchen scissors.

8. 8

   When it's finished baking, drop the pan from about a 30cm height onto your countertop to release the steam, then remove the loaf from the pan.

9. 9

   It's soft, fluffy and moist.

10. 10

    If using a 1.5 loaf size bread machine to bake this: If you have a 1.5 loaf size bread machine, use the ingredient amounts listed for a 1 loaf.

11. 11

    In the machine.

12. 12

    This dough rises up very well, so if you use the 1.5 loaf amounts it will turn out like this.

13. 13

    If using a 1 loaf size bread machine to bake this: If you have a 1-loaf size bread machine, use the amounts indicated in [ ] brackets.

14. 14

    Of course you can use the 1-loaf amounts, take the dough out and bake it in the oven instead.

15. 15

    I made crisscross cuts in the dough after the 2nd rise using kitchen scissors, and placed pats of butter in the cuts.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.