• 250 ml(9 fl oz/1 cup) warm (comfortable to your fingers) milk
• 15 g(½ oz) fresh yeast, crumbled, or 7 g(¼ oz) active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 450 g(1 lb) bread flour
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 40 g(1½ oz) butter, melted

Put the milk, yeast and honey in a small bowl and stir until the honey melts. Leave it for about 10 minutes, or until it begins to froth a bit. Put the flour and ½ teaspoon of salt into a larger bowl. Add the yeast mixture, the egg and butter and mix through well. Knead for 10 minutes or so and, if it seems sticky, just hold the bowl firmly and move the dough around with your hand, rather than add more flour. Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave in a warm draught-free place to rise for 1½–2 hours, or until it has puffed up well.

Lightly grease a 30 × 11 cm(12 × 4 inch) loaf tin and dust it with flour. Punch down the dough to flatten it and shape it into a rough loaf of a size to fit the tin. Cover with a cloth and leave in the warm place for another 45–60 minutes, or until it puffs right up in the tin. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/Gas 5).

Put the tin in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is firm and crusty and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from the oven, knock the loaf out of the tin and cool on a rack in a fly-free zone.

This is best sliced warm and spread with butter, but you can keep the loaf for a few days in an airtight container (not a plastic bag) for excellent toast.