ENGLISH MUFFIN BREAD

Makes one 9 × 5-inch/23 × 12.7 cm loaf

I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT ALMOST ANY BREAD CAN BE IMPROVED UPON BY TOASTING it and slicking it with salted butter. This bread, basically a giant English muffin with enough nooks and crannies to make Mr. Thomas blush, is intended to be baked specifically for the purpose of toasting it the next day. And happily, as yeasted bread recipes go, it doesn’t get much more low-effort than this. In my travels across the region, I most often saw this bread baked in an old-fashioned German Rehrucken (crimp loaf pan), which I love the look of; it’s often found as a hinged, cylindrical pan with pretty ridges all around its circumference, and flat ends so that every last slice is identical in shape and size. I managed to snag one of these pans at a thrift store, but a regular loaf pan works just as well.

Nonstick cooking spray for pan

3 tablespoons/30 g yellow cornmeal, divided

2¼ teaspoons instant yeast

⅓ cup/75 g warm water (110° to 115°F/43° to 46°C)

1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided

3 cups/384 g unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1½ teaspoons fine sea salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup/225 g well-shaken buttermilk, at room temperature*

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon/32 g vegetable oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Lightly spray a 9 × 5-inch/23 × 12.7 cm metal loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, wiping away any excess that pools in the edges of the pan. Dust the pan all over with about 2 tablespoons of the cornmeal, tapping out the excess.

In a small bowl, whisk together the yeast, warm water, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Let rest for a couple of minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk together the flour, the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar, salt, and baking soda. On low speed, stir in the buttermilk, oil, and finally the yeast mixture. Increase the speed to high and mix for 1 minute, stopping halfway through to scrape down the bowl. The dough will be soft and sticky. Scrape the dough out into the prepared pan. Oil your hands lightly and pat the dough gently and evenly into the pan. Sprinkle the top with the remaining tablespoon of cornmeal. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled and the dough comes about 1 inch from the top of the pan, about 1 hour.

During the rise, position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat it to 400°F/200°C. Bake the bread until golden and risen, with a hollow sound when tapped in the center, 22 to 25 minutes (the internal temperature should register at least 190°F/88°C on an instant-read thermometer). Turn out the bread onto a wire rack. Brush lightly all over with the melted butter. Let cool completely before slicing.

*It’s very important that the buttermilk not be fridge-cold, so that the dough can rise well.

A BLUEPRINT FOR SAVORY BREAD PUDDING

Serves 8

When the British came to the Midwest in the late 1700s, they also brought the kind of comfort food the region is now known for, such as the Cornish pasties here, the glorious tradition of a roast dinner—meat, potatoes, vegetables, and gravy all together—and one of my favorite building block recipes of all time, bread pudding. Bread pudding is one of those marvelous kitchen concepts that’s often overlooked, but is excellent to keep top-of-mind, because it’s less about having a real “recipe” than it is about having a wonderful blank canvas at which to throw just about anything you’re craving, or trying to get rid of. It can be sweet and dessertlike, with sugars and chocolate and fruits, but my favorite way to have bread pudding is to make it savory. Add a bright little side salad and a glass of wine, and I need nothing else in this life.

With a 1-pound/455 g loaf of bread (a little past its prime is actually ideal), six large eggs, and 3 cups/675 g of liquid dairy with at least some percentage of fat (milk, half-and-half, cream, a combination of all three, why not?), you are well on your way to a main dish or unctuous side that’s at once creamy, crispy, soft, comforting, and seriously thrifty.

FIRST, GET YOURSELF A GOOD BAKING VESSEL. Bread pudding likes a nice deep, insulated baking dish rather than a metal pan. You want something in the neighborhood of 2½ to 3 quarts/2.4 to 2.8 L, square, round, oval, whatever. Spray the vessel with nonstick cooking spray or butter it generously. Set your oven rack to the center and preheat your oven to 375°F/190°C.

After you’ve got your building blocks in place, THINK ABOUT YOUR ADD-INS, usually based on what you’ve already got knocking around. Will your bread pudding be carnivorous? Bacon, ham, leftover poultry, ground beef, sausage—all great candidates. Just make sure they’re cooked first.

IF YOU’RE INCORPORATING VEGETABLES, it’s nice to cook them just a little first as well, with a quick softening in olive oil or butter or both, and a little salt and pepper. Onion, garlic, scallions, mushrooms, peppers of all sorts—these are some of my favorite savory add-ins. I also love a broccoli and/or cauliflower and cheese version for a nice vegetarian option, and in that case, I give the florets a few minutes in a steamer basket, just to tenderize them. Allow your cooked mixtures to cool to room temperature.

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING IS AN EXCELLENT VEHICLE FOR CHEESE. You want about 1½ cups/180 g of shredded, grated, or diced cheeses in total. Throw in multiple types to clean out that fridge drawer, or be more intentional with sharp Cheddar, Gruyère, Parmesan, fontina… the possibilities are endless. Reserve a little for sprinkling on top.

FOR SEASONINGS, START WITH SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER, AND ADD FLAIR TO YOUR LIKING. Since you’re whisking a batter with raw eggs, it’s tough to “season to taste,” but I tend to season a batch of this size with about ½ teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black or white pepper. I love lots of fresh herbs in bread pudding, especially fresh thyme, sage, or parsley, but lesser amounts of stronger, dried herbs can work out just fine.

THEN COMES THE MARRIAGE OF ALL THE ELEMENTS. In the biggest bowl you’ve got, whisk together the eggs, milk, and about ½ teaspoon salt until completely smooth (the salt will help denature the proteins in the eggs and liquefy them). Tear or cut the bread into 1-inch/2.5 cm chunks—leave the crusts on or not, depending on how hard the crust is. If it’s a soft loaf all over, use the whole thing. I like to use about half of the crust from a crusty artisan-type loaf, so there’s plenty of texture and more bread to soak up the custard. No crust, and you’ll have a much creamier, puddinglike result. Totally up to you. Let the bread soak for 5 to 10 minutes.

Fold in your cooked meats, vegetables, cheeses, and/or herbs and spices, including a few grinds of black pepper (remember that you added salt at the beginning with the milk and eggs).

TURN OUT THE BREAD PUDDING MIXTURE INTO THE PREPARED BAKING DISH. Sprinkle the top with a little extra cheese. Bake, uncovered, until puffed and golden and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean—anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the size and depth of your baking dish. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.