If you’re a foodie who regularly roams the internet ogling at food porn, you’ve probably seen this recipe about 12 times over. Guess this post makes it the 13th time. So basically, consider this the universe’s way of telling you to make this bread.
But really, do it. It’s delicious. (No pressure.)
Before I continue to ramble on about this bread, I thought I’d share some snippets of my Thanksgiving. (Apologies for the slight delay!)
Making pie crust in the morning.
Getting creative.
Let there be leaves!
And pie! Let there be pie!
Pie with beautiful streusel topping!
Annnnnnnnnnd there was also a birthday cake. Delicious!
And filling. Beyond filling.
I vowed to not eat for the 24 hours following Thanksgiving dinner. Ha. That’s funny.
Now, back to yeast-y, carb-y goodness.
This bread is fantastic for a variety of reasons. It’s quick and easy to throw together, has a wonderfully chewy and tender interior, toasts to a point of achieving crunchy nuttiness without losing its textural integrity, and pairs well with most any butter/ jam/ spread. (Personally, I’m a fan of a light spread of butter, some blackberry jam, or a combination of Biscoff and almond butter.)
More Carb-y Goodness
——————————————————————————————————————————————————-
English Muffin Bread
From Rebecca Lindamood
- 2 ¾ C. warm (not hot) water
- 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp. + 1 ½ tsp. sugar
- 1 Tbsp. + 1 ¼ tsp. instant yeast (or about 1 1/2 packages)
- 5 ¾ C. all-purpose or bread flour (1 pound 9 ounces, by weight)*
*I like to use a mix of half unbleached AP flour and half whole wheat flour, but it is completely your preference as to what you use. I imagine any combination of flour will be delicious.
Also Needed:
- Non-stick cooking spray
- cornmeal
- plastic wrap
- melted butter for brushing the bread mid-way through and after baking (about 2 Tbsp.)
Prepare the Dough:
Stir all of the ingredients together by hand in a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle) just until combined. The dough will be shaggy and very sticky.
Spray a piece of plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray and lay it loosely over the mixing bowl. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for about an hour or until it looks bubbly and puffy.
Spray 2 standard loaf pans (8.5″ x 9.5″) with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle in a fistful of cornmeal. Tilt the pans, tapping gently, until the interiors are coated with a thin layer of cornmeal. Tap out any excess cornmeal.
Spray your hands with non-stick cooking spray and use them to divide the dough evenly between the pans. The pans should be no more than halfway full. If you need to, spray and cornmeal an additional loaf pan for any excess.
Spray more pieces of plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray and lay them loosely over each loaf pan. Let rise in a warm, draft-free place until the dough looks bubbly and puffy again, and has risen with the top of the dough dome just peeking above the edge of the pan.
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.
NOTE: It is possible to let this dough rise too long, so be sure the oven is waiting for you rather than you waiting for the oven.
Evenly space the loaf pans in the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take out one bread pan at a time and brush the tops of the loaves with melted butter. When you place the bread pans back in the oven, rotate their positions from front to back. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until they are just lightly golden brown.
Immediately turn the loaves out onto a cooling rack and brush again with melted butter. Cool completely before slicing.
The bread can be stored, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for up to a week. If you do not think you can eat it in that time, wrap the cooled, unsliced loaves with two layers of plastic wrap and cover that with one layer of foil before storing in the freezer for up to 3 months. They can be thawed or simply sliced from their frozen state before toasting.
Yields 2 Loaves
