Activate the yeast by mixing it with 1/2 cup warm milk and 1 tbsp sugar and setting aside for 10 mins till it has bloomed (nice and frothy)

While the yeast is being activated, mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl

Once the yeast has bloomed, create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the yeast and melted butter.

Add the milk in slowly till the dough has formed into a ball. I say add it in slowly because you might not need all the warm milk to get the dough to come together. If you accidentally add more milk and find the dough is too sticky, add in a little all purpose flour at a time (1 tbsp at a time)

Once the dough is well combined, you are going to knead it for about 5-10 minutes, till the dough is nice and soft. If the dough starts to get sticky whiles kneading, sprinkle a little all purpose flour on it till it is well combined

After kneading, place the dough in a well oiled bowl and let it rise for 45 - 1 hour (till it has doubled in size). I would usually warm up my oven for a little (to around 100°F and turn on the oven light) to create an environment for the dough to rise

After it has risen, take out the dough and shape it into a log: To do this, slightly stretch out the dough into a square, bring in the top left and right corners in about 1/3 of the way till the dough looks like a pentagon and press in. Then bring in the top of the pentagon to where you have pressed in the corners and press in the dough to create a log. You are going to continue rolling the dough till everything is nice and tucked in. Roll around the dough to create a log and the seam has closed

Once you have shaped the dough, you will place the loaf seam-side down in a well oiled loaf pan to rise again for 25 minutes. I used an 11.5 inch long by 6 inch wide loaf pan. To properly oil the pan, lightly brush the pan with oil and dust some flour into the pan. This really creates a barrier between the loaf and the pan to make it easier to remove the bread when it is done

As the dough is rising for the second time, preheat the oven to 325°F

After the 20 mins, place the dough in the centre of the oven with a pan of warm water on a rack below. The steam helps keep the dough nice and moist as it is baking

Bake it at this temperature for 40 mins

When the time has passed, take the bread out and let it cool. If you are unfamiliar with this type of bread do not be worried that it will feel soft when you touch the top; it is cooked through. You can also lightly spread some butter on top to give the loaf a nice shine

Cooling the bread is important in allowing the gluten to relax and maintain the shape of the loaf. If you cut it too early, the bread will disfigure and you will be left with a squished loaf

Once the bread is cool, you can slice and enjoy