English Muffins

I LOVE…LOVE…LOVE…ENGLISH MUFFINS!  Like obsessively love english muffins.  But they are so stinking pricey at the grocery store.  I cannot express how excited I was to find a recipe and be able to make them at home.  Yes I did a little happy dance.  We have all done a happy dance over food at some point in time.  The one thing that I was most surprised to learn about making english muffins is that they are cooked on a griddle.  How cool is that?

What is it about english muffins that I love so much you ask?  They are chewy and fluffy at the same time.  They have knooks and crankys that hold and soak up all the butter and jam you lay on them and they are just wonderful.  A million times better then any piece of toast.

First combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Add the milk to the bowl and mix together at low speed, until it forms into a ball, using a paddle attachment.   I decided to use buttermilk because I thought it would make the muffins fluffier and give them a nice sour touch.

Change the attachment to a dough hook and knead at medium speed for about 8 minutes.  Sprinkle flour as needed until tacky and,

until you get a windowpane effect when you stretch out the dough.

Oil the bowl and allow the dough to rise, covered with plastic wrap for 60 to 90 minutes or until it doubles in size.

Flatten the dough out to 1 1/2 inches.  Using a biscuit cutter, cut the muffins out.

Place the muffins on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise 60 to 9o minutes or until doubled in size.

Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees and brush flat griddle with vegetable oil and heat at 350 degrees.  Cook muffins on griddle for 5 to 8 minutes.

Or until the bottoms begin to brown without burning.

Flip the muffins and cook the other side for 5 t0 8 minutes.  Then transfer to baking sheet and bake for an additional 5 to 8 minutes.

Transfer to cooking rack to let cool.

Use a fork to split them open, lather them with butter, or jam or make some eggs benedict.  YUM!  Whatever you decided to do with these english muffins you will enjoy them, because they are delicious and homemade.

I am enjoying a toasted english muffin with strawberry jam as I write this….and I may have to have another.  I LOVE ENGLISH MUFFINS!

Print Recipe

English Muffins (adapted from Baker’s Apprentice)

about 1 dozen (depending on size)

• 2 1/4 unbleached bread flour
• 1/2 Tbs granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 1 Tbs shorting or unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3/4 to 1 cup milk or buttermilk, at room temperature
• cornmeal for dusting

In a mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast.   Using an electric mixer mix in shortening and 3/4 cup of milk, with paddle attachment at low speed until the ingredients form a ball.  If there is loose flour in the bowl dribble in remaining 1/4 cup of milk.  The dough should be soft and pliable.

Sprinkle counter with flour and transfer dough to counter.  Knead doug for 10 minutes, if using stand mixer use dough hook and mix for 8 minutes.   Spinkle with flour as needed to make tacky.  The dough should pass the windowpane test.  Lightly oil bowl and transfer dough to bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 60 to 90 minutes, or until double in size.

When dough has raised, transfer to counter and press or roll out to 1 1/2 inch think.  Using a biscuit cutter, cut out muffins.  Roll out scraps and repeat, do not roll out more then once.  Sprinkle cookie sheet with corn meal and place muffins on sheet, sprinkle corn meal over muffins, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 60 to 90 minutes.

Heat flat griddle to medium or 350 degrees, also pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Brush the griddle with vegetable oil or mist with spray oil.  Transfer muffins to griddle and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the bottom of the dough cannot cook any longer without burning.  Flip the muffins on the other side and cook for 5 to 8 minutes.  Transfer to sheet pan and bake in oven 5 to 8 minutes to ensure center is baked.

Transfer the baked muffins to a cooling rack.