What can I add to homemade bread to make it softer?

When you add milk to your dough, the lactose (milk sugar) will add a subtle sweetness to your bread, and the milk proteins will increase its nutritional value. Better still, the milk fats help retain carbon dioxide gases during baking, so your loaf comes out softer.

What is used to make bread soft and fluffy?

The yeast releases carbon dioxide , which fills the dough and increases its volume. Due to the heat, more gas bubbles emerge when this dough is baked. The bread rises and becomes soft and fluffy as the gas leaves.

How do bakeries make their bread so soft?

Consistency: Bakeries often use machines to ensure consistent kneading and proofing times . This consistency is key to producing the same soft texture batch after batch. Special Ingredients: Many bakeries use dough conditioners or enhancers, which improve the texture and extend the bread's shelf life.

What additive makes bread soft?

Reddi-Sponge is a reducing agent made with dairy whey and L-cysteine and I bet that 6% level really gave you a soft and extensible dough. The best suited product for your application is an additive co*cktail made with SSL (sodium stearoyl lactalate) and distilled mono-diglyceride.

How can I make my bread fluffier instead of dense?

Potato Flakes or Potato Water Starch helps the dough by trapping the gas from the yeast in the dough and makes the bubbles stronger. This helps the bread to rise and be lighter and fluffier. If you are boiling potatoes, you can use the unsalted water in place of the water in your bread recipe to help out the yeast.

Does letting bread rise longer make it fluffier?

Does Rising Bread Affect Its Texture? For a fluffy bread texture, the key is to let the bread rise long enough .

What ingredient keeps bread soft?

Some alternative ingredients can help give your bread added moisture. One such ingredient is milk, which has a high-fat content and can add a delightfully creamy flavor when baking. Additionally, adding mashed potatoes or cooked grains can help keep the crumb soft and tender for days after baking.

How do you keep bread soft and fluffy?

The solution is to put your lovely bread into a zip lock storage bag, then place that bag into a second plastic bag. Place a moistened, damp paper towel in between the two bags and zip it shut . Using this little trick should help your bread stay fresh for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Does baking soda make bread fluffy?

Formally known as sodium bicarbonate, it's a white crystalline powder that is naturally alkaline, or basic (1). Baking soda becomes activated when it's combined with both an acidic ingredient and a liquid. Upon activation, carbon dioxide is produced, which allows baked goods to rise and become light and fluffy (1).

What is responsible for making bread soft and fluffy?

Final answer: Carbon dioxide gas given off during fermentation of sugar makes bread soft and fluffy.

Why is my bread not fluffy and soft?

Over-kneading the dough can lead to a tight gluten structure and result in a dense texture . Using too much flour or not enough yeast can also affect the rise of the bread. Additionally, insufficient proofing time or improper shaping can contribute to a heavy loaf.

Easiest Ways to Make Homemade Bread Soft and Fluffy (2024)

Easiest Ways to Make Homemade Bread Soft and Fluffy

By Richard Hendrick

Who doesn’t like a fresh loaf of bread from a local bakery? We all have noticed is that bread making at home is easier, simple, and tastier, but one thing homemade bread lacks is that it is never as soft or as fluffy as loaves of bread from your local bakeries. Bread from bakeries is so light and fluffy, which seems impossible to achieve at home, but not anymore! Our bakers have enlisted the most effective techniques and bread making tips to help you make bakery-like fluffy bread at home.

Bread making with simple flour, water, yeast and a pinch of salt seems simple, right? But little change in measurement, bread baking technique or ingredients impacts a lot on how your bread turns out.

The perfect way to achieve the fluffiness and tender texture of the bread is also quite simple, just with a few simple changes in your recipes. Let’s start with common bread making mistakes that result in chewy or dry bread with bread making tips to fix them:

Changes You Can Make in Your Recipes For Making Softer Bread

1. Do Not Over-Knead Your Dough

How to check if your dough is fully kneaded?

The easiest way to check if your dough is appropriately kneaded is by taking a ‘Poke Test’. Whenever you feel your dough is fully kneaded, firmly poke in with a finger, and if it is filled back quickly and holds its shape, then you don’t need to knead any further. If the indent remains, then continue kneading for a little longer.

2. Ensure Dough is Well Hydrated

Another crucial bread making tip is that your dry ingredients to liquids ratio is precisely equal. A slight change in the measurement affects the texture of your bread. If your dry ingredients are more than liquid (whether you are using milk or water), it will make it hard for the dough to rise properly; yeast won’t work efficiently as water plays a role in yeast activation resulting in dry crusty bread. If your bread is not rising properly, check the measurement of liquids in the recipe.

3. Lubricate With Oil

One of the easiest ways our bakers follow to make bread soft and fluffy is by using 1-2 tablespoons of lubricant/fats such as vegetable oil to wet the ingredients. This will prevent the formation of excess gluten, as excess gluten makes bread chewy.

4. Add Sugar

Sugar acts as a liquifying agent in the dough. Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread’s taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

5. Add Eggs

Another bread making tips that can help you create better dough for softer and fluffy bread is by adding eggs. Eggs act as the binding agent, make the dough stronger, add rich flavour and extend the shelf life of bread.

6. Reduce Baking Time

One mistake often results in dry and hard bread is over-baking. Set your oven at the shortest time of the recipe and check if the bread is fully baked when the oven stops. You can check by tapping on the bottom side of the bread. Also, ensure the correct temperature while bread making.

7. Create Steam in Oven

Commercial bread is softer due to the steam process used by bakeries, which is made to keep bread hydrated and fresh. Use cold water in a pan and put it on a rack beneath your bread to create steam.

8. Add Milk

To make your bread soft and fluffy, another trick used by commercial bakers is replacing water with milk. Milk has fats which make bread softer.

We at Old Bridge Bakery, carrying years of tradition of bread making, provide authentic and delicious loaves of bread in different flavours. Come and enjoy! And for more bread making tips and recipes, follow our website.