Sometimes, I'm amazed at how easy some things are to make at home. And how much much better they taste.
These are no exception. These are easy. These are wonderful.
First, you mix up the dough. The dough rises.
You shape the dough, and you let it rise.
You brown the dough, and get all excited because they're starting to look ferreal.
Then, you bake the dough (not pictured).
And, you have picture perfect English muffins.
The possibilities are endless. Breakfast sandwiches, eggs benedict, some good ol' jam, or just toasted and slathered in butter. Whatever you do, you'll love em.
On a non-English-muffin note, I'll be hosting my first giveaway in a couple days! The object being a dessert jewelry item hand-crafted from polymer clay. Stay tuned! Tell your friends! Tell your mom! Make muffins!
English Muffins
Yield: 6 muffins
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
- 1 tbsp. butter, at room temperature
- 3/4-1 cup milk, at room temperature
- Cornmeal, for sprinkling
Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Mix in the butter and 3/4 cup of milk. Add just enough of the remaining milk to form a dough and incorporate the dry ingredients. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed, about 7-8 minutes. The dough shouldn't be inordinately sticky. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and roll to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Heat a skillet on medium heat on the stovetop. Brush or spray the skillet lightly with oil and gently transfer the dough balls to the skillet a few at a time. Allow them to cook for 5-8 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly browned. Carefully flip and cook the other side for 5-8 minutes more (the skillet might be quite warm by the second batch, so browning times will vary). They should flatten as they cook.
Remove the muffins from the skillet and transfer them to a lined baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 5-8 minutes, until lightly golden. Do not wait until all the muffins have been browned in the skillet before moving them to the oven. As the first batch is baking, move the second batch to the skillet.
Transfer the baked muffins to a cooling rack and let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing or serving. Store in an airtight container, or freeze them in a plastic bag to keep them fresh longer.
Sources: adapted from Annie's Eats, who adapted it from Pete Bakes, originally from The Bread Baker's Apprentice
