Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (2024)

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Victorian Milk Bread just substitutes milk instead of water in a regular bread recipe. The result is this amazingly flavorful bread with a beautiful crust and a great crumb.

When deciding on the recipe for V, I made up my mind, that I wanted to bake something. I have not baked any bread for this Mega BM. I was struggling to find a recipe to fit my theme and that is when this Victorian Milk Bread popped into my head.

Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (1)

A few weeks ago, one of my very dear friends who is the Director of the Public library of my town in NY, posted a bread she baked. I loved how beautiful the loaf looked. She had also baked the bread in a Pullman Bread pan which immediately caught my attention.

I bought a Pullman pan to make loaves of square bread that would resemble the store bread. The first recipe I tried totally flopped and the bread did not hold its shape. I stopped using the pan ever since and it is still sitting on my shelf, untouched for over a year now.

I asked my dear friend Gloria for the recipe and she sent a picture of the recipe from the book that she uses. The name of the bread is Victorian Milk Bread and it perfectly fits my need for the alphabet V. She said that she almost doubles the bread to make it in the Pullman loaf.

I did not want to try it on the first attempt and hence used the recipe to make the standard loaf. I also managed to shape the bread into the traditional 'S' shape that was mentioned in the book.

Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (2)

The book she sent the recipe from was called 'Bread by Eric Treuille'. This British bread uses milk instead of water. Being from India, I love milk bread, as that is what is very common there. I have baked Milk bread before using the Tangzhong method.

This bread is much simpler than that and does not include making a roux or anything. We just substitute Milk instead of water in a regular bread recipe and proceed. The result is this amazingly flavorful bread with a beautiful crust and a great crumb.

Egg wash is highly recommended for the beautiful golden color of the crust. I have almost always used a butter and milk mixture to attain that same golden color. I have used the same here instead of egg wash and the bread has a beautiful color.

The recipe also has a 3 rise instead of 2. The dough is punched down once in between the initial rise and then allowed to rise again. It does not take long though. My dough had risen in 45 minutes and I punched it down and let it rise again for 45 minutes or so to allow it to double in volume. It was fun to shape the 'S' shape of the bread. The bread can however be shaped into a traditional loaf.

My Other Posts in the A – Z Explore the Flavors Series

A for Akki Roti

B for Baghrir with Orange Butter Sauce

C for Chickpeas Shawarma

D for Double Ka Meetha

E for Esquites

F for Farro Salad

G for Gur Papdi

H for Hayagreeva Maddi

I for Idli

J for Jau Ki Papdi

K for Karthigai Pori

L for Lemon Chia Seeds Muffin

M for Mysore Pak

N for Narali Bhath

O for Oatmeal Payasam

P for Pav Bhaji

Q for Quinoa Brown Rice Adai

R for Rajgira Aloo Poori

S for Samosa

T for Thinai Sweet Paniyaram

U for Uppittu

Preparation time - 10 minutes plus 2 ½ hours of resting time
Baking time - 30 to 40 minutes
Difficulty level - Easy

Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (3)

Ingredients to make Victorian Milk Bread - Makes one standard 8 x 5 loaf

  • Bread flour (All Purpose flour can be used as a substitute) - 3 ¼ - 3 ½ cups
  • Milk (lukewarm) - 1 ¼ cup (might need a little more)
  • Active dry yeast - 2 tsp
  • Sugar - 1 tbsp
  • Salt - 1 ½ tsp
  • Butter + milk - 1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoon (for brushing on top)

Procedure to make Victorian Milk Bread -

Making the dough -

  • I used a kitchen aid stand mixer to knead my dough. You can also knead it by hand. In a large bowl or the bowl of your mixer, measure the flour and salt and combine.
  • In a measuring cup, heat the milk. Use half of the warm milk to add the sugar and the yeast and mix. Let the yeast proof for about 5 minutes. You will see that the yeast mixture becomes frothy and bubbly. If the yeast does not activate by around 10 minutes, then the yeast is old and is not active. Discard this yeast and start with a new batch.
Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (5)
  • Once the yeast mixture has been proofed, add it to the flour and mix. Add the remaining warm milk and start kneading. If kneading using the stand mixer use the hook attachment and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Adjust the consistency of the dough by using a little bit more milk or flour.
  • The dough should be very soft, but not sticky. I kneaded for a bit in the stand mixer and then kneaded by hand until I reached the desired texture.
Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (6)
  • Grease a large bowl (I used my mixer bowl), and place the kneaded dough in the bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled (about 45 minutes).
  • Punch down the dough and let it rise again until doubled in volume (about 45 minutes).
Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (7)

