English Muffins

We go through a lot of English muffins.  I love them for breakfast, toasted with either a bit of cream cheese or maybe some peanut butter or Nutella.  Dave uses them for breakfast sandwiches.  And sometimes if we're feeling both nostalgic or a little lazy abut dinner, we'll use them for the crust of mini pizzas for a quick and yummy weeknight meal.  I've been wanting to try my hand at making them myself ever since I saw Alton Brown make them on an episode of Good Eats.  I love these and impressed Dave when I split one open to reveal all the nooks and crannies.  So why did I suddenly decide it was time to make my own version of English muffins?  Because it's Secret Recipe Club time!

What's Secret Recipe Club?  Each Monday a group of bloggers post a recipe they've made from another blogger's repertoire.  Nobody knows who's featuring their blog until that day and it's a fun chance to visit new blogs and try something different. Visit some of the other bloggers in my group by checking out the blog hop at the bottom of this post.  To learn more about Secret Recipe Club, click here. When I was paired with Melissa from Smells Like Brownies, I knew I would have no trouble finding something to make.  But I was surprised to settle on something that wasn't sweet.  There were definitely some desserts in the running, such as  Black Bottom Cupcakes, Chocolate Almond Cupcakes, and Gooey Brown Butter Toffee Bars.  I even thought about Melissa's Black Bean Burgers, but ultimately settled on these English Muffins since they've been on my list for a while.  Melissa's recipe is time intensive, but only because of the multiple rise for this yeast bread.  I actually got a lot done while I made them (cleaned the kitchen, did some blogging, got caught up in a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon, you know, productive stuff).  The trick was making sure I stayed home long enough to get through them, beginning to end.  But really, I couldn't get over how easy these are to make!  I use instant yeast, so no proofing needed, which saved some time.  These English muffins are actually cooked like pancakes on a griddle rather than baked, and since I have an electric griddle, I was able to do half a dozen at a time which made this go quicker than just a few in a small pan.  Weighing the dough out to 2 ounces each, I ended up with 17 muffins, rather than only 12.  I think I might bump these up to 3 ounces next time I make them so they're a little closer in size to their store bought cousins.  Thanks Melissa for a wonderful and delicious recipe.  And make sure you go visit her over at Smells Like Brownies for some awesome recipes.

English Muffins

Ingredients

3 cups bread flour
3/4 cup flour
1 Tablespoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
2/3 cup lukewarm milk
cornmeal and flour for dusting

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together both flours, salt, instant yeast and sugar.

Gradually add in water and milk while mixing on low speed until combined.  Continue to knead with dough hook for 10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.

Gather dough into a ball and place into a large, lightly greased bowl.  Cover and let rise in a warm area until doubled in size (about an hour).

After the first rise, punch down the dough and knead by hand for 5 minutes.  Return to bowl, cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat, or use a dough mat and dust with equal parts cornmeal and flour.  Dived dough into 2 ounce portions and roll each into a gentle ball and place on the cornmeal and flour dusted surface.

Cover with a damp kitchen towel (Note: make sure the towel isn't fuzzy so you don't end up with lint on the dough) and let rise for 30 minutes.

Heat a non stick skillet over medium-low heat (or use an electric griddle heated to 350 degrees F.  Working in batches, place dough balls in the pan or on the griddle, leaving some space between for spreading.  Cook for 7-9 minutes, until the bottoms are golden.  Flip, press down slightly and cook for another 7-9 minutes.  Repeat with remaining dough.

Store in an airtight container or zip top bag or freeze.

Makes 17 muffins.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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