English Muffins

I am new to the blogger world and just getting the hang of pinterest. This is one of the first photo's I found, I was immediately inspired to make them.

Source: vkreesphotography.com via Elise on Pinterest

After a quick google search I came across Michael Ruhlman's English Muffin recipe. It only contains a few ingredients all of which I have laying around the house and the directions look simple. I don't own any rings and my favorite cast iron skillet is in Brooklyn so they will just have to be made free form in my Le Creuset. 


Ingredients: 

• 2 ounces/60 grams butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 16 ounces milk/450 grams)
• 1 package active dry yeast (1-1/2 teaspoons, .25 ounces or 7 grams)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 16 ounces all-purpose flour/450 grams (or four fluffed cups)
• 1-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (.25 ounces or 7 grams)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water
• cornmeal for dusting

Melt the butter small sauce pan,  stir in sugar until it has dissolved.  Add the milk, check to make sure the liquid is warm (not hot) to ensure that the yeast will be happy. Remove mixture from the heat and stir in the yeast and the egg.

Combine the flour and salt in mixing bowl.  Add the milk mixture and stir till it’s all well combined. The dough should be very sticky, thicker than pancake batter. 

 

  Cover and set aside for 1-1/2 hours, or refrigerate overnight (removing it from the fridge an hour before cooking). While the batter is in the fridge it will rise so make sure there is extra room in your bowl.

Heat a griddle or a skillet over medium heat.  If you’re using rings, butter them.  Stir the dissolved baking powder into the batter.  Dust the griddle or skillet with corn meal.  Scoop-pour about 1/4-cup portions onto the griddle, free form or in rings.  Cook for about seven minutes.  Flip them and continue cooking till done, 7 to 10 more minutes.

Allow them to rest for at least 10 minutes, pry in half with a fork, toast and serve with butter. You can also serve them with jam, honey, lemon curd or my favorite, egg and cheese.

Overall, they turned out pretty good. They taste a bit doughy but maybe I didn't cook them for long enough. In the future I would invest in the rings, it would make the muffins a uniform size causing them cook evenly. Since there is no way that I will be able to eat all of these before they mold, I opened them up and put them in the freezer. Now I can have english muffins whenever my heart desires, which given my current stage in my pregnancy is just about every day. Nothing is more satisfying than a toasted english muffin with egg and cheese (maybe bacon, if i'm feeling extra hungry).