I love English muffins, something I could not get my hands on growing up in Switzerland. But when I lived in the States I often bought them and had them well toasted with melted butter and jam, or cream cheese and jam, or as a ham and cheese sandwich. They work in so many ways with their crunchy crust, soft insides and yeasty taste. I wanted to make my own often enough, but never got around to it.
Instead of making individual muffins I decided to try a English muffin recipe in a pan first. These turned out great! I probably over-mixed the dough at the end a bit so there aren’t enough craggly holes, but overall I am very happy with the results. We loved them slightly warm from the oven and the next day well toasted.
loosely adapted from How Sweet It Is Whole Wheat Pumpkin Spice English Muffin Bread
Ingredients
cornmeal for loaf pans and top of loaves
5 cups all-purpose flour (separated into 2 cups and 3 cups)
2 packages (4 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups warm milk
1/3 cup apple sauce
2 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
Grease two loaf pans with non-stick spray and sprinkle with cornmeal, moving the pan around so the cornmeal coats all the sides. Remove any of the excess.
In the bowl of your electric mixer combine 2 cups flour, yeast, cinnamon and baking soda. Add in milk, apple sauce, honey, olive oil and water, beating on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides if necessary. Decrease speed to low and add in remaining flour and salt, mixing until just combined - do not over mix, do not knead. The dough will be sticky.
Divide batter equally into two loaf pans and sprinkle the tops with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes.
After about 30 minutes of the dough rising, preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Bake for 35 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven, ensure they are cooked through with toothpick and immediately remove from pans. Set aside to cool.
I love English muffins, something I could not get my hands on growing up in Switzerland. But when I lived in the States I often bought them and had them well toasted with melted butter and jam, or cream cheese and jam, or as a ham and cheese sandwich. They work in so many ways with their crunchy crust, soft insides and yeasty taste. I wanted to make my own often enough, but never got around to it.
