I tend to stress-cook. I try not to stress-eat, but there is something therapeutic about taking control in the kitchen, experimenting, sharing the fruit of my labor with my family (and neighbors)….. And these English muffins are a favorite because there’s something calming to me about the sameness of each biscuit. My beginner muffins were sourdough – you can follow that journey here: Sourdough English Muffins
But I discovered that I wanted some non-sourdough options, so I developed what I liked in a “regular” English muffins recipe. (Recipe is near the bottom of the post, for those of you who just want to skip to that.) A lot of the process is the same, so you can check out photos and tips at the original sourdough article, as well.
The Process
Making the dough itself took about 8 minutes total, including mixing and kneading. Letting it rise was the most time-consuming, but I can walk away and do other things, so it’s not inconvenient.
I use an electric skillet set at 350. It is dry other than a bit of lecithin/oil mixture I brush initially. Because I want them to cook before they burn, I do cover mine with the lid to allow the steam to cook them a bit. So I cook maybe 6-7 minutes on each side? I check them for golden-brown color and flip a few times if needed.
(No electric skillet? That’s okay! Use a cast iron skillet set at medium, or cook to golden on both sides and finish in oven if needed. Check for doneness at 190-200 degrees.)
To check for doneness: An instant-read thermometer inserted into the side, to the center, should read 190+. Then remove to a rack to cool. They will store for several days in an airtight container, or you can freeze them. I got 30-32ish from mine. (You can also cut them into squares from the rolled dough –instead of rounds– and make sandwich muffins that are slightly bigger; this will obviously affect your yield.) And of course, clean-up was easy-peasy with my Norwex mesh dish cloth and my Norwex kitchen cloth!
The Recipe
I can’t get my recipe plug-in to work, so I’m simply cutting and pasting here from my cookbook, Everyday Cooking.
English Muffins
Fork-split these for those “nooks and crannies”! Can also be made with sourdough discard or fed starter.
INGREDIENTS:
2 ½ cups warm water
2 Tbsp sugar (or 1 Tbsp honey)
1 Tbsp instant yeast
7 ½ cups all-purpose unbleached flour (if using part fresh, you may need to add more flour)
½ cup powdered milk
½ stick (1/4 cup) softened butter
1 Tablespoon salt
Cornmeal for rising, sprinkling (I mill some corn on a very slightly coarse setting)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix to combine everything but the cornmeal in a large bowl (I use an Artiste, Bosch, or Ankarsrum mixer but this can be done by hand). Knead to make a soft, smooth, elastic dough – should be slightly tacky but not sticky. Add flour if needed. (This knead takes about 6 min in my Artiste on speed 2.) Put the dough in a greased bowl, covered, to rise till doubled – about 1 hour.
Gently turn dough onto a floured counter to deflate and cover to rest 5-10 minutes to relax the gluten so it can be rolled. Sprinkle some baking sheets or a counter area with cornmeal to place cut outs onto. Divide dough into two parts; roll out to about ½ inch thick and cut into 3-inch rounds and set onto cornmeal surface; sprinkle tops with a bit of cornmeal, as well. Re-roll and cut scraps. Repeat with the other portion of dough.
Cover all the rounds and let rise about 20-40 min till light and puffed – time depends on room temperature. Meanwhile, heat an electric skillet to 350 or heavy frying pan to medium-low. Cook as many raised muffins as you can easily fit into skillet and cook about 10 minutes, turning halfway – I put the lid on my skillet to hold the heat in and bake them better. They are done when an instant-read thermometer registers 190-200. Cool muffins on a rack. Package when cool.
Adapted from a recipe from King Arthur Flour. See their site for a sourdough version, adding 1 cup starter and reducing flour and water in this recipe to adjust.
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A few resources you might find helpful:
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