Shaping and Baking the Bread -

  • Once the dough rises for the second time, place it on the work surface.
  • Spread it into a rough rectangle and roll it to a tight log about 14 inches long.
  • Twist both the edges of the log to form an 'S' shape and tuck in the edges. (refer to the picture for the S shape)
  • Prepare a standard loaf pan by lightly greasing it. Place the shaped bread into the prepared tin and cover it with a kitchen towel.
Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (8)
  • Let the shaped bread rise until it reaches above the tin. It took me about 45 minutes.
Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (9)
  • At the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400 F.
  • In a small bowl, melt 1 teaspoon of butter and add 2 tablespoon of milk to it. Brush this mixture over the bread liberally.
Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (10)
  • Bake the bread for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown.
  • Keep an eye out for about 25 minutes. If the top starts to become brown too quickly, tent the tin with aluminum foil and let it bake further.
  • The bread would sound hollow when completely done. Remove the bread and let it completely cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (11)

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If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Recipe

Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (16)

Victorian Milk Bread

Victorian Milk Bread just substitutes milk instead of water in a regular bread recipe. The result is this amazingly flavorful bread with beautiful crust and a great crumb.

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Baking, Breakfast

Cuisine: British, England

Diet: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Proofing time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 Slices

Calories: 147kcal

Author: Sandhya Ramakrishnan

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer

  • Oven

Ingredients

  • 3 ¼ cup Bread flour All Purpose flour can be used as a substitute
  • 1 ¼ cup Milk lukewarm
  • 2 teaspoon Active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon Sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Butter + milk 1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoon for brushing on top

Instructions

Making the dough -

  • I used kitchen aid stand mixer to knead my dough. You can also knead it by hand. In a large bowl or the bowl of your mixer, measure the flour and salt and combine.

  • In a measuring cup, heat the milk. In half of the warm milk, add the sugar and the yeast and mix. Let the yeast proof for about 5 minutes. You will see that the yeast mixture becomes frothy and bubbly. If the yeast does not activate by around 10 minutes, then the yeast is old and is not active. Discard this yeast and start with a new batch.

  • Once the yeast mixture has proofed, add it to the flour and mix. Add the remaining warm milk and start kneading. If kneading using the stand mixer use the hook attachment and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. If the dough appears too dry, add a little bit more milk. If the dough appears too sticky, add a little more flour.

  • The dough should be very soft, but not sticky. I kneaded for a bit in the stand mixer and then kneaded by hand, until I reached the desired texture.

  • Grease a large bowl (I used my mixer bowl), and place the kneaded dough in the bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled (about 45 minutes).

  • Punch down the dough and let it rise again until doubled in volume (about 45 minutes).

Shaping and Baking the Bread -

  • Once the dough rises for the second time, place it on the work surface.

  • Spread it to a rough rectangle and roll it to a tight log about 14 inches long.

  • Twist both the edges of the log to form a 'S' shape and tuck in the edges. (refer to the picture for the S shape)

  • Prepare a standard loaf pan by lightly greasing it. Place the shaped bread into the prepared tin and cover with a kitchen towel.

  • Let the shaped bread rise until it reaches above the tin. It took me about 45 minutes.

  • At the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400 F.

  • In a small bowl, melt 1 teaspoon of butter and add 2 tablespoon of milk to it. Brush this mixture over the bread liberally.

  • Bake the bread for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown.

  • Keep an eye from about 25 minutes. If the top starts to become brown too quickly, tent the tin with a aluminum foil and let it bake further.

  • The bread would sound hollow when completely done. Remove the bread and let it completely cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 306mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 52IU | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @Sandhya.Ramakrishnan or tag #MyCookingJourney!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Priya Srinivasan says

    wow beautiful loaf sandhya! lovely color and beautiful texture! i m missing baking so badly! sitting in chennai, alli can do is drool at such beautiful bakes!

    Reply

  2. Padmajha PJ says

    Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (21)
    You have shaped teh bread so well Sandhya!The milk bread is indeed so soft! I too have a pullman pan and it is still sleeping on the shelves.

    Reply

  3. Srivalli says

    Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (22)
    OMG that is an amazing bread Sandhya. Trust you to pick a fantastic one for us to drool over!..and that s shape looks so neatly done. I am surely going to try this soon. what a lovely recipe!

    Reply

  4. Manjula Bharath says

    Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (23)
    Oh My gosh !! this S shaped bread is so perfect, you nailed baking them.. I can see the perfect texture and so soft they are.. The crust look fantastic !! Kudos !!

    Reply

  5. sapana says

    Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (24)
    I am yet to try milk bread and this Victorian milk bread looks just perfect to try my hands on. Love the beautiful golden crust and delicious crumb.

    Reply

  6. Pavani Nandula says

    Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (25)
    That is a perfect loaf Sandwich. Beautifully golden crust and such amazing crumbs. Well done. Bookmarked to try some time soon.

    Reply

  7. Gayathri Kumar says

    Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (26)
    That is an amazing golden crust and nice crumb. Love how you have shaped it into S. Milk in the bread dough gives such a soft and flavourful bread..

    Reply

  8. Vaishali Sabnani says

    I can understand how a person struggles to fit in a recipe in the theme, and I must say you have done an amazing job with this bread. It has a beautiful S..and the texture looks fantastic..nice and soft.

