You know all those nooks and crannies that catch the melted butter in English muffins? This gluten free English muffin bread has those SAME nooks and crannies, only in bread form!
½teaspoonbaking soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
gluten free cornmeal for sprinkling in pan and on top of dough
Instructions
Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl using a handheld mixer or Danish dough whisk).
Combine the milk, water, and oil in a measuring cup and pour slowly into dry ingredients with mixer running. Use the batter/beater blade.
Once all the liquid has been added, beat the mixture at medium speed for a few minutes. You can also beat the mixture by hand vigorously for an additional few minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. It's a very loose dough, almost like a batter.
Scrape the batter-like dough into the center of the bowl; cover and proof until doubled in size, 1-1½ hours.
Uncover the bowl and set it back onto the mixer with the beater/batter blade attached (or use a handheld mixer or Danish dough whisk). Dissolve the baking soda in the 1 tablespoon of water and add it to the dough. Beat on medium speed for just 30 seconds to a minute, or until fully combined and the baking soda solution is distributed throughout.
Lightly grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan and then sprinkle the bottom and sides with cornmeal. Tap out the excess cornmeal. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Scoop the dough into the pan and smooth the top as much as possible. Sprinkle more cornmeal on top and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free area until it reaches the top of the pan. This can take 20-30 minutes in warmer months, 1-2 hours in colder months.
Remove the plastic wrap and bake the bread for 40-50 minutes, or until it's golden on top and the inner temperature reads 190°-200° F using an instant read thermometer.
Remove the bread from the oven and place on a rack to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan to cool completely before slicing. If you don't allow it to cool completely, the center will be gummy as this is a wet dough/bread.
Store the bread in a plastic bag (ziptop works well) or airtight container for a few days on the counter. If storing longer than a few days, cut the bread into slices, freeze the slices on a baking sheet until firm, and then store those slices in a freezer ziptop bag for up to 3 months. Frozen slices can be toasted from frozen (but they may need a few cycles in the toaster).
Notes
If you only have an 8 by 4 inch loaf pan, you may have to divide the dough into 2 pans.