English Muffins

Have you noticed all the breads on the 30x30 list?  Yep, a lot. 

And yet, every time I make a new homemade bread, I am absolutely astounded.  Homemade tortillas, bagels, pitas, bread bowls, & pretzels…all amazing.  Homemade English muffins?  Totally epic.

I had no idea how soft and pillowy an English muffin could be!  Even after I toasted my English muffin, the outside was beautifully crisp, but the inside was still tender.

My only criticism of this recipe is that it is a lot of work to make only 6 English muffins.  I definitely plan to double or triple the recipe in the future and freeze them so I can homemade English muffins any time I’d like!

Recipe Notes:

*In this recipe, I used half buttermilk and half 2% milk, since that’s what I had on hand.

English Muffins

Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker, originally from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice

2 ¼ cups unbleached bread flour

½ tbsp granulated sugar

¾ tsp salt

1 ¼ tsp instant yeast

1 tbsp shortening

¾ cup buttermilk or lowfat milk, at room temperature

2-4 tbsp cornmeal

Butter

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.  Add the shortening and milk and stir until the mixture comes together into a loose ball (if the dough does not come together, slowly add up to ¼ cup additional milk.)

Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough for about 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and a bit tacky.  Spray a bowl with nonstick spray.  Place the dough into the bowl, flip to coat, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Let the dough rise in a warm, draft free area for 1 – 1 ½ hours or until doubled in size.

Gently place the dough onto the counter.  Use a knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into six equal portions, approximately 3 ounces each.  Gently form each portion into a ball, pinching the seam at the bottom.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Lightly spray the parchment with cooking spray and dust it generously with cornmeal.  Place the dough balls onto the prepared tray, seam side down.  Spray the tops with cooking spray and dust them with more cornmeal.  Cover the dough balls lightly with plastic wrap and set aside to proof at room temperature until they have doubled in size; 1 – 1 ½ hours.

Heat an electric skillet to 350 degrees F.  Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the skillet and brush to coat the skillet.  Also preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the dough balls into the skillet, at least one inch apart.  Cook the muffins for 5-8 minutes or until deeply browned.  Flip, and cook for another 5-8 minutes or until that side is browned as well.  Transfer the English Muffins immediately to a baking sheet and place into the preheated oven for another 5 minutes.  Move to a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

After one batch is cooked completely (or while the first batch is in the oven), begin the second batch, using the same steps as before.

To cut the English Muffins, use an English Muffin splitter or a fork to give the English Muffin its characteristic craggly appearance.

Makes 6 English Muffins