    Reply

  9. Srividhya Gopalakrishnan says

    Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (27)
    What a great try and you have succeeded for sure. That S shape has come out well even after the 3 rises. Perfect texture. Glad you got to bake for the BM. Super Sandhya.

    Reply

  10. Sandhiya ThirumalaiKumar says

    Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (28)
    Wow, the bread looks fantastic, Sandhya. The Shape "S" has turned out so well and it looks so soft !!! Look at the sliced bread, it's just like the store brought one, perfect texture. You have nailed it on this attempt !!!

    Reply

  11. harini says

    Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (29)
    The bread looks very pretty Sandhya. I am yet to try my hand at baking the regular bread at home. This one sounds like a good one to start off. Shall bookmark it.

    Reply

  12. Priya Suresh says

    How pretty this milk bread looks and that 'S' shape looks marvellous. Prefect crust with spongy crumb, lovely bread there. Wish i get few slices to kick start a day.

    Reply

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Victorian Milk Bread Recipe - My Cooking Journey (2024)

FAQs

How was bread made in Victorian times? ›

The additives that bakers used to fluff, whiten, and prolong their bread included plaster of Paris, bean flour, chalk, ground-up bone, and alum (via BBC). These substances became so common in foods that by the 19th century, people began to prefer the taste of them, writes the Royal Society of Chemistry.

What makes milk bread different? ›

Milk bread dough is an enriched dough, which means it has dairy (milk, cream, and/or butter), eggs, oil, and/or sugar added to it. It is softer and richer than regular breads, which are made with primarily flour, water, salt, and yeast.

What's the difference between milk bread and white bread? ›

Milk bread contains milk in the dough, giving it a softer texture and slightly sweet flavor. White bread is made with refined flour, water, yeast, and salt, resulting in a light and fluffy texture with a mild taste.

Why does milk bread taste so good? ›

Milk bread is incredibly soft, slightly sweet, buttery and milky. This is the result of using milk as the main liquid ingredient in the bread dough. They are perfect as breakfast toast or for sandwiches, both savory and sweet.

What kind of bread did Victorians eat? ›

The best loaves were considered to be white 'manchet' loaves and would have been readily enjoyed by the gentry and aristocracy, and aspired to by those with less means. To achieve this though, bread was often being whitened by unscrupulous bakers for centuries, adding lime, chalk and particularly alum as a bleach.

What did Victorians put in bread to make it white? ›

Alum is an aluminium-based compound, today used in detergent, but then it was used to make bread desirably whiter and heavier. Not only did such adulteration lead to problems of malnutrition, but alum produced bowel problems and constipation or chronic diarrhoea, which was often fatal for children.

Is milk bread just brioche? ›

The Difference Between Milk Bread and Other Breads

There are also no eggs in most yeast breads. When it comes to milk bread vs. brioche, the texture and look are similar, though brioche uses more eggs in the dough and has a sweeter taste.

Is buttermilk bread the same as milk bread? ›

Taste wise the milk bread was slightly sweeter than a regular loaf made with water would be. Buttermilk and yogurt loaves had a slightly more intense flavour with hints of acidity but also sweetness. The sour cream bread had the richest taste and mouthfeel.

What is another name for milk bread? ›

The other name for milk bread is 'D pain au lait', a French term translating to 'milk bread'. Although, these types of breads can have different names in varying cultural contexts, and thus may not be completely identical. Challah, pita, and Pullman are distinctly different types of bread.

What country is known for milk bread? ›

Japanese milk bread (食パン, shokupan), also called Hokkaido milk bread, or simply milk bread in English sources, is a soft white bread commonly sold in Asian bakeries, particularly Japanese ones.

Can you over knead milk bread? ›

While underworked dough can simply be fixed by a little more kneading, severely overworked dough cannot be fixed. Instead, the overworked dough will result in a hard loaf that will likely not be eaten. It's important not to overwork your dough and continually check for overworking throughout the kneading process.

What kind of milk is best for baking bread? ›

Most common is of course cow's milk. There is also buffalo milk which is richer and fattier. Goat's milk can also be used, but it has an unusual flavour so it may not be for everyone.

How was bread baked in the 1800s? ›

In the 1800's, a bake oven might be used about once a week. A large fire would be started inside. This fire would burn for about four or five hours, and then all the ashes would be scraped out. No fire would burn in the oven while the loaves of bread were baking.

What was the ancient method of making bread? ›

The first evidence of the use of fermentation in the production of bread was found in Ancient Egypt. The most common type of bread was made solely from water and flour. This mixture was left outside on the hottest days for a long time to set the natural yeasts in the flour to work and start the fermentation process.

How did they make bread in the Old World? ›

Yeast and oven in antiquity

Parts of the ancient world that drank wine instead of beer used a paste composed of grape must and flour that was allowed to begin fermenting, or wheat bran steeped in wine, as a source for yeast.

How did they toast bread in the 1800s? ›

With the arrival of wood and coal stoves in the 1880's, a new toasting method was needed. This led to a tin and wire pyramid-shaped device. The bread was placed inside and the device was heated on the stove.

References

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