I love yeast breads. They’re kind my thing. I love making them. I love eating them. I love giving them as gifts. I think about some of the yeast breads I’ve posted here, from our World’s Best Dinner Rolls to these multi-grain rolls to breadsticks to this whole wheat bread to challah and I honestly can’t pick a favorite. It’s kind of like a favorite child–I always have one, but it’s always someone different, like how right now, my three-year-old is in the doghouse for excessive whining and the, but my daughter has been charming and delightfully helpful. But that’ll change by tomorrow, I can guarantee you. And while yesterday, cinnamon rolls might have been my favorite, right now I’ve got English Muffin Toasting Bread on the brain.
I love this bread. And one thing that I really love about it is that it is so fast and easy–it’s kind of like having the best of both the yeast bread and quick bread worlds. It literally comes together in minutes, then you let it hang out in the pan for an hour, and bake it. It has the sturdiness of a yeast bread–like you can actually make sandwiches on it–but it’s so unbelievably quick and easy. If you’re scared of yeast, this is a great way to get your toes in the water. It’s holey and has a good bite to it like English muffins, but it tastes way better than those hockey pucks from the grocery store (not knocking the hockey pucks…they’ve got a place…just nothing compares to freshly baked bread.)
For starters, measure out 12.75 ounces of all-purpose flour (about 3 cups, lightly spooned into a measuring cup and leveled with a knife), 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon instant yeast, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your mixer, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and yeast.
Set aside.
Lightly grease an 8.5×4.5″ bread pan and lightly sprinkle with cornmeal. Set aside.
Combine water,
milk (I use whole milk buttermilk the last time I made this and it kind of blew us all away)
and olive oil
in a small saucepan and heat to about 110-115 degrees, stirring very frequently (it will heat up quickly, so don’t go far.) I tried doing this in the microwave like they suggest in the King Arthur recipe, but after cooking it too long and curdling it 3 times, I gave up–it was just easier to closely monitor it while it was on the stove. It should be warm enough for a hot shower but not so hot you wouldn’t want to wash your face or hair in it. Remove from heat.
Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and beat on high for 1 minute. Spread the dough (it will be very wet and sticky, like on the verge of being pourable) into the prepared pan.
Cover and allow to rise in a warm area for 45-60 minutes or until the dough has risen about 1/4″ out of the pan.
This actually didn’t rise up quite as much as I wanted it to and as much as it has in the past–I think it’s because I used bread machine instead of instant yeast. But. It was still super delicious and airy. It’s hard to screw this one up.
Anyway.
While the dough is rising, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
When the dough is done rising, bake for 22-26 minutes or until the top is golden and the bread sounds hollow when you tap on it. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then turn the bread out of the pan onto the cooling rack and allow to cool completely. When ready to serve, cut into 1/2″ slices.
It can go sweet or savory and will be amazing either way.
Butter and jam is never a bad choice
But I dare you to find a better bread for toasting and topping with butter, thin slices of ham, and a fried egg.
English Muffin Toasting Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife (or 12.75 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1 cup milk I use whole buttermilk and it's incredible
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Cornmeal for sprinkling in pan
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your mixer, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and yeast. Set aside.
- Lightly grease an 8.5x4.5" bread pan and lightly sprinkle with cornmeal. Set aside.
- Combine milk, water, and olive oil in a small saucepan and heat to about 110-115 degrees, stirring very frequently (it will heat up quickly, so don't go far.) It should be warm enough for a hot shower but not so hot you wouldn't want to wash your face or hair in it. Remove from heat.
- Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and beat on high for 1 minute. Spread the dough (it will be very wet and sticky, like on the verge of being pourable) into the prepared pan. Cover and allow to rise in a warm area for 45-60 minutes or until the dough has risen about 1/4" out of the pan. While the dough is rising, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- When the dough is done rising, bake for 22-26 minutes or until the top is golden and the bread sounds hollow when you tap on it. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then turn the bread out of the pan onto the cooling rack and allow to cool completely. When ready to serve, cut into 1/2" slices.
Notes
- This bread is delicious with sweet OR savory toppings--try it with butter and jam or butter, ham, and a fried egg.
Questions & Reviews
This is a great recipe. Out of several versions of English Muffin Toasting Bread I’ve made this one is tops. I used bread flour, not to try to improve the recipe, only because it was what I had on hand. It turned out great so either will work. This is so easy it seems to go together in a matter of minutes excluding the rise time. Highly recommended and a huge step up from using regular whole milk. Buttermilk is much better and a natural when using baking soda.
I followed the recipe and used a spoon to scoop the flour and levelled with a knife but my dough turned out to be the consistency of bread dough, definitely not wet and pourable.
I had trouble with this being WAY to dry and not nearly ‘pourable’ at all. I don’t know what I did wrong. 🙁
When you measured the floor, did you weigh it or use a spoon to lightly scoop it into the measuring cup? That’s almost always the problem. 🙂
This was a great bread recipe! My whole family, including my son who generally hates English Muffins, loved it! It was gone in less than 24 hours. Thank you for sharing.
It was super easy and okay. It was just too salty, I think I will love it if we reduce the salt. I will make it again but with half the salt.
My 4 year old and I made this today. It was awesome and will become a weekly tradition. Thanks for the super easy and delicious recipe!
This is one of the easiest and tastiest things to make! Love English muffin bread! Now I need to make it again soon!
Waiting for this to come out of the oven now. If it is good it was certainly super easy to make.
I’m new to bread making. Would this recipe also work in a bread machine?
I know the King Arthur site has a recipe for Bread Machine English Muffin Bread on their site–I’m sure it’s awesome! 🙂
Looks great! Do you have a recommendation for a kitchen scale?
This is seriously my FAVORITE (and I’ve tried out quite a few!) Plus you can’t beat that price!
https://amzn.to/1T0Fddi
Gonna try this with Gluten Free flour as I am gluten insensitive. So many things I’ve eaten my whole life are now off limits! Now allergic to dairy too, so will use Almond milk instead.
Ahhhhhh! English muffins are my favorite. I need this bread. As soon as my vegan sister is done visiting, I’m on it.
Can I make these as English muffins? With Rings? I think I’m going to try. The loaf looks SO good! Thanks!
Check out the King Arthur site–they have a recipe there for actual English muffins, but I haven’t looked at it, so I’m not sure how it compares. If you decide to try it, let me know how it turns out! 🙂
This looks delish. I might have to make this for my boys. They love English muffins, but this looks even better.
English muffin bread sounds like something that I need in my life asap.
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I don’t have a lot of experience with baking with yeast. I made cinnamon rolls about 2 times in the past and I was nervous both times. Is the water too warm? Did I just kill all the yeast? When people say, you can’t mess it up, it’s even more pressure on me! Haha. This recipe looks like a great one to try. Thanks for the post!
I feel like english toasting bread is one of the undiscovered wonders of the food world. Nobody has heard of it! Now I need some summertime homemade jam and this pregnant mom is going to have a good time. Have you tried doubling it? Let’s not pretend one loaf will last nearly long enough.
I have not, but I’m pretty positive it could be done and everything would be okay. Cuz yeah…one loaf is not enough.
so you don’t actually toast it then, like one would do with an English muffin?
You can still toast it–it’s perfect for toasting. But you don’t have to. 🙂