Digging around in the old stuff
Unsplash, Wikimedia Commons
A rustic, freshly baked loaf of English muffin bread lends itself well to a hearty sandwich treat.
Little by little, I am determined to get my thousands of loose recipes organized. Many are handwritten on pieces of paper, index cards, fancy recipe cards with my name printed and even old envelopes (or whatever I had in my purse at the time of magazine browsing in the waiting room of medical offices).
Many are cut or torn out of magazines, but in my defense, I never tore or cut into someone else’s magazine. Isn’t that frustrating, when you see an awesome-looking photo of a finished recipe, then go to the indicated page number to get the actual recipe, only to discover it is missing? Of course, magazines in waiting rooms are a thing of the past, thanks to COVID-19.
But let’s get right to the recipes I recently gleaned in my never-ending quest to get organized. Today I would like to share some old recipes for various loaf versions of English muffins, courtesy of Fleischmann’s Yeast. I wrote “Good” on all of them.
Traditional English muffins in a loaf
6 cups unsifted flour
2 packages Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups milk
1/2 cup water
Cornmeal
1. Combine 3 cups flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda.
2. Heat milk and water until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Add to dry ingredients and beat well. Stir in remaining 3 cups flour to make a stiff batter.
3. Spoon into two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by- 2 1/2-inch loaf pans that have been greased and sprinkled with cornmeal.
4. Sprinkle tops with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, for 45 minutes.
5. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Remove from pans and cool.
Sour cream and chive English muffin loaf
Delicious toasted for chicken or tuna salad sandwiches.
6 cups unsifted flour
2 packages Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons freeze-dried chives
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dairy sour cream (at room temperature)
Cornmeal
1. Combine 3 cups flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda.
2. Heat milk and water until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Add to dry ingredients and beat well. Stir in sour cream and remaining flour to make a stiff batter.
3. Spoon into two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by- 2 1/2-inch loaf pans that have been greased and sprinkled with cornmeal.
4. Sprinkle tops with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, for 45 minutes.
5. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Remove from pans and cool. To serve, slice and toast. Spread with butter, if desired. (Recipe actually suggested to spread with Fleischmann’s Margarine.)
Rye and mustard English muffin loaf
I used to add a little bit of caraway seed to this recipe, but that’s up to you. This bread is great for ham or corned beef sandwiches.
4 1/2 cups unsifted white flour
1 1/2 cups unsifted rye flour
2 packages Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups milk
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Cornmeal
1. Combine 1 1/2 cups white flour, rye flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda.
2. Heat milk, water and mustard until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Add to dry ingredients and beat well. Stir in remaining white flour to make a stiff batter.
3. Spoon into two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by- 2 1/2-inch loaf pans that have been greased and sprinkled with cornmeal.
4. Sprinkle tops with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, for 45 minutes.
5. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Remove from pans and cool. To serve, slice and toast. Spread with butter, if desired.
Garlic English muffin loaf
Delicious with hamburgers, stews and soup.
6 cups unsifted flour
2 packages Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 cups milk
1/2 cup water
Cornmeal
1. Combine 3 cups flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda. Stir in parsley and garlic powder.
2. Heat milk and water until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Add to dry ingredients and beat well. Stir in remaining flour to make a stiff batter.
3. Spoon into two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by- 2 1/2-inch loaf pans that have been greased and sprinkled with cornmeal.
4. Sprinkle tops with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, for 45 minutes.
5. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Remove from pans and cool. To serve, slice and toast. Spread with butter, if desired.
