On a recent snow day at home with my kiddos, I decided to try this recipe, which I had been eyeing on Pinterest for a while. We love English muffins at our house, and this seemed like a perfect case of “something we like from the store that mom can make at home.” The original recipe called for using rapid rise yeast and a single rise for the dough. I didn’t have rapid rise yeast (and I wasn’t about to pack up three children and brave the roads to get some). So, I tweaked the recipe by using regular yeast and two rise times.
I will admit, when I took the freshly baked loaf from the oven, I thought, “Oh no. I just baked a brick!” Do not be alarmed if this happens to you. It’s supposed to be a very dense, heavy bread. And even though it did not contain the famous “nooks and crannies” that some brands of English muffins boast, we all loved it. Eaten plain, it would have been passable, BUT toasted, slathered with butter and either honey or some of our favorite jam, it made a delicious, fill-you-up breakfast (the little ones had orange juice and I nibbled mine while sipping my coffee).
Here’s the recipe:
PrintEnglish Muffin Bread
A dense bread that’s best toasted.
- Yield: 1 1x
Ingredients
- Cornmeal, for pan
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
- 2 1/4 tsp. yeast
- 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/4 cups milk, heated to very warm (120 degrees F)
Instructions
- Lightly grease a loaf pan and sprinkle with cornmeal.
- In a large mixer bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well.
- With mixer on low, slowly add warm milk to dry ingredients.
- Turn mixer up to medium speed, continuing to mix until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Cover bowl and let rise for about 90 minutes.
- Lightly grease a spatula or wooden spoon. Transfer dough to loaf pan, spreading out into all corners.
- Lightly sprinkle cornmeal over top and cover pan with plastic wrap.
- Let rest another 30-40 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow bread to cool before turning onto a wire rack or cutting board.
Notes
- Toast slices and serve with butter and honey or jam. Store remaining bread in an airtight container.
Keywords: homemade bread, bread, muffins
First published in February 2015.
