Super Soft Bread Recipe

This super soft bread recipe is absolutely delicious. Great for a sandwich or just with butter and jam, it's carb heaven, and I want more.

I dream of being a person who bakes their own bread, but the truth is, I grew up on store bought white sandwich bread. These days, I've graduated to a nice honey wheat or what's called 50/50 bread here in the UK, but it's not much progress. While I appreciate a crusty baguette and love to dip a nice sourdough loaf in my favorite soup, I just want something simple and soft for my everyday bread.

I know it's not rustic. I know it's not authentic. And yes, I know it's mass produced and probably full of chemicals. I also don't know how to stop wanting it. I like what I like, and I'm not going to let anyone, even myself, get all judgey about it. Soft bread for me, please.

What makes this super soft bread recipe so awesome?

This super soft bread recipe comes from that mad scientist of food, Alton Brown. It start with cornmeal cooked in water, so basically grits or polenta. I don't know if this is what keeps the crust so soft, but this bread is totally smooth and pillowy throughout and doesn't taste at all like cornbread. It's also got a touch of honey in the dough for just a hint of sweetness.

I took me a few days to eat my way through this loaf. It was just as soft on the last day as on the first. I kept it wrapped in foil and just went back again and again for a slice of bread with butter and honey. My husband made sandwiches. We also used it as a soup dipper, but I just couldn't get enough of this bread all on its own. If you're looking for a weekend baking project that's not dessert but just as good, this will keep paying off all week.

Magical Properties of Honey

There are dozens of spells using honey. It's main purpose is attracting, especially when you want to do so with sweetness. A drizzle of honey can be added to any spell where you want to draw in something sweet. You can even add other magical materials to a jar of honey to bring something specific. Leave a dish of honey on your altar to beckon angels and other beneficial spirits.

You can also create a lavender-infused honey as an aphrodisiac. Heat some honey in a double boiler and add some dried lavender flowers. As soon as it starts to bubble, remove it from the heat and let it infuse for about 30 minutes before straining and storing in an air tight container. Use it in whatever way strikes your fancy to increase pleasure with a willing partner. (Source: Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells by Judika Illes)

For more on the magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe, check the Kitchen Magick page.

Tips for making super soft bread

I generally employ the help of my stand mixer whenever I make bread these days, but you could definitely work this by hand if you feel confident. But before we get to that, we need to heat some water and stir in some cornmeal. Once that's bubbly, you need to let it cool back down for a good 10-15 minutes before you carry on or else it will be too hot and kill your yeast. I actually put it in the bowl of my stand mixer and set it to stir to help it cool down faster.

You'll also need to heat up some milk, water, honey, and butter. I use the same saucepan as I cooked the cornmeal in because I'm lazy. You want the butter melted and the mixture warm to the touch, between 105-115 degrees fahrenheit. In order to get the butter melted, you may need to go over that temp and then let it cool back down again as well.

But once we've got everything to the right temperature, it's pretty simple. Add your flour, yeast, and salt to your stand mixer with the cooled cornmeal mush. Then with the mixer on low, slowly drizzle in your milk mixture. Once it's combined, let the dough rest for about 20 minutes. Then go back and knead it for 5-10 minutes, add extra flour if needed. You want to dough to form a smooth ball. I had to add extra flour to get it to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

This only needs to rise once, so go ahead and form your dough into a rough loaf on a baking sheet. Cover it with a clean tea towel, then let it rise for about 90 minutes. In the meantime, make sure you get your oven good and hot. We only need a 350 F (175 C) oven for this loaf, but you still want it fully heated before the loaf goes in. Then just let it bake for about 25 minutes until it's golden on top and cooked through. Allow it to cool on a wire rack, but also definitely have at least one slice while it's still warm.

I like what I like, and I absolutely love this super soft bread recipe. I think you'll love it to. It's pretty awesome.

Looking for more awesome homemade bread recipes? Try this Garlic & Herb Focaccia Bread or some Whole Wheat Guinness Soda Bread.

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Recipe slightly adapted from I'm Just Here for More Food by Alton Brown.