I love English Muffins and I love this easy to make English Bread recipe. It’s just like the muffins, especially with its cornmeal coating on the outside. With butter, cream cheese or just homemade strawberry jam, it’s delicious when cut thick and toasted.
The crispy browned surfaces add much more texture than regular breads. And, the fancy little holes collect all the goodness of jams or butter.
I’ve made English Muffins and now I have an English Muffin Bread recipe. This one is so very easy and doesn’t take much time to put together. Plus, it doesn’t need much time for rising, about a half hour.
Top your toast with cream cheese and deli meat, a fresh fried over easy egg, butter or Gram’s homemade jam. Use a couple slices for a grilled cheese with jalapeno peppers. Or, make a giant toasted sandwich by cutting it thick, toasting it and filling it with mayo, bacon, lettuce and fresh garden tomatoes. A very quick and easy lunch is tuna and pickles on English Muffin Toast. MMMMMM.
Slice it as you go. I leave the bread uncut so that I can slice it as thick or as thin as I like, depending on what I’m making at the time. Thick for a big grilled sandwich. Or, thinner with cream cheese and homemade blueberry jam.
Preheat your oven to 400F degrees a few minutes before you’re ready to bake your English Muffin Bread.
Prep your pan:
Lightly brush soft butter on the bottom and sides of a 9”x4” loaf pan.
Gather up your Ingredients:
3 C Flour
1 T Sugar
1 t Salt
¼ t Baking soda
1 T Yeast, quick or fast rise (not active dry)
1 C Milk
¼ C Water
2 T Olive oil, extra virgin
1 T Butter, soft
2 T Cornmeal, yellow
Mix, make and bake:
- In the electric stand mixer bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and yeast. Set aside.
- In a separate microwave safe bowl, mix the milk, water and extra virgin olive oil. It should be warm (110-120F degrees) but not hot. I use my food thermometer to make sure I don’t heat it too much, or it could kill the yeast.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mix and beat slowly in the stand mixture until combined. Then beat at high for 1-2 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough is still tacky, add another 1-3 tablespoons of flour at a time and beat for another 1-2 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Flip the dough into the prepared pan which has been brushed lightly with butter and sanded with the cornmeal, over all sides and the bottom.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place for 35-45 minutes until it has risen just above the rim of the pan.
- Bake at 400F degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and the internal temp is about 190F degrees. If the top is getting too brown, tent it (loosely cover) with foil and bake until the internal temp has been reached.
- Let sit in the pan for about 10 minutes, then slide it out onto a rack and cool completely.
- Mom usually went against the grain by slicing her fresh homemade bread while it was still somewhat warm. The heat would radiate out from the center. Then she's spread with butter and eat it right there. Yummy!
Storage:
- It’s easy to keep sealed in a plastic bag.
- Or, freeze it for up to a month in an airtight container. I wrap it in plastic wrap and then in a sealed plastic bag to avoid freezer burn.
Try different flavors:
- How about a caprese salad sandwich? Sliced mozzarella cheese, sliced tomatoes, basil leaves. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar to complement the flavors. Add some heat with thin slices of jalapeno peppers.
- Open face toasted English Muffin Bread topped with cheddar cheese and salami over a hot spice mustard makes for a quick and tasty lunch, alongside a big glass of cold Guinness Stout Beer.
- Whatever sandwich you can make on regular bread will taste even better on this English Muffin Bread, fresh or toasted.
However you like your English Muffin Bread, enjoy it with family or friends and “Bake your own Memories!”
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