Exceptional Condensed Milk Bread Machine Recipe

Preview: This Exceptional Condensed Milk Bread recipe is designed to mix and knead in a bread machine. The soft and fine texture of this loaf will remind you of Wonder Bread. No worries if you don’t have a bread machine. See the recipe notes to make this loaf by hand or with a stand mixer.

A soft and tender white bread loaf is not for everyone. But if you count white bread as one of your guilty pleasures, this is the best recipe I have to offer. It’s worth the carb splurge.

When living in Europe as a teenage exchange student, my “family” laughed at me for eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They claimed only small children would normally enjoy such food.

Come to think of it…maybe it’s because they didn’t have Wonder bread. I can’t imagine a PB & J on French bread or ciabatta.

Ingredients and Substitutions:

• WATER: I like to use spring water if I have it since I don’t care for the chlorine in our tap water. But spring water can get expensive if you make a lot of bread. Instead, I keep tap water that has set on my counter for 24 hours to let the chlorine evaporate.
  
• SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK: This milk is a key ingredient in this recipe. If you don’t have sweetened condensed milk in your pantry or can’t find it where you live, you can make it at home with this recipe. I make half a recipe (the perfect amount) and it’s quite good.
  
  Cream of coconut is another product that would make a wonderful substitute if you don’t mind a slight coconut flavor.
  
• SALT: Use table salt or sea salt.
  
• BUTTER: Use softened butter, not melted butter.
  
• BREAD FLOUR: You could use all-purpose flour but bread flour contains more protein and will help your bread rise a little higher. If using all-purpose flour, hold back a couple tablespoons of water and only add if you need them to make the dough stick to the sides of the bread machine pan and pull away cleanly as it kneads.
  
• YEAST: Bread machine or instant yeast is always my first choice for a bread machine recipe. If you only have active-dry yeast, you can use that instead. Although technically, you don’t have to dissolve it before adding it to the bread machine pan, it will start to work faster if you dissolve it first in some of the water called for in the recipe.

Comment from a reader: “Your sweet milk soft white bread has been my go-to bread for years.  It’s delicious and makes wonderful gifts.  People always ask for more….  I solved the left-over condensed milk problem:  I just make two loaves and freeze one!”
—Peggy

Because I want perfection in exchange for all those calories, I prefer to bake almost all of my bread recipes in a conventional oven.

How to make Condensed Milk Bread in a bread machine:

Bread Machine White Bread with Condensed Milk Recipe

A finely-textured loaf of soft white bread–mixed, kneaded, and proofed in a bread machine, but shaped by hand and baked in a conventional oven for the best of both worlds.

Paula Rhodes

4.55 from 24 votes

Print Recipe Save Saved! Share by Email

Prep Time 3 hrs

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 3 hrs 30 mins

Course Bread

Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup 8 ounces water (room temperature) - 227 gr
• ½ cup sweetened condensed milk - 156 gr
• 1 teaspoon salt - 6 gr
• 1 tablespoon butter - room temperature (14 gr)
• 3 cups unbleached bread flour - 360 gr
• 2 scant teaspoons instant yeast - 6 gr

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Add ingredients to the bread pan in the order listed.
• Select the DOUGH cycle and start.
• Check the dough at least twice during the mixing and kneading phase by lifting the lid to take a peek. The first time, look immediately after the machine starts mixing to ensure the paddles are engaged correctly. 

  Look again 15 minutes into the DOUGH cycle to assess the consistency of the dough. For most recipes, the dough should stick to the side, then pull away cleanly.

  If your dough is too wet, add flour one tablespoon at a time.

  Conversely, if the dough is too dry, add one tablespoon of liquid at a time until the dough looks just right. Read more about this surprising secret to success with a bread machine here.
• Remove dough from the pan at the end of the dough cycle and place onto a lightly floured board. Knead by hand a little bit to press out any large air bubbles.
• Roll into a rectangle approximately 9 x 11 inches. Roll up starting from the long end, and tuck ends to fit into greased 9 x 4-inch loaf pan. Let rise until the dough is doubled from its original size. Because this dough is a "high-riser," be careful not to let the dough rise too much or it will cave in on the sides and/or the top.
• Preheat oven 15 minutes before you estimate your loaf will be ready.
• Bake at 375˚F for 35-45 minutes. The Interior should reach 190 degrees. (My favorite quick-read thermometer for the task.) Place a foil tent over bread halfway through baking to protect from over-browning.
• Allow cooling for 15 minutes before turning out to cool completely. It’s best if you wait at least two hours before slicing so the loaf will hold its shape without squishing under the pressure of a knife.

Video

Notes

Directions for making bread with a stand mixer or by hand:

• To make this recipe in a heavy-duty stand mixer:  Add ingredients to the bowl in the same order. Turn on LOW to mix until all ingredients are moistened. Then, using a dough hook, turn the speed to 2 or 3. Continue beating/kneading until dough becomes smooth and elastic (about 5-10 minutes). Cover and allow to rise in a warm place. Deflate dough gently and shape as indicated in the recipe.
• If making by hand: Combine all ingredients into a shaggy ball in a large bowl. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead with your hands until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Kneading will likely take 10-20 minutes, depending on your experience. Place the dough ball into a greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise until double. Deflate the dough gently and shape as indicated in the recipe.
• Please note: If you only have active dry yeast, use 1/4 teaspoon more than called for in the recipe. It no longer needs to be dissolved first, but you can if you prefer.

Note:  If your bread rises too high, decrease the yeast. Start by decreasing 1/4 teaspoon.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 163kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 5gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 219mgPotassium: 80mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 64IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 1mg

Essentials

• AmazonBasics Silicone Baking Mat – 2-Pack
• J.K. Adams Maple Plain Rolling Dowel
• Digital Food Scales
• OXO Good Grips Multi-purpose Stainless Steel Scraper & Chopper
• Instant Read Kitchen Thermometer
• Cuisipro Stainless Steel Measuring Spoon Set
• Measuring Cup Set
• Zojirushi Bread Maker
• Unbleached Bread Flour
• SAF Instant Yeast Red for Baking Cake, Bread and Dough, 1 Pound (1 Pack)

Keyword bread machine recipes, bread with sweetened condensed milk, lite bread, loaf of bread, white bread, white sandwich bread

Cuisine American

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

This recipe is slightly adapted from The Bread Machine Magic Book of Helpful Hints by Linda Rehberg & Lois Conway.