English Muffin Bread with Raspberry-Fig Jam

Solar English Muffin Bread with Raspberry-Fig Jam
As long as I can remember, recipes have been included on the labels of most shelf products so that shoppers can try the item as soon as they get home. Some have been very good; others, less than exciting. But, most have been pretty much what you could expect to taste based on the item. This recipe came from a small craft magazine back in the early 60s and it's just as tasty, today. Here it is toasted and ready for last year's Raspberry-Fig Jam.

Believe me, if you like English muffins, you're going to love this bread recipe that was torn out of my copy of The WorkBasket, a craft magazine with a great history. It's called English Muffins in a Loaf! from the Fleischmann's(R) Yeast kitchen. Wow! You get 16 slices per loaf and, taste-wise, it is right on point. The crust is crunchy but not so hard that you can't bite into it and the inside is firmly-soft but not dense. The nooks and crannies aren't as large as a Thomas' English Muffin, but the flavor more than compensates. Now, if you must have the nooks and crannies larger, you can always divide the dough and add a little more baking soda to one section to find out if you like it with more soda. The taste will definitely be different. And, if you're squeamish about seeing a bird spit, I wouldn't throw it out in the yard.


English Muffins in a Loaf Bread Recipe From the 60s
This is for two loaves. Conventional oven at 400F. Solar oven at 250F, or above.  Bread is done when it sounds hollow.  5-1/2 to 6 cups flour*, 2 pkgs. Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast, 1 Tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 2 cups milk, 1/2 cup water, cornmeal. (*Measure by spooning flour lightly into cup.)

Combine 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and soda. Heat liquids until very warm (120F.-130F.) Add to dry mixture; beat well. Stir in enough more flour to make a stiff batter. Spoon into two  81/2 x 41/2-inch pans that have been greased and sprinkled with conrmeal. Sprinkle tops with cornmeal. Cover; let rise in warm place for 45 minutes, until double. Bake at 400F. for 25 min. (solar oven for 45-50 mins.) Remove from pans immediately and cool.

Try Other English Muffin Breads by Checking These Sites
My bread was made using the old recipe I cut out. You can find a more current one here. The differences are: 5 cups of flour (to my 5.5-6 cups), Fleischmann's RapidRise Yeast (to my Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast; and, 4 teaspoons of sugar (to my 1 Tablespoon). Will have to do a comparison cooking test one of these days. Play around on the site and you'll even find both a microwave and a bread machine version. You're gonna love this bread!