Whisk the warm water, warm milk, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes, or until foamy on top.

Add the butter, salt, and 1 cup (125-130g) flour. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add another cup of flour. Beat on medium speed until relatively incorporated (there may still be chunks of butter). Add the remaining flour and beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes.

Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5–8 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5–8 full minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft.

Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides. Cover and allow the dough to rise for 1-2 hours or until double in size.

Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.

When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Lightly flour a work surface, your hands, and a rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 8x15 inches. Roll it up into an 8 inch log and place in the loaf pan.

Cover shaped loaf. Allow to rise until it's about 1 inch above the top of the loaf pan, about 1 hour.

Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).

Bake for 32-36 minutes or until golden brown on top. If you notice the top browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil.

Cool for a few minutes in the pan on a cooling rack before removing the bread from the pan and slicing.