This bread dough is produced by the
sweetening sponge method in which a
sponge dough-containing material for main kneading is kneaded, and has an amount of grain flour in the entire material for
sponge dough / an amount of grain flour added at the time of main kneading (weight ratio) of 40 / 60-80 / 20, based on 100 pts.wt. of grain flour contained in the entire bread dough (
dry weight). The entire bread dough contains 34-82 pts.wt. of
sugar (in terms of
solid content), based on 100 pts.wt. of grain flour contained in the entire bread dough (
dry weight). The material for sponge dough contains, in the entire material for sponge dough, 8-33 pts.wt. of
sugar (in terms of
solid content), 1.2-4.1 pts.wt. of a specific
yeast (
dry weight), and 5-47 pts.wt. of water, based on 100 pts.wt. of grain flour contained in the entire bread dough (dry weight). The sponge dough is fermented after the material for sponge dough is kneaded. The material for main kneading contains, in the entire material for main kneading, the sponge dough, and further contains, as additive materials during main kneading, 2-74 pts.wt. of
sugar (in terms of
solid content), 1-6 pts.wt. of salt, 5-35 pts.wt. of oil and fat, and 2-35 pts.wt. of water, based on 100 pts.wt. of grain flour contained in the entire bread dough (dry weight). The material for main kneading is kneaded to produce the bread dough.