Homemade Italian Cream Bread
This homemade Italian cream bread recipe is soft, fluffy and rich in taste from heavy whipping cream. Enjoy a slice fresh from the oven or use this soft bread for sandwiches and other fillings.
Other soft bread recipes I love to make include these soft dinner rolls, Easter sweet bread and this cheese bread.
My go-to recipe for bread is my favorite homemade Italian bread but after a reader asked me about a homemade cream bread that used whipping cream, the search was on. I got this recipe from my sister-n-law and it is the softest, fluffiest Italian white bread!
Heavy cream because it has a higher milk fat results in a bread that has a rich texture with a softer crust. This is much different than my rustic Italian bread or traditional ciabatta bread that has a well developed gluten structure with a crisper crust.
This homemade cream bread reminds me of an old-fashioned white bread with a softness that is perfect for toast, sandwiches or just slicing fresh out of the oven!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple and tasty: This homemade bread with cream uses only a few simple ingredients that come together to make a smooth and creamy bread.
- Rich and comforting: Heavy cream adds a rich taste to the bread that can only be described as the best kind of comfort food!
Homemade Cream Bread Recipe Ingredients
- Milk: Whole milk adds tenderness to the bread.
- Granulated sugar: This is used to help feed the yeast as well as add a sweet taste to the white bread.
- Active dry yeast: Ensure your yeast is fresh for optimal rise.
- Heavy cream: Whole, heavy or whipping cream that has at 30% fat.
- Bread flour: This has a lower protein content that contributes to the tender bread texture. Also called Italian 0 flour.
- Salt: Balances the taste of the bread.
How to Make Cream Bread
In a stand mixer, activate yeast by adding the lukewarm milk with one teaspoon of sugar. Sprinkle yeast on top, let rest then stir.
Add the cream, remaining sugar and flour then using the dough hook start to knead then add the salt and knead again. The dough should be soft, elastic and compact and a little bit tacky.
Move the dough to a flat surface and form into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm draft free area until doubled in bulk.
After the first rise, move dough to a lightly floured flat surface and form into 3 even balls.
Place the prepared loaf pan, cover and perform a 2nd rise in a warm draft free area until doubled in bulk. As the 2nd rise nears its end, preheat the oven.
Brush top of bread dough with milk and bake for approximately until baked through. Move immediately to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Baking tips
- Rise time: Since this cream bread uses heavy cream with a higher fat and protein content, it may need more time to rise depending on the temperature of your home.
- Measure flour correctly: Baking is as much an art as science! A common baking pitfall is adding too much flour and the result is dense bread. Either scoop and level flour in a measuring cup or use a digital scale for best results.
- Lukewarm liquid ingredients: Milk and cream should be lukewarm in temperature, around 98°F to 105°F.
- Soft crust: Brush cream bread with milk before baking or with melted butter after baking for the softest crust.
- Serving suggestions: This cream bread is perfect to use for sandwich bread or to make a simple peanut butter and jelly. I love to enjoy it toasted with some jam and it makes the best grilled cheese!
Can I substitute the heavy cream with whole milk?
Maybe but I don’t recommend it as this bread recipe has been specifically developed to be used with both whole milk and heavy whipping cream. Whipping cream has a higher fat content around 30-40% while whole milk is around 3.25-4% fat. Fat not only affects the way gluten develops in bread but the tenderness of the bread, too.
Can I use instant yeast instead of active yeast?
Yes. Skip activating the yeast in step one and proceed with combining the ingredients then following rise times. Instant yeast will often rise faster than active yeast so watch your bread carefully during the 1st and 2nd rise so you don’t overproof it.
What type of pan is best to make this bread?
For this old-fashioned white bread recipe, I recommend using an 8 or 9 inch loaf pan.
Do I have to shape the bread into a three bun loaf?
Not necessarily! You could shape it into a two bun loaf as well. Traditionally (or as the story goes!) this type of soft white bread was shaped this way to represent the Trinity as bakers would seek to bless their loaves to rise completely.
Others say these type of loaves have more ‘love slices’ or ‘kissing slices’ as the bread is softer where the dough meets and those are the preferred slices!
More Bread Recipes
- No Knead Ciabatta Bread
- Bannock Bread
- Sourdough Bread
- Homemade Rustic No Yeast Bread
- Olive Oil Bread Rolls
This is a delicious and tasty yeast bread that everyone will enjoy! Buon Appetito.
Homemade Italian Cream Bread
Ingredients
- ¼ cup + 1¼ tablespoons milk whole/heavy (lukewarm) (80 g total, if you double the recipe then double this amount)
- 3 teaspoons granulated sugar (divided)
- 1¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ⅔ cup cream whole, heavy or whipping cream at least 30% fat content (lukewarm)
- 2¼ cups +2½ tablespoons bread flour (or 0 Italian flour) (300 g total, if you double the recipe then double this amount)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In the stand mixer add the milk and one teaspoon of sugar, combine, sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit 10 minutes. Stir to combine.
- Add the cream, remaining sugar and flour, start to knead 2-3 minutes, then add the salt and knead for 10 minutes, the dough should be soft, elastic and compact and a little bit tacky.
- Move the dough to a flat surface and form into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm draft free area until doubled in bulk, approximately 2 hours.
- Again move the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and form into 3 even balls (approximately 180 grams each). Place in a greased or sprayed 8-9 inch loaf pan, cover and let rise in a warm draft free area until doubled in bulk, approximately 1-2 hours.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C.
- Brush the dough with milk and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until baked through. Move immediately to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!