English Muffin Bread
I’ve always wanted to make my own homemade English muffins but until I muster up the time, energy and nerve, plus shell out the dough (no pun intended) for the metal rings you need to achieve the desired shape, I’m sticking with this totally easy and impossible-to-mess-up English Muffin Bread. If you ❤️ the nooks and crannies that only an English muffin can deliver, you’ve got to try this!
Seriously guys, this is EASY! It pretty much makes itself. There’s no kneading, no second rise and everything comes together in the mixer in like 2 minutes. What’s more, the bread bakes up in less than 30 minutes!!
It’s a very sticky dough, so be prepared and keep calm, knowing that in the end you’ll be rewarded with a light and airy loaf that toasts up perfectly.
Imagine waking up to a piece of this slathered in butter and jam! Starting the day just got a whole lot easier, right?!
If tackling homemade bread is on your bucket list for the new year, I can’t think of a better one to start with. Watch out Thomas’!!
English Muffin Bread
Makes one 8 1/2x4 1/2 loaf
Prep Time: 10 minutes, plus 1 hour rising time; Bake Time: 25-27 minutes
Ingredients
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 cup milk ( I usually use whole—you could use 2 or even 1% but I wouldn’t recommend skim)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Softened butter for greasing pan
Cornmeal for sprinkling in pan
The Recipe
Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and yeast in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Generously butter a 8 1/2 x41/2 glass loaf pan and sprinkle with cornmeal to coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.
Heat the milk, water and oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the temperature is between 120º-130ºF. If you don’t have a food thermometer, the mixture should be hotter than lukewarm but not so hot that it burns your finger. If you let the mixture get too hot, just give it a good stir and take the temperature again. You can even chill it in the fridge for 5 minutes or so to let it cool down—you just don’t want it too hot or it will kill the yeast.
Once the mixture is the right temperature, pour it over the dry ingredients in the bowl and use an electric mixer to mix at low speed for about 30 seconds to incorporate the dry into the wet. Then turn mixer to high and beat at high speed for about 1 minute. The dough will be very soft and smooth. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and level it out.
Wet a kitchen towel and wring out as much water as possible or use a piece of plastic wrap and cover the pan. Set it in a warm place and allow the dough to rise to just slightly over the rim. This should take between 45 minutes to one hour but use your eye as guidance.
Meanwhile preheat oven to 400ºF. When dough has risen enough, bake the loaf for 25-27 minutes, until golden brown. Turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely on its side. Slice and toast. YUM! Wrapped well, the loaf will last at least a week in the fridge.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.
