English Muffin Bread
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS With their chewy interiors, crunchy crusts, and craggy texture, English muffins are
a treat—but they’re also a lot of work. For a no-fuss recipe without the kneading,
rolling, cutting, or griddling, we made a simple loaf bread with the flavor and texture
of English muffins. Protein-rich bread flour gave the loaf a chewy yet light consistency,
and baking soda created the all-important honeycombed texture. Heating the milk before
mixing the dough activated the yeast and shortened the rising time. We simply mixed
the dough, let it rise, then baked it in loaf pans until the crust was well browned
and the interior was perfectly craggy. See the sidebars that follow the recipe.
MAKES 2 LOAVES
Serve this bread with butter and jam.
|
Cornmeal |
|
|
5 |
cups (27½ ounces) bread flour |
|
4½ |
teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast |
|
1 |
tablespoon sugar |
|
2 |
teaspoons salt |
|
1 |
teaspoon baking soda |
|
3 |
cups whole milk, heated to 120 degrees |
1. Grease two 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pans and dust with cornmeal. Combine flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and baking soda in large bowl. Stir in hot milk until combined, about 1 minute. Cover dough with greased plastic wrap and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes, or until dough is bubbly and has doubled.
2. Stir dough and divide between prepared loaf pans, pushing into corners with greased rubber spatula. (Pans should be about two-thirds full.) Cover pans with greased plastic and let dough rise in warm place until it reaches edges of pans, about 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Discard plastic and transfer pans to oven. Bake until loaves are well browned and register 200 degrees, about 30 minutes, rotating and switching pans halfway through baking. Turn loaves out onto wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Slice, toast, and serve.