When I make fruity milk bread it's wonderfully soft and slightly dense inside, with a soft dark golden crust. But my normal bread (plain flour + water + yeast + salt) is usually heavy, dense, boring, with a crust that tastes likes it's already stale.
I was wondering why the ingredients and technique of my milk bread create wonderful bread whilst normal bread doesn't? The differences in ingredients and technique are:
1. Rather than water, I use purely milk, orange juice and zest.
2. Rather than bake at 180 centigrade, I bake at 220 degrees centigrade.
3. I glaze it with egg, rather than oil.
4. I give it two risings, not just one.
5. I divide the dough in three then braid them and form into a circle, rather than using a loaf tin or dropping it on the pan as with foccacia.
6. I use honey and dried fruit rather than sugar.