In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and ¼ teaspoon sugar in the warm water. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine yeast mixture, starter, milk, kosher salt, oil and 2 cups of the bread flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Add flour if needed.
Grease a large bowl and place the dough in it, turning the dough to grease all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1½ to 2 hours, depending on how warm it is in your kitchen.
Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Gently punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly-floured surface. Pat the dough into a rectangular shape. Fold one short end (⅓) of the dough toward the center and gently press the seam with the side of your hand. Repeat with the other ⅓ of the dough, bringing it to the center and pressing as before. Fold the dough in half and lightly press the edges together to seal the seam, then press each end of the dough to seal the ends and tuck them under.
Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and gently press down the dough with your hand to make it even all the way across. Cover the pan lightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it is slightly above the rim of the pan, about 30-45 minutes. Don't let it rise beyond 1" of the edge or it will collapse when it bakes.
When the dough is almost to the top edge of the loaf pan, preheat the oven to 350° F (176° C).
Remove plastic wrap and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the bread is light golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
If a soft top crust is desired, lightly brush the top crust with a little melted butter.
Turn the bread out of the pan and place on a wire rack to cool for least 30 minutes before slicing. Makes 1 (9×5-inch) loaf.
ENJOY!
Notes
Rising times depend on how warm it is in your kitchen. I usually start checking the dough at the 1 hour mark. In the cooler weather, I like to turn my oven on "warm" for a couple minutes, shut it off, then turn a rimmed baking sheet upside down, place it on the middle oven rack and set the covered bowl of dough on the inverted pan. It's a great draft-free place to let the bread dough rise.