English Muffin Bread

This is a moist bread resembling English muffins. It tastes best when toasted just before eating. When my husband and I were first married, living in Urbana, we would drive to Chicago to buy enough bread to stock our freezer. We would typically buy Challah and English muffin bread and carefully ration it until our next trip to Chicago. Our habits changed considerably when I discovered how easy it was to bake my own English muffin bread and how satisfying it was to bake my own Challah.

As a reminder to the kosher consumer, all milk-containing breads need to be carefully distinguished by their shape or some marking so that you don't confuse them with pareve breads and serve them in error with meat meals.

Ingredients

6 cups all-purpose or bread flour
1 T. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup warm water
2 T. dry yeast
2 cups fresh buttermilk

Yield: 3 small loaves
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Combine half of the flour, all of the sugar, salt, and baking soda in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the plastic blade. In a small bowl, combine the warm water and yeast. Add the water/yeast mixture to the work bowl with the motor running. Then add the buttermilk to the work bowl. Mix for 30 seconds. Open the work bowl and add the remaining flour. Mix until the dough forms a smooth ball on the blade. Add additional flour if necessary.
Spray 3 loaf pans (8.5"x3") with Pam or other vegetable spray. Divide the dough into 3 elongated balls, and place in prepared pans. Cover with plastic, and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake for 25 minutes.

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