Baking Soda: When added, especially in recipes with acidic ingredients, it can make bread soft and spongy. However, it's essential to balance the quantities to avoid a soapy taste.
To get very soft bread, you need to add an extra ingredient that tenderizes the gluten in the bread flour. A number of ingredients can do this and they include yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, etc. The slight acidity of these ingredients helps to break down the gluten and this creates a softer bread.
One of the easiest ways our bakers follow to make bread soft and fluffy is by using 1-2 tablespoons of lubricant/fats such as vegetable oil to wet the ingredients. This will prevent the formation of excess gluten, as excess gluten makes bread chewy.
Milk powder.
Instant milk powder makes bread dough super soft and fluffy and also helps to give it a good rise. It also contributes to the dough staying nice and soft after baking for a little longer than a recipe that does not use milk powder.
Resealable plastic bag: A resealable plastic bag seals in moisture and locks out air, keeping your bread soft. If you're using this method, store the bread at room temperature, but monitor the bag for excess moisture that can lead to mold.
The yeast releases carbon dioxide, which fills the dough and increases its volume. Due to the heat, more gas bubbles emerge when this dough is baked. The bread rises and becomes soft and fluffy as the gas leaves.
There's something magical about the bread you get at your local bakeries - they're always sooo soft and fluffy. Many of these breads, especially packaged ones, are made with a ton of chemical additives such as calcium propionate, amylase, and chlorine dioxide which help keep them soft, light, and fluffy for days.
If you want light, fluffy bread, the dough should rise until it is puffy. The more gas incorporated in the dough, the lighter it will be. If you see a blister or two in the surface, pop them with a toothpick and hurry the bread to the oven. If you let the bread continue to rise, it will collapse.
Butter, technically a dough enrichment, tenderizes bread dough and limits gluten development, yielding a softer, more tender crumb and a richer flavor.
Baking quick breads at too high temperatures can cause a hard outside crust. Most quick breads bake in a moderate oven (350°F to 375°F). Double check your recipe to see the temperature they recommend. Oven thermostats can vary over time, requiring adjustments by the baker or calibration by a professional.
Roughly in order I'd say Brioche bread, milk bread, burger buns, steamed buns, water roux enriched bread. Generally speaking fat is what makes bread soft and fluffy. Butter, oil, lard, milk, (whole) eggs or egg yolk will make your bread softer.
Usually it's gluten (a product of the protein in flour) that determines bread's texture. Bread where gluten plays a prominent role will be chewier. When the gluten level is lower, or when gluten is tamed by the addition of “softeners” like milk, butter, eggs, or oil, the bread will be more tender.
Pop the loaves into a 375º oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The loaves should be golden brown. If you want to be sure they're baked through, use your thermometer to check the internal temperature of the bread. You're looking for about 185º.
This type of bread is airy, light, and easy to eat, making it a favorite among both kids and adults. The key to making soft and fluffy bread is in the dough. The dough should be well-kneaded and allowed to rise properly, which helps to create a light and airy texture.
Add a shortening agent. In baking, a shortening agent refers to an ingredient that will make your bread softer and more tender by interfering with the gluten development. Generally, these are ingredients that introduce fat into your dough, such as milk, oil, or butter.
The proofing time for bread dough varies based on the dough's makeup (amount of preferment, flour choices, and hydration) and the temperature at which it's proofed. The dough should generally be proofed for around 1 to 4 hours at a warm temperature or overnight (or more) at a cold refrigerator temperature.
The reason that the white bread soft lies in the nature of its ingredients, recipe and mixing / kneading process. The softness of the bread is an effect from the gluten content and amount of fat and liquid in the composition. The lesser gluten and the more amount of fat and liquid in recipe, the softer it becomes.
FAT. Use a 6% fat cottage cheese, whole milk, or buttermilk. Fat helps with softening—it coats the flour particles thus preventing gluten development.
Cornstarch is a frequent support player in baked goods. And unlike flour, cornstarch is nearly pure starch—there's no gluten, no fiber. All that added starch content means that cornstarch typically improves the water binding capacity of a dough.
Heat it.
Put the bread in a cold oven, then turn the heat to 300° F. Let the loaf slowly heat up for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the density and dryness of the bread. Start checking the bread after 10 minutes.
Yeast is a type of unicellular microbe that is used to create bread. Fermentation is the process through which yeast transforms sugar into ethanol and carbon dioxide. The enzyme complex zymase catalyzes the reaction. The carbon dioxide generated throughout the procedure rises and softens the dough.
As you knead, you'll start to feel the texture of the dough change; it will begin to smooth out and feel softer and more elastic. The length of time a dough requires kneading depends on the recipe. Some doughs take just 3–5 minutes, while others can take up to 10–15 minutes.