English Muffin Bread

5 from 7 votes

This is the perfect bread for toasting and slathering butter, jam or peanut butter for breakfast or a snack. It has all the nooks and crannies that you love from the muffins, but it's easier to make!

Prep Time1 20

Cook Time25

Total Time1 45

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 298kcal

Author: Julie Evink

Ingredients

2 c. milk
1/2 c. water
4 1/2 tsp Rapid Rise Yeast
5-6 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp corn meal

Instructions

Warm the milk and water over low heat until warm, around 120 degrees. Remove from the heat and add the yeast to the mixture and let bloom, about 5 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the yeast and milk mixture and stir in the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Test dough and add more flour if it's too sticky too handle. I ended up using almost the entire 6 cups of flour before mine came together. It should be slightly sticky, but workable.
Knead on medium speed for 7 minutes with dough hook.
Spray two 8x4 inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Then sprinkle them with corn meal. Shake the pan around so that the corn meal coats the inside of the pan evenly.
Place the dough in the pan and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before slicing.

Notes

How to check doneness of bread

When you tap the bottom of the loaf it should sound hollow
The outside of your loaf should have a beautiful, even brown color.
Internal temperature of the bread should be 190 degrees F.

Expert Tips

You'll know the yeast has bloomed if it foams or bubbles. This means the yeast is alive and active. If it doesn't do this the yeast is dead and you'll need to start over.
Don't have cornmeal? You can skip it, this just gives it the classic English Muffin taste and texture.
For extra easy removal from pan grab a piece of parchment paper and place that in the pan before greasing and adding cornmeal with the sides hanging over the pan. Then prepare pan as instructed. This helps you lift the bread right out of the pan after baking.
When letting bread rise make sure it's in a room location and the area is draft free.
Don't slice the bread until it has cooled. The texture develops while it finishes baking during the cooling process.
Be careful not to squish your bread when cutting. When you slice the bread use a long serrated knife and evenly saw back and forth instead of pressing down hard so you don't squash the bread.
If you want to freeze one of the loaves of bread make sure it's completely cooled. You can either freeze it whole or slice it before freezing so you can grab individual slices when you want it. Wrap the bread in a double layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Slip it into a freezer zip bag. When ready to use let it thaw at room temperature.

Nutrition