Pour the warmed whole milk into a small bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir in the sugar until dissolved. Sprinkle the active dry yeast over the surface, stir gently, and let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy and fragrant. If the mixture does not foam, the yeast may be inactive; start with fresh yeast.

Combine wet ingredients

Once the yeast is foamy, whisk in the softened butter and the egg until evenly combined. The butter will not be fully emulsified — small pieces are fine.

Add dry ingredients

Attach the dough hook if using a stand mixer. Add 2 cups of the flour and the salt to the milk mixture and mix on low speed to combine. Gradually add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, mixing until a shaggy dough forms.

Knead

Increase the mixer speed to medium and knead for 6–8 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky to the touch. If kneading by hand, turn the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 8–10 minutes, adding small amounts of flour as needed to prevent sticking but avoiding making the dough dry.

First rise (bulk fermentation)

Lightly oil a clean bowl and place the dough inside, turning once to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on room temperature.

Shape the loaf

Gently punch down the risen dough to release large bubbles. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a tight loaf: flatten into a rectangle about 8x10 inches, fold the short ends toward the center, then roll tightly from one long edge to the other to form a smooth cylinder. Pinch the seam to seal.

Second rise in pan

Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Place the shaped loaf seam-side down into the pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a lightly greased piece of plastic and let rise again until the dough is domed about 1 inch above the rim of the pan, about 45–60 minutes.

Bake & Finish

Preheat oven

About 20 minutes before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Position a rack in the middle of the oven.

Optional wash & topping

If desired, brush the loaf gently with the milk wash (mix the 1 tsp milk with a little of the melted butter or use milk alone) or simply brush with melted butter right after baking. Sprinkle coarse salt or seeds on top before baking if you like a savory or seeded crust.

Bake

Place the risen loaf in the preheated oven and bake for 28–35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190–200°F (88–93°C). If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 8–10 minutes.

Finish

Remove the loaf from the oven and immediately brush the top with the melted butter for a soft, flavorful crust. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (at least 1 hour) before slicing to ensure clean slices and to finish setting the crumb.