English muffin bread, fit for royalty

Well maybe this bread isn’t exactly regal, but I just felt like I needed jump on the Royal wedding bandwagon/mania that is all around us this week!  Plus, this bread would go well with all of those quintessentially British accoutrements to tea like lemon curd, clotted cream and jam!  I’m not sure if the Muffin Man was selling English muffins or crumpets, but this bread will remind you more of that “American” version of the muffin.  It makes GREAT toast, and the recipe is easily doubled so you can make an extra loaf to give away or put in the freezer for later!

English Muffin Bread, recipe from the King Arthur Flour website

• 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
• cornmeal, to sprinkle in pan

1) Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and instant yeast in a large mixing bowl.

2) Combine the milk, water, and oil in a separate, microwave-safe bowl, and heat to between 120°F and 130°F. The liquid will feel very hot (hotter than lukewarm), but not so hot that it would scald you. As a reference point, the hottest water from your kitchen tap is probably around 120°F (unless your tap water is so hot that it burns you).

3) Pour the hot liquid over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl.

4) Beat at high speed for 1 minute. The dough will be very soft.

5) Lightly grease an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan, and sprinkle the bottom and sides with cornmeal.

6) Scoop the soft dough into the pan, leveling it in the pan as much as possible.

7) Cover the pan, and let the dough rise till it’s just barely crowned over the rim of the pan. When you look at the rim of the pan from eye level, you should see the dough, but it shouldn’t be more than, say, 1/4″ over the rim. This will take about 45 minutes to 1 hour, if you heated the liquid to the correct temperature and your kitchen isn’t very cold. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400°F.

8) Remove the cover, and bake the bread for 22 to 27 minutes, till it’s golden brown and its interior temperature is 190°F.

9) Remove the bread from the oven, and after 5 minutes turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.

*side note:  this is an Emile Henry bread pan.  It is by far my favorite, and well worth the price in my opinion.  I was lucky enough to receive this as a wedding gift, but you can find them at Williams Sonoma!