Homemade Bread Pledge - The End

I did it! I made my Homemade Bread Pledge back on December 3rd and vowed not to buy any bread from the grocery store through the end of March. The surprising thing is that it wasn't really very hard. I don't buy that much bread anyway. I'll buy some here and there, just to have it in the house, but it usually lasts for a long time. I almost slipped once, but that was it.

I'm looking forward to buying some interesting breads, especially when the Farmers' Markets come back. Whenever it rains now, I think about how it's helping out my favorite farm. I cannot wait to taste their fresh greens and see the lovely spring flowers. But of course I'll keep baking at home too.

Originally, I had planned to make more loaf breads, which didn't happen. I made biscuits several times when I had wanted to make rolls, but didn't have the time. That's what happened on Easter. Things got so down to the wire that I was kneading dough when company arrived. But I think that people actually like to see fresh baked goods being made. Plus it smells great.

If you click here, you can see all the different types of breads that I made during my pledge. And I have another recipe for you today - Rosemary Raisin English Muffins.

I blogged about English Muffins before. I even made some last month, but didn't blog about them. They were rather plain and really nothing to blog about. Then I started thinking about my dream English muffin. I'd start with the previous recipe from Barbara and adapt from there. It would be sweetened with a bit of honey. It would have wheat flour and I'd add soy flour for some extra protein. I love raisins and rosemary, so I'd throw them in too.



For the past several weeks, I've had thoughts of these muffins dancing in my head. Then recently I saw a new blog post about English Muffins. I also realized that March was coming to an end and wouldn't that be a nice way to end my Homemade Bread Pledge. This recipe could still use some more revising. I'll add more honey next time. But I'm really enjoying these muffins. The hint of rosemary is so refreshing! Plus, they're kind of pretty and remind me of Spring.



Rosemary Raisin English Muffins
1 cup water
1/2 cup vanilla rice milk
2 T honey
1 packet yeast (1/4 oz = 7g) plus 1/4 tsp.
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup soy flour

In a small bowl, add water, milk, and honey. Stir together and warm in in microwave for about two minutes. Add sugar and whisk in yeast. Let rest for about five minutes.

In medium bowl, stir together flours, salt, and rosemary. Add warm yeast liquid to flour mixture and stir. Add raisins and stir. Mixture will be a bit sticky. Turn onto floured surface and knead until easy to form into a ball. Put ball into a greased bowl and cover. Let sit overnight.



In the morning, on a floured surface, form dough into about 12 balls. Roll balls in cornmeal. Place balls on baking sheet and cover. Let rise for about 20 minutes. Spray oil on a large skillet and put on medium heat. Put about four balls onto skillet at a time. Press down with spatula and let cook for 10-15 minutes or until browned. Turn over and repeat.

I split my English muffins in half, then toast them in the oven before eating. I ate mine with Apricot Orange Fruit Spread from Trader Joe's. Yum!

*Updated 6/29/2011* It's old news now, but a photo of these English muffins made it onto Tastepotting back in the day.

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