I must admit that I am quite proud of this loaf because it rises well, is still moist and scrumptious the next day, and has a lovely crust. To top it all off, it slices beautifully and doesn’t fall apart into a crumbly mess, so it’s brilliant for toast and sandwiches.
This English muffin bread recipe is super easy to make. All you need is one mixing bowl and a sturdy whisk and within two hours you’ll have a gorgeous loaf cooling on your kitchen counter.
It's wonderfully versatile. This morning we had fresh slices topped with salted butter and strawberry jam and it was great with a crispy crust, tender crumb, and nice flavor. For lunch it will be good as a grilled cheese sandwich filled with sharp cheddar cheese and caramelized onion jam. By tomorrow it will be just right for French toast topped with sour cream or crème fraiche and mounds of fresh strawberries.
Yep, as far as gluten free English muffin bread recipes go, this one’s a keeper in our house.
English Muffin Bread Recipe
As with any successful gluten free baking recipe, the process begins with choosing the best flours for the job. Normally, I like to use a pre-mixed gluten free flour mix that has been tried and tested specifically to be a stellar performer in baking. But this week I didn’t have any left so I turned to what I had on hand: oat flour, buckwheat flour, and tapioca flour. I was a bit nervous, but thankfully the combination worked a treat. My recipe uses this combo, but feel free to substitute with 3 cups of your favorite gluten free flour mix.
When I’m making gluten free breads, I like to use a bit more yeast than I do with gluten breads. This seems to work well for me and I get a more consistent rise. I also like to use brown sugar instead of white sugar simply because I enjoy the flavor.
I used regular milk in this gluten free English muffin bread recipe, but you can easily substitute with oat milk, almond milk, or rice milk if you want to make this dairy free as well.
Most breads go through at least two risings, but since this is a no-knead bread, I stick to one rising and the bread does just fine. If you want to do two, by all means, go ahead, but it’s my experience that it’s not necessary and makes no improvement to the final product.
Once the bread is baked, let it cool in the baking tin for 10-15 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack and let it cool completely. If you aren’t serving it right away, store in an air-tight container so it doesn’t dry out.
How to Eat English Muffin Bread
Serve in thick slices, either fresh or toasted, with plenty of butter and the toppings of your choice. Jam, honey, or sandwich fixings are all excellent options.
I think of English muffin bread as breakfast bread, so I like to serve it with breakfast teas. Try a slice with our Oregon Breakfast Black Tea with orange peels, hazelnut essence, and black and honeybush teas; Summer Breakfast Black Tea with Oregon rose petals, Oregon lavender, grapefruit essence, orange peel, and marigold flowers; House Blend Black Tea, a creamy vanilla English Breakfast with Assam and Ceylon black teas, safflower, blue malva flowers, and vanilla essence; or Fog Cutter Black Tea, a lovely Irish Breakfast tea with Assam, Ceylon, African, and Darjeeling black teas and lemon peel.
Gluten Free English Muffin Bread
Ingredients:
- 2 cups gluten free oat flour
- 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
- 1 3/4 cups warm milk
- 1-2 tablespoons gluten-free cornmeal (for sprinkling)
Directions:
In large bowl, stir together flour, yeast, brown sugar, and salt.
Add the milk and stir well until the dough is smooth and very wet, like batter.
Line a loaf pan with baking paper, spray or brush with oil, and sprinkle the sides and bottom lightly with cornmeal.
Scrape bread dough into loaf pan, smooth the top, and cover with oiled saran wrap. Place in a warm, draft-free location (oven, microwave) to rise for one hour.
After one hour, preheat oven to 350°F.
Remove the plastic wrap from the bread dough and make a shallow cut down the center of the loaf with a sharp knife. Sprinkle the dough lightly with cornmeal, then place it in the center of the oven and bake 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
Remove bread from oven and cool in the pan 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice thickly and serve with butter and jam or honey.
