Kindred’s milk bread recipe: You can make the ultimate coronavirus comfort food

Time to get out your grocery list. We’ve got something to add to your coronavirus weekend plans: Kindred’s milk bread recipe.

That’s right — you’re only a few hours away from basking in the sweet comfort of the soft, fluffy starter that has helped James Beard semifinalist Chef Joe Kindred has become famous. The milk bread at the restaurant he runs with his wife, Katy Kindred, been featured in Food & Wine, Bon Appetit and more.

If baking isn’t your thing, or you have no patience for dough to rise — even when there’s nowhere else to go, thanks to the coronavirus — there’s also another way.

You can order a loaf of milk bread with a side of butter for curbside pickup at the Davidson restaurant right now for only $5, a perfect complement to the fried chicken dinner. (There’s even a milk bread t-shirt you can add on if you’re a top fan.)

Ingredients

5⅓ cups bread flour, divided, plus more for surface

1 cup heavy cream

⅓ cup mild honey (such as wildflower or alfalfa)

3 tbs. nonfat dry milk powder

2 tbs. active dry yeast (from about 3 envelopes)

2 tbs. kosher salt

3 large eggs

4 tbs. (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Flaky sea salt (optional)

Method of preparation

Cook ⅓ cup flour and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a thick paste forms (almost like a roux but looser), about 5 minutes. Add cream and honey and cook, whisking to blend, until honey dissolves.

Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and add milk powder, yeast, kosher salt, 2 eggs, and 5 cups flour. Knead on medium speed until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. Add butter, a piece at a time, fully incorporating into dough before adding the next piece, until dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic, about 4 minutes.

Coat a large bowl with nonstick spray and transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

If making rolls, lightly coat a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan with nonstick spray. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and divide into 6 pieces. Divide each piece into 4 smaller pieces (you should have 24 total). They don’t need to be exact; just eyeball it. Place 4 pieces of dough side-by-side in each muffin cup.

If making a loaf, lightly coat a 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick spray. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and divide into 6 pieces. Nestle pieces side-by-side to create 2 rows down length of pan.

If making split-top buns, lightly coat two 13x9 baking dishes with nonstick spray. Divide dough into 12 pieces and shape each into a 4-inch long log. Place 6 logs in a row down length of each dish.

Let shaped dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size (dough should be just puffing over top of pan), about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°. Beat remaining egg with 1 tsp. water in a small bowl to blend. Brush top of dough with egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt, if desired.

Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until bread is deep golden brown, starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, and is baked through, 25–35 minutes for rolls, 50–60 minutes for loaf, or 30–40 minutes for buns. If making buns, slice each bun down the middle deep enough to create a split-top. Let milk bread cool slightly in pan on a wire rack before turning out; let cool completely.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published April 17, 2020.

This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 11:00 AM.