Dissolve ½ tablespoon of sugar in ½ cup of very warm water. Add 1 teaspoon of yeast and mix well. Let this sit undisturbed for 3-4 mins until the yeast mixture turns frothy.
In a large mixing bowl, add all purpose flour, salt, 1 tablespoon sugar and mix well. Add the yeast mixture followed by warm milk. Add additional ¼ cup of warm water. Mix everything gently until the dough comes together.
Dump the dough onto a clean kitchen counter/work area and add 1 tablespoon of butter at room temperature.
Start kneading the dough by pressing & stretching it using the heel of the palm, pushing it away from you. Fold the dough, turn it by a quarter again bringing it towards you and continue the stretching process. Repeat this for 5-7 mins at the least until the dough becomes smooth.
The dough should bounce back slowly when pressed with your finger. That’s when the kneading should stop.
Place the dough in a greased container covered with cling film or kitchen towel in a warm place to double up. This could take 1 to 1.5hrs depending on the temperature.
Slightly punch down the proofed dough and knead it again for 2-3 mins.
In order to shape the bread, flatten out the dough and fold one end towards the center. Similarly bring the other end towards the center too. Tightly seals both the ends.
Fold the other two ends so that the dough resembles a log. Transfer the log of dough carefully into a greased 9x5 bread tin, with the sealed side facing downwards.
Let the dough raise again in a warm place until it takes the shape of bread. It should take about 30-60mins. Don’t let the bread raise too much as it can fall back down.
Coat the top of the dough with a layer of milk so that it doesn’t dry out.
Bake the bread in a preheated oven for 30-35 mins at 180°C (bake without convection for 20-25mins first) until the top begins to brown. Remove from oven. When tapped at the bottom, it should sound hollow, that specifies the doneness of the bread.
Let it cool down for 5mins and gently loosen it up edges, remove it from the tin. Wait for the bread to completely cool down before slicing with a long sharp serrated knife.