That first squeeze says it all: soft milk bread, baked at home. We designed KNEVA Kefir Milk Bread Premix to make delicious homemade bread easier. In this real bake, we work the dough by hand and bake it in our Little Black Pot. A mixer makes dough development easier, but the manual method lets you see how the dough changes with each rest and fold.
Watch the full bake
▶ WATCH VIDEO · 0:30
Soft milk bread in 30 seconds
A quick look at our hand-mixed kefir milk bread, from the premix to the soft-crumb reveal. Captions and music, with the full method in the bake video above.
Watch the 30-second Short on YouTube · Shop the Kefir Milk Bread Premix
What you need
- One whole 286g pack of KNEVA Kefir Milk Bread Premix
- 180ml water
- 20g softened butter, optional, for a richer loaf
- A little butter for greasing your hands, counter and pot
Milk powder and yeast are already included. The premix combines Japanese bread flour, milk powder, freeze-dried milk kefir and yudane powder. Milk kefir is part of the formulation that contributes to the soft crumb, alongside the milk and yudane; the dough still needs proper development, proofing and baking.
Mix, rest and build the gluten
- Mix the premix with 180ml water. Stir until combined. A rough, shaggy dough is normal at this stage.
- Cover and rest for 30 minutes. This gives the flour time to absorb the water and lets the dough relax.
- Work in the softened butter, if using. Keep working until it is absorbed. This butter-mixing stage is separate from the three stretch-and-fold sets.
- Rest for 15 minutes, then begin the folds. Do three sets of stretch and fold, 15 minutes apart, covering the dough between sets. Stretching and folding develops the gluten that helps the dough hold its shape and trap gas as it rises.
- After the third set, allow another 60–90 minutes for bulk fermentation. The timing depends on temperature. Look for a puffy dough that is about 50–75% larger, rather than following the clock alone.
Why butter the counter instead of adding flour?
This dough can feel tacky. Lightly butter the counter and grease your hands to prevent the dough from sticking. Extra flour changes the dough and could make the finished bread drier. Use a scraper if needed, then gently fold the sides in, roll and tuck the dough into shape.
Meet our Little Black Pot
The KNEVA Little Black Pot is a square Dutch oven made from matt black enamelled cast iron and designed for baking milk bread. Grease the inside and the underside of the lid with butter, then place the shaped dough inside. Baking with the lid on helps give the loaf its cube shape.
Once hot, cast iron retains heat well. That steady heat helps develop the golden crust and its toasted flavour. Lodge explains how cast iron holds heat during baking.
Overnight flavour, or bake the same day
For the overnight method, keep the lid on and refrigerate the shaped dough for 12–24 hours for fuller flavour. In this bake, the dough had already risen close to the lid, so it went straight from the fridge into the preheated oven.
If the dough is still low in the pot, leave it covered on the kitchen counter until it is puffy and has risen close to the lid. Do not press the lid down onto the dough. You can also bake the same day: skip the overnight refrigeration and let the covered, shaped dough rise on the counter until it reaches this stage.
The settings used in this pot bake
Preheat the oven to 160°C using conventional top-and-bottom heat. Bake for 45 minutes, keeping the lid on throughout. These are the settings used for this Little Black Pot demonstration. Pullman tins, domed loaves and buns have their own settings in the full baking guide.
After baking, open the lid and let the loaf cool in the pot for one hour before sliding it out. Finish cooling before slicing. The greased pot helps the loaf release easily—one of the reasons we love baking with it.
Ready for your own soft, milky loaf? Shop the premix and keep the step-by-step guide beside you. Do follow us and subscribe for more real KNEVA bakes.