English Muffin Bread
English Muffin Bread is soft and dense bread with a slightly chewy texture and a signature craggy interior, perfect for trapping butter and spreads. This no knead recipe makes great toast or breakfast sandwiches!
No Knead Bread
We keep English muffins on hand 24/7 here. They make great breakfast sandwiches, pb&j toast, and we use them for our Open Faced Tuna Melts.
Plus they are back-up for my oatmeal-obsessed hubby. Because if we run out of Apple Steel Cut Oats or Frozen Berry Overnight Oats, there’s always a toasted English muffin, right?
Why This Recipe Works:
- NO MIXER REQUIRED – This recipe is made in one bowl and not only is no mixer required, it’s not recommended. The runny dough would only create a mess in the mixer. Keep it easy folks!
- NO KNEADING – And since the dough is so runny, there is no kneading either. You just use a wooden spoon to stir the dough until well mixed.
- TEXTURE OF ENGLISH MUFFINS – The scraggy texture of the bread will remind you of English muffins which makes it a perfect base for butter, jelly, and peanut butter. Always toast it!
- MAKE AHEAD – You can prep the dough ahead of time and place the bowl in the refrigerator. Then simply spoon into pans, let rise, and bake as directed.
What You’ll Need:
- Yeast – We use active dry yeast for baking bread. But you could use instant yeast instead.
- Granulated Sugar
- Milk and Water
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt
- Cornmeal – You’ll want to add cornmeal to the pans before adding the dough and then more on the top of the dough before baking.
How to make English Muffin Bread:
Step 1
Activate the yeast. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, warm milk and water (between 100-110 degrees F). Stir and let sit for 10-15 minutes, or until yeast is active and bubbly. Stir well.
Step 2
Add dry ingredients. Add flour, baking soda, and kosher salt – and use a wooden spoon to stir it together. The dough will be extremely soft and sticky. (That’s the way it’s supposed to be!)
NOTE: I recommend using a digital scale to measure the flour. Likewise, you can use the spoon and level method.
Step 3
Add dough to pans. Spoon/pour the dough into two loaf pans that have been greased and dusted with the cornmeal.
Step 4
Let dough rise. Cover pans with a clean dish towel and place in a warm corner of your kitchen. Let the dough rise until it puffs up a little over the rims of the pans, 30 minutes to an hour (depending on many factors including climate and humidity in your home).
NOTE: This dough rises especially quick (in my experience). Make sure you don’t let it pop too far over the rim of the pans.
Step 5
Prep. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dust the tops of the loaves with cornmeal.
Step 6
Bake bread. Bake English muffin bread for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown on top and the bread is cooked throughout. If you tap the bread, it should sound hollow. Don’t over-bake!
Step 7
Cool. Transfer bread to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Step 8
Serve bread. We love to toast this bread and top with butter, jelly, peanut butter, or your favorite toppings.
Storing and Freezing:
- Store bread in an airtight container or plastic wrap at room temperature for up to three days.
- Freeze bread wrapped tightly in cling wrap and then in a freezer bag for up to three months.
Recipe FAQs:
The dough for English muffin bread is wetter and stickier than traditional bread dough, resembling a thick batter.
The dough will need to rise until it doubles in size, which usually takes about 30 minutes (quicker than normal), depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
It may not have risen long enough, or the flour-to-liquid ratio could be off.
Yes, you can substitute instant yeast for active dry yeast. Use an equal amount, and you may skip the proofing step.
Yes, you can add a cup or so of whole wheat flour and then less all-purpose flour for a more dense bread, if desired.
Other Delicious Bread Recipes:
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
xoxo ~Sue
English Muffin Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ Tablespoons active dry yeast
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 cup 1% milk – warmed between 100-110 degrees
- 1/2 cup water – warmed between 100-110 degrees
- 5 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (630 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- cornmeal – for greasing the pan and then topping the dough
Instructions
- Activate the yeast. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, warm milk and water (between 100-110 degrees F). Stir and let sit for 10-15 minutes, or until yeast is active and bubbly. Stir well.
- Add dry ingredients. Add flour, baking soda, and kosher salt – and use a wooden spoon to stir it together. The dough will be extremely soft and sticky. (That's the way it's supposed to be!)NOTE: I recommend using a digital scale to measure the flour. Likewise, you can use the spoon and level method.
- Add dough to pans. Spoon/pour the dough into two loaf pans that have been greased and dusted with the cornmeal.
- Let dough rise. Cover pans with a clean dish towel and place in a warm corner of your kitchen. Let the dough rise until it puffs up a little over the rims of the pans, 30 minutes to an hour (depending on many factors including climate and humidity in your home).NOTE: This dough rises especially quick (in my experience). Make sure you don't let it pop too far over the rim of the pans.
- Prep. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dust the tops of the loaves with cornmeal.
- Bake bread. Bake English muffin bread for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown on top and the bread is cooked throughout. If you tap the bread, it should sound hollow. Don't over-bake!
- Cool. Transfer bread to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Serve bread. We love to toast this bread and top with butter, jelly, peanut butter, or your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Store bread in an airtight container or plastic wrap at room temperature for up to three days.
- Freeze bread wrapped tightly in cling wrap and then in a freezer bag for up to three months.