Easy English Muffin Bread

I tried another recipe for No-Knead English bread and tried it. I liked it even better than my old recipe. There is more rising time, so the holes are bigger and more pronounced. It also makes two loaves- perfect if you want to freeze one or give it away. 

Easy English Muffin Bread  

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

3 cups (726 g) warm water, about 100-110 degrees F
1 tablespoon instant or active dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon table salt
5 ¾ cups (817 g) all-purpose flour

1.  In a large bowl, add the water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit until the yeast is bubbly and foamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the salt and two cups of the flour. Mix with a dough hook, spoon, or spatula until combined. Add the remaining flour and mix until the dough comes together in a shaggy ball and no dry streaks remain. You may want to ditch the stirring utensil, grease or lightly flour your hands, and mix by hand until it comes together. The dough will be quite sticky; that is normal. (Mine was fine being mixed up with a rubber spatula.) 

2.  Cover the bowl and let rise until the dough has doubled (about an hour-it will be very puffy). Lightly grease two 8 1/2 X 4 1/2-Inch loaf pans with cooking spray. Using greased hands, lightly punch down the dough and divide into two equal pieces.

3.  Gather up one portion of dough in greased hands and quickly and lightly shape into a rough semblance of a loaf shape. (I just kind of poured my dough into the pans- it was very wet. It was fine.) Dump into one of the prepared pans. Repeat with the other half of dough. The loaves are meant to look a bit rough and rustic.

4.  Cover the bread pans and let the loaves rise until the bread is 1/2 to 1-inch above the edge of the pan. Toward the end of rising time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (I only covered the first half of rising time; they were sticking badly to the plastic wrap and I didn't want them to deflate.) 

5.  Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes until golden on top and baked through. Remove from the oven and turn the loaves onto a wire rack to cool completely.

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