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sherryocala badge: Community Member

Trying to understand English Muffin Loaf recipe

I made my first loaf two days ago. It wasn't quite right but tasted good. I want to get good at making this bread, because DH and I love it for breakfast. So I'd like to understand the basis for this bread and the reasoning behind using AP vs bread flour, vinegar or not, oil or not, eggs or not, why baking soda, the wet dough characteristic, how wet is too wet. Also, are conventional bread recipes suitable for bread machines (which I'm using)? Some recipes I've seen call for all-purpose flour; others call for bread flour. Experimentation is one thing, but I'd like to get a handle on the concept. To be a little facetious, it kind of seems like the original was a flop that someone liked and continued with it, though I admit to being ignorant to the fundamental principles underlying different bread types.

Thanks for everyone's insight on this.

Sherry

Tags: Best Bread Machine Recipe, English muffin loaf

Replies to This Discussion

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dachshundlady

Is this the recipe?
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
Sherry, I have never made this bread but have always been intrigued by the idea, esp if done in a bread machine. Will follow this thread to see what the bread mavens decree!

sherryocala
  • Reply by sherryocala on February 15, 2012 at 10:12 am
  • badge: Community Member

Yes, I made that one last night. It turned out wonderfully!! The only change I made was to use less oil, maybe just a couple of teaspoons. It made a nice high loaf - higher than the first one I made with a different recipe. The top was only a little sunken which I believe is supposed to be normal. We really enjoyed it this morning. Very easy recipe. I used KAF organic all-purpose flour, and the only vinegar I had was champagne vinegar (from Christmas dinner) which worked fine, I guess. I'll be making this a lot! When a recipe works, it really bolsters the cook's confidence!!

Sherry

aaronatthedoublef

Would this also work for English muffins? I'd like to find a recipe that would work for both.

Thanks

pammyowl
  • Reply by pammyowl on February 15, 2012 at 1:43 pm
  • badge: Pro Baker Group Member

Is this the recipe you used?
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/english-muffin-toasting-bread-recipe
It would help us to know the recipe, otherwise it is hard to tell.

dachshundlady

The one I posted above is just called English Muffin Bread here on KAF.

pammyowl
  • Reply by pammyowl on February 25, 2012 at 6:56 am
  • badge: Pro Baker Group Member

I can answer a few of your questions, Sherry. For one, it is up to the recipe developer to determine the type of flour. If you want to replace one with another, well, that is your choice. I have a friend who uses only bread flour in all her baked goods, and she is well known around the area for her quality goods. Personally, I choose what I think fits the final product. I often blend my flours.
It depends mainly on what type of bread you are making. Vinegar and baking powder add to yeast development, thus a higher rise. As far as how wet is too wet, well, if you have to pour it into the pan, too wet. If you have to use a bowl scraper to get the dough out of the bowl after the first proofing in order to be shaped, you are on your way. I hope I've helped a bit!

ChrisfromCT

Good morning Sherry,

I often blend flours. The ability to pick what you use is part instinct and part experience, I think. Generally, the first time out I go pretty much according to directions.

Bread flour has more gluten than does all purpose, but I've gotten a good rise using AP. Weh the recipe calls for a flour blend anf some of the flour is dark and heavy, with less gluten - I tend to go with bread flour for the white.

I haven't made english muffin bread, so I can't speak to that type of recipe, but I have used baking soda and vinegar in a depression era recipe for Crazy Cake;
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/crazy-cake/
those ingredients are what made the cake rise.

As far as using a bread machine for all bread recipes - I think if I was to research recipe for machine and those done totally from hand, I might find subtle differences. However, I always use my bread machine and don't vary the recipe to compensate - unless the direction actually specify to make changes if you are using a bread maker.

sherryocala

Chris, I really appreciate your comments on so many aspects of the breadmaking process. It was very helpful to me. Regarding this particular English Muffin recipe (which I can only find on KAF by going to Bread Machines and then Recipes) when I use the full amount of butter/oil, the loaf turns out more like Pepperidge Farm bread (dense, moist and delicious) that was not sunken as EM loaves tend to be with no EM taste compared to the very open, drier loaf with all the nooks and crannies. Interestingly, in that attempt I used Red Star Active Dry Yeast instead of the Fleischmann's Bread Machine Yeast, so I don't know if the yeast or the butter was the cause of the nice rise. This morning I cut the butter in half again. When I left the butter out completely, the dough was very wet and sticky and I was unsure about the consequences of adding more and more flour which I did the first time when it still turned out sunken but with some EM taste.

I guess I'll keep trying recipes now that I have some feel for how it goes. I kind of want to add more vinegar to see if it results in bigger holes in the bread. I have read that the vinegar does not add a sour taste to the bread. None of my loaves have had much if any EM flavor. I wonder what 2 tsp of vinegar instead of one would do with the full amount of butter. Maybe I'll try that first.

Sherry