Buttermilk English Muffin Bread
This buttermilk English muffin bread is the perfect vehicle for butter and jam. Holey and craggy like it’s namesake, ready for you to slather with toppings for breakfast.
What is English Muffin Bread?
I’m sure most of us have an English muffin for breakfast before. I love a good one with lots of butter and raspberry jam. But English muffin bread? Essentially, instead of making individual muffins and cooking them on a cooktop, you take the dough and put it in a loaf pan. It bakes all together and becomes a sliceable version of the classic treat.
This bread is a high hydration, which helps with getting all those craters and holes like an English muffin does. It also uses both yeast and baking soda, which is unlike MOST yeasted breads and quickbread. Usually you choose one or the other, however this is a unique bread. Additionally, most yeasted breads require kneading, and more than one proofing time. This one is relatively quick with one short proof and no kneading. This is a great option if you want to dive into the world of yeasted breads but haven’t tried before.
Baking Notes & Tips
The dough for this English muffin bread is going to seem all wrong if you’ve ever baked bread before. WAY too wet. But that means you’re doing it right! The hydration is one of the keys to the perfect crumb that’s emulating regular English muffins. Trust the process!
Use an 8×4/8.5×4.5 inch metal loaf pan when baking. Glass is a no-go. It will still bake but the bake times will most likely not work and you will end up with an underbaked loaf. Metal is the best conductor when it comes to baking. The result is evenly baked goods and the pan doesn’t stay hot for as long.
Buttermilk English Muffin Bread Key Ingredients
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk is the main form of liquid in the bread and adds a ton of flavor. I wouldn’t suggest using buttermilk powder in lieu of buttermilk. In a pinch homemade buttermilk will work, but I’ll always recommend full fat actual buttermilk.
- Cornmeal – Cornmeal is an optional ingredient, but actual an English muffin will often have cornmeal or something similar on the bottom, so this will help your loaf feel more like the OG.
- Baking soda – The baking soda will help a little bit with browning, as well as interacting with the buttermilk to help lift.
Ingredients
- 14 g Unsalted butter
- 1-2 tsp Cornmeal
- 360 g AP Flour 3 cups
- 8 g Sea Salt ½ tbsp
- 9 g Instant yeast 1 tbsp
- 25 g Granulated sugar 2 tbsp
- ¼ tsp Baking soda
- 230 g Buttermilk 1 cup, room temperature
- 120 g Warm water ½ cup, ~100°F
Instructions
- Add parchment to a 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan, then generously butter the parchment and pan. Even if your pan is nonstick, don't skip this step!
- Sprinkle cornmeal over the butter to create a crust for the bread after baking.
- In a large bowl add your flour, salt, yeast, sugar and baking soda then mix together.360 g AP Flour | 8 g Sea Salt | 9 g Instant yeast | 25 g Granulated sugar | ¼ tsp Baking soda
- Add your water and buttermilk and mix together. Your dough should be very loose and sticky.230 g Buttermilk | 120 g Warm water
- Transfer the dough into the prepared loaf pan and smooth into an even layer.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F14 g Unsalted butter | 1-2 tsp Cornmeal
- Cover the pan with a tea towel lightly dusted with flour or greased plastic wrap and let rise for 45-60 minutes.
- The dough should be nearing the top of the loaf pan when you place it in the oven. Bake on the center rack of your oven for about 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, and let rest in the pan for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool. Let your bread cool COMPLETELY before slicing. This step is important for the texture of the bread and may take a few hours. After bread is cool, slice, toast and serve.
