Bread Machine (33 page)

Preheat the oven to 375°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Add the 2 tablespoons salt to the boiling water (this will flavor the crust). Reduce heat to medium-high to maintain a slow rolling boil. With a curved slotted spatula, lower 4 bagels into the gently boiling water. They will drop to the bottom and then rise to the surface after about 4 minutes. As they come to the surface, turn the bagels and boil them 3 minutes on the other side (a total of 7 minutes for each bagel). This goes very quickly. Remove from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and place 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining bagels.

Place the seeds on a plate. Brush the bagels with egg glaze and press each raw bagel into the seeds to coat the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until deep golden. Remove from the baking sheets and let cool on racks. Eat the bagels the day they are baked or freeze for up to 1 month.

ENGLISH MUFFINS
          
Makes 1 dozen 3-inch muffins

E
nglish muffins really should be named American muffins, as they are the pure Yankee offshoot of the griddle-baked Celtic crumpet and bannock. This is my favorite recipe, adapted from the late Jane Grigson, the esteemed British food writer and journalist. These never fail to delight and amaze people who never thought of an English muffin as a homemade specialty. They are more substantial than the store-bought variety. Store these muffins, wrapped tightly in plastic, in the refrigerator or freezer after baking. To serve, pull them apart with a fork and toast them. Serve with lots of sweet butter and a fruit curd, or use them for your eggs Benedict.

1
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- OR 2-POUND-LOAF MACHINES

1
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cups fat-free milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg

4
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cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

2
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teaspoons SAF yeast or 2
³
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teaspoons bread machine yeast

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cup yellow cornmeal or coarse semolina, for sprinkling

Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Program for the Dough cycle; press Start. The dough ball will be soft and very slightly moist. The softer you leave the dough, the lighter the muffins. You can always add a bit more flour when you remove the dough from the machine.

Lightly sprinkle the work surface with cornmeal or semolina. When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, press Stop and unplug the machine. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and, with a rolling pin, roll into a rectangle about
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inch thick. Sprinkle the top surface with cornmeal or semolina to prevent sticking while rolling. Cut out the muffins with a 3-inch biscuit cutter or with the rim of a drinking glass. Roll out the trimmings and cut out the remaining muffins. Cover with a clean tea towel, or place them in the refrigerator if they are rising too fast while the others are baking.

Preheat an electric griddle to 350° to 375°F, or heat a cast-iron stovetop griddle over medium heat until a drop of water sprinkled on the griddle dances across the surface. Lightly grease the surface.

Immediately place several muffins on the hot griddle. Cook for about 10 minutes on each side, turning them when they are quite brown. English muffins take time to bake all the way through, and they will swell and be very puffy while baking. Remove the muffins from the griddle with a spatula and let cool on a rack.

Freezing Bread

Freezing is a simple and safe method of preserving food. Although fresh is best when it comes to yeast and quick breads, frozen baked goods do retain excellent flavor and are good to have on hand. Please remember that the freezer compartment of a refrigerator does not achieve a true deep freeze, but is intended for short-term storage. It will keep foods well for a few months, but for safe long-term storage, you should freeze at 0°F or below. Maximum storage time in a home freezer for all bread and rolls is 3 months.

To freeze bread and rolls, bake according to the recipe. For sweet rolls and sweet breads, bake completely but do not glaze or ice. Place on a rack and let cool to room temperature. Wrap whole or presliced loaves first in good-quality plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil or in a plastic freezer bag. Rolls can be stored in a double layer of freezer bags. Label and date the loaves or rolls if possible; you will be surprised at how similar everything looks when frozen.

To thaw, let the loaf or rolls stand at room temperature for about 3 hours or in the refrigerator overnight, completely wrapped to preserve moisture. Yeast breads may be refreshed, or thawed, in a 350°F oven. Place an unsliced loaf, au naturel or wrapped in aluminum foil, in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes to crisp the crust and heat it through. Sliced breads may be refreshed in a toaster without defrosting or microwaved for 15 seconds. Rolls reheat best wrapped in foil, as they dry out quickly.

After sweet bread or sweet rolls are thawed and reheated, glaze, ice, or dust with powdered sugar just before serving.