English Muffin Bread
(from Breakfast Breads and Sweet Treats)
2 packages active dry yeast
1 teaspoon of sugar
¼ cup of warm water (100 to 110° F.)
2¼ cups warm milk
4½ cups all-purpose or bread flour
1½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
cornmeal
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine yeast, sugar and warm water and let develop for five minutes. Stir in warm milk along with salt and baking powder. Add the flour gradually and mix until well incorporated: it will make a slightly stiff batter. Beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Cover the bowl with a cloth and allow to rise for one hour. Stir down and spoon into 2 medium loaf pans or into stoneware baking crocks that have been greased and sprinkled with cornmeal. Pans should be about half-filled with batter. Sprinkle cornmeal lightly over the top of the batter. Cover with a light towel and let rise in warm place for 20 to 30 minutes, or until batter nearly reaches the top of the pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes---if the tops of loaves begin to brown too quickly, cover them lightly with aluminum foil. Remove from pans and cool on racks.
Notes---Our Fr. Ronald is especially fond of this bread and is always delighted when it shows up on the breakfast table. I have several sizes of stoneware crocks I use for this bread, but you can use canape molds to make shaped slices as well, as pictured above, or an ordinary loaf pan.
---This bread is actually better if served after it has cooled completely---at least three hours, or better still overnight. If you bake it at night, you can leave the loaves uncovered to cool overnight without harm---no need to stay up waiting for bread to cool. It is excellent toasted, of course. Also, the recipe is small enough that you won’t have a lot of leftovers.
1 teaspoon of sugar
¼ cup of warm water (100 to 110° F.)
2¼ cups warm milk
4½ cups all-purpose or bread flour
1½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
cornmeal
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine yeast, sugar and warm water and let develop for five minutes. Stir in warm milk along with salt and baking powder. Add the flour gradually and mix until well incorporated: it will make a slightly stiff batter. Beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Cover the bowl with a cloth and allow to rise for one hour. Stir down and spoon into 2 medium loaf pans or into stoneware baking crocks that have been greased and sprinkled with cornmeal. Pans should be about half-filled with batter. Sprinkle cornmeal lightly over the top of the batter. Cover with a light towel and let rise in warm place for 20 to 30 minutes, or until batter nearly reaches the top of the pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes---if the tops of loaves begin to brown too quickly, cover them lightly with aluminum foil. Remove from pans and cool on racks.
Notes---Our Fr. Ronald is especially fond of this bread and is always delighted when it shows up on the breakfast table. I have several sizes of stoneware crocks I use for this bread, but you can use canape molds to make shaped slices as well, as pictured above, or an ordinary loaf pan.
---This bread is actually better if served after it has cooled completely---at least three hours, or better still overnight. If you bake it at night, you can leave the loaves uncovered to cool overnight without harm---no need to stay up waiting for bread to cool. It is excellent toasted, of course. Also, the recipe is small enough that you won’t have a lot of leftovers.