English Muffin Bread

This recipe changed my life! For awhile now I've been looking for a recipe for bread that D would like to toast for breakfast. Up until now all the recipes have been just ok, but this one he absolutely loves! 

The life changing part is that I don't have to buy bread from the store anymore. This one is for toasting, snacking etc. and the French bread is for making sandwiches and garlic toast, and for soup dipping. That pretty much covers all our needs. 

English Muffin Bread 

Makes two loaves

Cornmeal

5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour

2 packages (4 1/2 tsp) active dry yeast

1 /4 tsp baking soda

2 cups milk

1/2 cup water

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease to 8x4x2-inch loaf pans. Lightly sprinkle pans with cornmeal to coat bottoms and sides. Set pans aside.

2. In a large bowl combine 3 cups of the flour, the yeast, baking soda, sugar and salt. Set aside. Warm up milk and water together, either in microwave or on stove., just until warm. Using a wooden spooon, stir milk mixture into flour mixture. Stir in additional flour. (I usually only add 2 cups of the left over flour, totalling 5 cups. The dough will be moist and sticky.)

3. Divide dough in half and place in prepared pans. Sprinkle tops with additional cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double.

4. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Immediately remove bread from pans. Cool on wire racks.