My Mom's Wonderful English Muffin Bread!

Before I type this post, I must warn you, if you come across several misspellings, it's because I am attempting to type and eat toast with honey on it at the same time.

My fingers are a bit sticky from "taste-testing" today's blog post subject. Not that there is any reason for "taste-testing" this particular recipe, because I have been eating it for as long as I can remember.

You, my friends, are in luck today, because I am sharing my My Mom's Wonderful English Muffin Bread recipe!


I went to see my Mom last Friday and the minute I walked into the house I smelled something divine! Turns out she had navy bean soup in the crockpot (another family favorite!) and English Muffin Bread in the oven!! I was immediately transported back to a time when coming home to such smells was almost a daily occurrence as a young girl. My Mom has never had any formal cooking training, but that woman can cook! She has always had a knack for being able to recognize a GOOD recipe when she comes across one and because she has such a BIG HEART and is always sharing good food with people...her recipes often take on legendary status among family, friends and beyond. This is one of those recipes.

My brother Kevin, who actually was the one who put a "bug in my ear" to post this on my blog, said he went to visit with a client the other day (who happened to live next door to my Mom) and all they could talk about was the BREAD she had brought over recently and how they could get the recipe. :-)

So, what's so special about this recipe?  Well, let me tell you.

#1 -  It's SO EASY!  You will never come across a homemade bread recipe as easy as this. You literally add all the ingredients together at one time, mix, and put in the pans. No need to flour a board, no kneading, no loaf forming, nothing.

#2 -  It's ECONOMICAL!  I bought a 5 lb bag of bread flour for about $4.00 and used a little over half the bag. This recipe makes 4 large loaves! You can get a 6 ct. bag of english muffins at the store for around $2.00 and my guesstimate is that you would have to buy about (8) 6 ct. bags to equal the 4 loaves this recipe makes. That's $16.00 vs. around $3 to $4.00!

#3 -  It's DELICIOUS! And as the name implies, it makes THE BEST toast!!

Tonight when I was doing my "taste-testing" I couldn't decide what to put on it because it's so good with so many things. Jam, honey, cinnamon-sugar.  Mmmmm!  Can't wait til I'm done typing this up to go have some more. :-)

So let's get on it!!  Here is the recipe...word for word...taken from an old mimeographed piece of paper that I have tucked in my old recipe file. I had to take a picture because I think old recipes are so cool! :-)

Carole's English Muffin Bread

5 1/2 cups warm water
3 packages RAPID RISE yeast
     (Update: You can use regular yeast, but you will need to let is rise TWICE. Once in the bowl, til it reaches the top...and then again in the pans, til it reaches the top. With the RAPID RISE you only need to let it rise once in the pans.)
2 Tablespoons salt
3 Tablespoons sugar
11 cups flour (I used bread flour....but my Mom always used All Purpose)

Mix altogether, then spoon into (4) well greased loaf pans.  Let rise in pans until dough reaches the top of the pans, and bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown. (My oven runs a little hot so I ended up cooking mine for a total of 35 minutes. Just keep an eye on it. You're looking for golden brown.) 10 minutes before done, brush with melted butter. Makes 4 loaves. Bread will be moist at first. Allow to COOL COMPLETELY before cutting. Makes terrific toast.

Only 5 ingredients!

All ingredients go in at the same time.

This BARELY fit in my 5 quart KitchenAid. Probably would have been just as easy to
mix with a spoon by hand in a big bowl.

Mix ONLY enough to combine. (I hardly mixed mine at all.)

The dough will be VERY STICKY! :-)

Spoon into 4 loaf pans.

Let rise until it reaches the top of the pan...like this.  Bake!

10 minutes before timer goes off, brush melted butter on top.

TADA!! Perfect golden brown.

Loaves should be a nice golden brown on all sides.

Let cool on cooling rack COMPLETELY before attempting to slice.
(Otherwise you will just have a mess on your hands.)

After it's done cooling....slices up beautifully!

Served best TOASTED! Good luck trying to decide what to put on it!

Good with strawberry jam!  Also DELICIOUS with just butter!
Throw in a cup of hot chocolate and you will be in HEAVEN!!!

As much as I LOVE jam...I think my very FAVORITE way to eat 
English Muffin Bread is with butter and HONEY! :-)   

And that's it!  Easy, Economical and truly some of the most delicious toasting bread you will ever eat!  Excuse me while I go get another slice (or two!)

A salute to the "English" is today's.....