Please go to Shan's place for more What's Cooking Wednesday participants.
Okay, so this week the simple bread truly is simple. I've been making this bread once or twice a week since starting my new bread-making routine. It's wonderful breakfast bread. D likes to toast it, and I prefer it plain. What I do to keep this fresh, and I do this with my other homemade breads, too, is to simply wrap it in a cloth napkin after the first day. No plastic, no drying out.
English Muffin Loaves
Adapted from a recipe printed in The Ann Arbor News on April 23, 2008
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 package dry yeast
1/2 TBS sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup water
cornmeal
1. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Heat milk and water to about 120 degrees (I pop a cup in the microwave for about 45 seconds and this seems to do the trick). It should feel lukewarm to warm on your finger - NOT hot.
3. Gradually add milk mixture to dry ingredients, mixing on low speed of an electric mixer, about 2 - 3 minutes until dough is combined. It will be sticky and a bit stiff:
4. Spray or grease a loaf pan and sprinkle with cornmeal. Take dough out of mixing bowl and put in pan, shaping it into a loaf. Sprinkle cornmeal on the top. It will look something like this:
5. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes to 90 minutes. The original recipe says "until doubled" in bulk, but mine hasn't quite risen that far and it doesn't seem to matter.
6. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes.
Note: you can EASILY double this recipe, but I find that this is so easy, that I'd rather have one fresh loaf at a time. For those with large families, yes, do the doubled recipe.
Last note: Please excuse this poor photo, but you can see from it, that it's not a high-rise bread. The taste, however, is wonderful and it DOES make nice toast, too.
27 comments:
CB really like to bake bread and I've forbade bread but lately I've been caving. I'll point him this way for some easy, acceptably healthy bread recipes.
it looks like a quite dark bread. why is it called "muffin" bread?
That might be easy enough for me. Too bad: I have yeast but no whole wheat flour on hand. Oh, wait! My water is going to be turned off. (whew, another project avoided -- maybe tomorrow)
PS -- Jen: I just wondered why you have your blogger time zone set 3 hours earlier than Ann Arbor time?
This one and last week's (especially if you add whole wheat flour) are the most diet-friendly, Lilac!
It's not that dark, but since I use the whole wheat flour it's more brown than white. It's called English muffin bread because the interior texture is similar to English muffins, or crumpets. This is why it's good toasting bread, Goofball.
LOL, Mae. Okay, when you leave the house because you'll have no water, go get some whole wheat flour. ;-)
Oh! And thanks for mentioning that - I didn't know I could fix it. It's been driving me crazy.
I can smell that bread baking through the screen.
Looks good to me--and perfect for when I crave English muffins (not to be found here).
I'm getting hungry here....Can I eat from the picture?
What a great looking bread, Jen! I love whole wheat breads!
Even with my fuzzy photos, Courtney?
Michelle - if you want English muffins, change the flour to 1 cup ww and 2 cups white and then fry the batter in rings made from cans or biscuit cutters or whatever. Use butter as the frying ingredient. Fry over medium to medium low and flip when they rise. I think that's how to make English muffins for real.
Me, too, Jenn. If it weren't for my ds, I'd use total whole wheat.
That really does look yummy. I can imagine how tasty that toast is :) I have to go and get some whole wheat flour!
It's really easy, Sandy, and it would make a good birthday present, too. Just joking on that last one. ;-)
I love sticky dough breads Jen...This sounds like a real treat and perfect for toasting...I'm curious about the English muffin/crumpet texture...yum!
This looks at least possible. I still suspect that you have figured out how to sneak more hours into the day than other, lesser mortals.
I might try this out in the bread maker. I think Michael would love it.
I have a feeling it would work just fine in a bread machine, Shan.
This looks delicious, Jen! I really enjoyed your last bread recipe and will definitely be trying this one as well! Thanks!
Peter, it really does make great, rich bread.
Ben... absolutely, yeast hates me, too. You. can. do. this. ;-)
Anno, it is easy and no time at all.
Betsy, this one is easier than the one you tried, and healthier, too!
My that looks good. I have a bread maker--maybe I'll give this a whirl in it. I enjoy the texture of muffins--so it sounds great.
Why wouldn't you turn it into a muffin tin and let it rise, then bake it for muffins? I've never fried muffins, just baked them.
WB, English Muffins aren't those kind of muffins - it's like Thomas's English muffins or Bays or whatever. It's more like crumpets. It's a high baking soda dough that is meant to be "baked" in a fry pan. If you baked them in a muffin tin, I think they'd be too dense.
That one is really easy looking. All I need to do is buy some loaf pans and yeast and then I'm going to make it. Maybe I'll do it on Mother's Day as a fun "project"!
Actually, Liz, this would be a great Mother's Day fun project because the boys can actually almost do this for you by themselves!
This seems so simple that I'll bookmark it! Now, I only need the bread machine!!!! I'm willing to start baking bread... one day... soon :D
Nuria, this doesn't need a bread machine, and honestly, I'm not as fond of "machine" breads - just pop it in a loaf pan and bake. Truly easy!
Jen
This looks very yummy - especially if made with Westwind Milling or Ernst Farm whole wheat flours. And toast is my favorite food. ;)
Kim
Hey Kim! Thanks for stopping by. I haven't used Westwind Milling - where do they sell? I do use Ernst Farm flour, though. Just bought some on Saturday.
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