English Muffin Bread

This recipe came to me a long time ago. I think it was in a book of recipes from quilters or some such! Anyway, I've been making it a long time.

2 pkg dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp)
6 cups flour
1 TBS sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 c milk
3/4 c water
yellow cornmeal

In a bowl combine yeast, 3 cups of the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda.

Heat milk and water until very warm. Add to the dry mix and beat well. Add remaining 3 cups of flour to make a stiff batter. Add a slosh more water (up to 1/4 cup) if needed to loosen it up a bit.

Grease two loaf pans and dust the insides with cornmeal. Spoon the dough into the pans and sprinkle with cornmeal. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.

Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes. Turn out of pans and cool on a wire rack.

GoDawg Notes:

As someone remarked, this IS a sticky dough! I've found the easiest way to divide the dough and get it into the pans is to use two large spoons one in each hand like you're going to toss salad. Grab up some with both spoons and then scrape it into the pan by using one spoon to scrape the dough off the other. I usually weigh the pans to make sure the dough's equally divided but you can just eyeball it. Then just push and pull the dough around in the pans with the spoons until it's pretty level.

I usually have to use most of that extra 1/4 cup of water to loosen up the dough.

This bread tastes like English muffins but doesn't have the large holes. Great for toast, though!

It freezes well. If frozen like this you can unwrap two slices at a time without having to defrost them all just to get two slices! I usually slice both loaves. Then I run out about a 2' piece of saran wrap on the counter, put two slices on it, then fold the plastic over it.



Roll the slices over down the wrap and add two more slices.



Roll that 4 slice bundle down the wrap again and add two more slices.



Then roll all to the end. and fold down the sides. I like to do a final wrap in foil. 40 seconds in the microwave will defrost two slices and they'll be like they were just baked.

i have been making english muffin a long time too.
same basic recipe except mine calls for 2 cups milk, 1/2 cup water.
my son likes additional corn meal in the bread, so i add two heaping
tablespoons to the mixing bowl.
i am always tinkering.
i use two cups whole wheat flour along with the white flour. sometimes
add a cup of rye flour, maybe a little buckwheat to see how that tastes.
i also add a heaping tablespoon of ground flax, and a teaspoon or two of chia seeds.
you can also add ground sesame seeds or sunflower seeds to the mix. i use a coffee grinder
to grind the seeds.

the other thing i do is instead of milk, i use plain yogurt. add some to a small sauce pan.
i don't measure, just enough that seems right to the eye. then i add about 2 & 1/4 cup hot
water to the pan and stir it a bit before adding to the bowl with the 3 cups flour mix.
we have a bulk bag of yeast in the freezer. i use a tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon yeast. one
tablespoon is often enough.
i set the loaves to rise near the wood stove where it is warm. they get pretty big.

the loaves have never made it to the freezer. the three of us usually polish off most of one loaf
while it is still warm. my wife and son always want dibs on the end piece. it gets loud sometimes.
the second loaf gets eaten over 3 to 4 days.
good stuff



keith

It's definitely a stiffer bread that the one I make. I'll have to copy it into my PC from my "blue book" , so I can copy it onto here. It's definitely a batter bread.

rxkeith wrote: ↑Mon Apr 06, 2020 11:12 pm we have a bulk bag of yeast in the freezer. i use a tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon yeast. one
tablespoon is often enough.

The last time I bought yeast was ages ago. There was a special deal on a two-pack of one pound Safer packages at a really great price so I ordered it and it's been stashed in the big freezer. I refill a small jar from the remaining pack and keep that in the refrigerator freezer for frequent use.

rxkeith wrote: ↑Mon Apr 06, 2020 11:12 pm the loaves have never made it to the freezer. the three of us usually polish off most of one loaf
while it is still warm. my wife and son always want dibs on the end piece. it gets loud sometimes.
the second loaf gets eaten over 3 to 4 days.

LOL! You do go through some bread! There's just two of us here and I'm the only one who has some every morning so the freezer thing works great. And yes, we share the ends while the bread's still warm. Good thing there are four ends to share.

I opened a 1 lb bag on 12-17-18, and was down to about 1/4 c in mid March, when I bought another lb at KAF, because I was buying some other items, and had a free shipping deal! Usually, the yeast begins to slow down, by the end, but I used it faster this time. Out of curiosity, I compared them, dissolving some of each in some water, with sugar in small cups, and the foam in the new one was barely more vigorous than the old.