No Knead English Muffin Loaves

Today we're making No Knead English Muffin Loaves using the Kneadlessly Simple method. These English Muffin Loaves are delicious! They are crispy on the outside, and light and airy on the inside. They make great toast!

This is the last bread we'll be making in this series of No Knead Breads. I really like the Kneadless Simple method of making bread and will definitely try some more of these breads in the future.

If you would like to bake along with us, turn to page 45 in Kneadlessly Simple to locate the recipe and list of ingredients.

English Muffin Loaves

 

Preparing for the First Rise

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast until thoroughly mixed. In a measuring cup, whisk or stir together the oil and ice water.  Vigorously stir the ice-water mixture into the dough.

Scrape down the sides and mix until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. If the mixture is too dry, add additional water, a little bit at a time. Or, if necessary, add a little extra flour until it forms a fairly soft dough. I added a little extra flour.

Spray the top of the dough evenly with cooking spray. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

For enhanced flavor, refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours. The dough after refrigerating it for 5 1/2 hours.

 

Then let the dough rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours. I don't have a cool room temperature but I let it rest on the counter anyway to develop the flavor.

If possible, stir the dough vigorously once during the rise.  Here is the dough a little while after stirring it down.  Look how bubbly it is!

This is the dough after resting on the counter for 15 hours.

Preparing for the Second Rise

Stir the powder milk into the dough. Then vigorously stir in enough more flour to yield a very stiff dough.

I switched to the dough whisk to make sure the dough was completed mixed.

Grease two loaf pans (8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch) and sprinkle them with cornmeal.

Using well-oil kitchen shears or a serrated knife, cut the dough in half and place the portions in the pans. The dough was really wet so I used a dough scraper. However, at this point, I should've put the dough in the refrigerator to let it firm up a bit, then I could've used shears to cut it.

Brush or spray the tops with oil, then smooth out the surface and press the dough evenly into the pans. Tightly cover the pans with nonstick spray-coated plastic.

 

 

For a regular rise, let the dough stand at warm room temperature 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Or for an extended rise, refrigerate the loaves in the pans, covered, for 4 to 24 hours, then set out at room temperature to finish rising.

Because the dough was really wet, I contemplated going with the extended rise in the refrigerator but I wanted to bake the bread sooner so I decided to set it out on the counter for the regular rise instead. I went shopping with my son for a couple of hours and when I got back, the dough had exploded all over the counter. It was really hot and humid in Atlanta so I should've gone with my first thought. You know what they say "Hindsight is always 20/20".

I didn't take a picture of the mess. I was too busy cleaning it up and trying to salvage the dough. I did manage to salvage it. I put the dough back in the bowl and put it in the refrigerator for about an hour. Then, after I got everything cleaned up, I put the dough back in the loaf pans, and covered them with clean plastic sprayed with cooking oil. Then I put the loaf pans back in the refrigerator for the extended rise. 

 

The salvaged dough smoothed and ready to go in the refrigerator overnight.

 

I refrigerated the dough for about 15 hours. Then I took it out of the refrigerator and let it finish rising on the counter for a couple of hours.

Continue the rise until the dough nears the plastic. Remove the plastic and continue until the dough just reaches the pan rims.

Baking the Loaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 15 minutes before baking time and place a rack in the lower third of the oven. Spritz the loaf tops with water. Reduce the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake on the lower rack for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the tops are well browned.

Continue baking for another 10 to 20 minutes until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out clean.

Cooling the Loaves

Cool in pans on wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Then remove the loaves to the rack and cool completely.

Serving the English Muffin Loaves

Cool completely before slicing or storing.

This bread looks a little funky but I like it - it has character. The dough had three rises instead of two so that's probably why it looks like this. However, it tastes wonderful and the texture is incredible so I'm not complaining.

 

I had a slice of this bread toasted for breakfast. Then for dinner, I toasted a couple of slices, buttered them and made a fried egg and cheese sandwich. It was delish!

Storing the Loaves

Store in plastic or aluminum foil. The bread will keep at room temperature for 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months. I decided to eat one loaf and freeze the other one. I double-wrapped it in plastic and put it in the freezer for later.

 

Thanks for visiting The Bread Experience Bread-Baking Blog.

Happy Baking!
Cathy

English Muffin Bread: BBA Challenge

It's Day 12 of the BBA Challenge and we're making English Muffins. At the request of my taste tester and my sons, I'm making English Muffin Bread instead of muffins. I must say that this bread is really good! It's made with buttermilk so there is a little bit of a tangy flavor. Mmmmm...so glad I made the loaf instead of the muffins.

 

I'm participating in a Group Bake next weekend and one of the breads is English Muffins so I'll get another opportunity to make the muffins. Yummy!

If you're following along with us in the Bread Baker's Apprentice turn to page 157 to locate the recipe and list of ingredients.

English Muffin Bread

 

Mixing the batter

Stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. You can mix it by hand if you prefer. Mix in the shortening and 3/4 cup buttermilk until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and form a ball.

I had a little loose flour left in the bowl so I dribbled a little more buttermilk into the mixture. The dough should be soft and pliable, not stiff.

Kneading the Dough

Knead the dough using the dough hook for about 8 minutes. Sprinkle in more flour if necessary to make a tacky, but not sticky dough.

First Rise:

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled large bowl and roll it over a couple of times to coat it in oil.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough ferment at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes.

Shaping the Loaf:

Wipe the counter with a damp cloth and transfer the dough to the counter. I sprinkled the counter with flour so I could shape the loaf.

 

If you're making the English Muffin Bread instead of muffins, shape the loaf as shown below:

Roll out the dough into a rectangle. Then roll the dough into a log.

 

Pinch the seams together. Turn the dough seam down. Lightly oil a 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan and place the loaf in the pan.

 

Second Rise:

Mist the top of the loaf with cooking spray and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Proof the dough for 60 to 90 minutes, or until it nearly doubles in size.

 

Baking the Loaf

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Using a serrated knife,score the loaf down the center and rub a little vegetable oil into the slit.

 

Bake the loaf for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating 180 degrees halfway through for even baking. I rotated the bread after about 15 minutes. The tops should be golden brown and the sides should also be golden. The loaves should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

 

Cooling the Loaf

Remove the loaf immediately from the pan and cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing or serving.

 

Serving the Loaf

The beautiful golden loaf is ready to be eaten. I think I’ll have a slice. This bread tastes great as a grilled cheese sandwich.

  

Thanks for joining us in the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge. Next time, we'll be making Focaccia. Oh boy! I can't wait for this one!

Happy Baking!

Cathy