English Muffin Bread: Fast, Cheap Way To Breakfast Happiness

I just couldn't resist sharing my favorite breakfast bread today. This is a super easy bread to make. And freezes really well. But I warn you, you will have a hard time keeping it on hand. I personally don't see any point in baking one batch of this, so I always at least double the recipe. Or quadruple.

This is a frugal recipe to make as there is no oil or sugar in this recipe. But it begs to be served with butter and jelly or at least a bit of raw honey. It is fabulous toasted. Hope you enjoy!

English Muffin Bread
Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

1 package dry yeast
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups bread flour (I use Prairie Gold Whole Wheat Flour)
2 cups hot water (120-130 degrees)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water

Grease two small loaf pans.

In a bowl combine the yeast, dry milk, salt and 2 cups flour. Pour in the hot water and stir to blend thoroughly. Stir in additional flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the batter is thick. Stir the batter for 3 minutes with a flat beater in the mixer. The dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl in thick ribbons.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in a warm place (80-100 degrees) for about 1 hour, or until the batter has doubled in volume-it will be quite bubbly.

Stir down the batter-like dough and add the dissolved baking soda. Be certain it is well blended. Spoon or pour into the pans, pushing the dough into the corners with a rubber spatula. The pans will be about 2/3rds full.

Lay plastic wrap over the pans and return to a warm place. The dough will rise to the edge of the pans, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees 20 minutes before baking.

Bake the loaves for about 1 hour. The loaves will be well browned and pull away from the sides of the pan when done.

Turn the bread out from the pans. Allow to cool on a wire rack before cutting. The loaves can be kept for several months in a 0 degree freezer.

Nichola http//:peachfarmerswife.blogspot.com

The Night Shift Cook Did A Good Job!

And....we liked it! (See this post for the recipe...)

This morning at 5:30 I turned the crockpot on high for about 25 min.
At 5:55 am, we sat down to eat. Everyone said they liked it rather well, although Jakin made it clear that he wouldn't want it EVERY morning. But he liked it.
I didn't get a pic before we dug in, but here is a pic of what was left...

I have definitely entered a new era in my view of what is possible for make ahead breakfasts...hmmm. What shall we throw in next time? Ideas?
Nichola
http//:peachfarmerswife.blogspot.com

I'm Hungry, So I Made Breakfast Before Bed *UPDATED With Pictures*

I am trying out a new recipe/idea tonight. Sitting in my crockpot on low is my version of this blogger's recipe...

A Year of Slow Cooking: Overnight Egg, Cheese and Sausage CrockPot Casserole

Picture of set to cook crockpot:

Here is what my version included:
I don't have sausage, so I used 1 lb ground beef with some misc. herbs/seasonings.
I shredded my 4 baking potatoes instead of chopping them.
I threw in a handful of Romano cheese, thanks to my good friend Lydia sharing her stash.
I added a roughly chopped onion on top of my 10 eggs and dribble of milk.
Salt and pepper used liberally on all layers.
I drizzled olive oil over the meat and potatoes and then dumped the unbeaten eggs on top, and then poked them a bit with a fork.
I think I stuck the fork down to the depths of the crockpot and lifted up a bit to let the layers combine a little, but not too much. It wasn't really a legal stirring of the pot. More of a poking at it.
We'll see what we have in the morning after letting it cook on low all night....
(Click here to view my results...)

Nichola
http//:peachfarmerswife.blogspot.com