English Muffins

English Muffins, Joshua Weissman

Description

Based on the recipe by Joshua Weissman (“Easy Homemade English Muffins Without Special Tools”). Making English muffins takes a little patience for the proofing, but the execution is straightforward and incredibly rewarding. Instead of baking them in an oven, these bad boys get cooked right on a stovetop griddle or cast-iron skillet.

Yield: 9–12 muffins · Total time: about 2½ hours (mostly proofing)

Vegetarian Dairy Gluten

Ingredients

Liquid & Yeast

Item	Amount
water	139g (½ cup + 2 tbsp)
whole milk	139g (½ cup + 2 tbsp)
active dry yeast	9g (1 tbsp)

Dough

Item	Amount	Notes
bread flour	480g (4 cups)
fine sea salt	6g (1 tsp)
granulated sugar	13g (1 tbsp)
unsalted butter, melted & warm	28g (2 tbsp)	or canola oil
cornmeal (or all-purpose flour)	as needed	for dusting

Tools

Items
heatproof container
thermometer
medium bowl
rolling pin
3-inch round biscuit cutter
baking sheet (plus a second one to cover, or a damp towel)
cast-iron skillet or flat griddle
wire cooling rack

Recipe

1. Bloom the yeast: Combine the 139g of water and 139g of milk in a heatproof container and warm to 95–100°F (35–37°C). Stir in the 9g of yeast and let it rest for 10 minutes, until hydrated and bubbly.

2. Mix: In a medium bowl, whisk together the 480g of flour, the salt, and the sugar. Add the bloomed yeast mixture and the melted butter — make sure the butter is just warm to the touch so it doesn’t kill the yeast. Mix with your hands until a shaggy dough forms, then turn it out onto a clean work surface.

3. Knead: Knead for 5–10 minutes, until smooth.

4. First rise: Shape the dough into a smooth ball, transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise at room temperature for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.

5. Roll & cut: Punch the dough down. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin, then roll the dough out to about ½ inch thick. Cut out rounds with the 3-inch cutter. Re-roll the scraps to cut extra rounds — you should get 9–12 muffins.

6. Second proof: Dust a baking sheet generously with cornmeal. Place the rounds on the sheet and cover with an upside-down baking sheet or a damp towel. Let rise at room temperature for 30–60 minutes, until plump and puffed up.

7. Cook: Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium heat and lightly grease it. Add the rounds, leaving at least ½ inch between them so they aren’t crowded. Cook for 5–7 minutes per side, until golden brown. Lower the heat if they start browning too quickly.

8. Cool: Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Tip

Keep the liquids at 95–100°F (35–37°C). That’s warm enough to wake up the yeast; much hotter and you start killing it, which means a slow or flat rise. The same goes for the melted butter.

Note

Why a skillet instead of the oven: Cooking the muffins on a griddle browns the flat tops and bottoms while the sides stay pale and soft. That’s the classic English muffin look.

Nutrition Facts 10 servings · 1 muffin each

Calories 220

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4g 5%

Saturated Fat 1.9g 9%

Cholesterol 7mg 2%

Sodium 240mg 10%

Total Carbohydrate 38g 14%

Dietary Fiber 1.5g 5%

Total Sugars 2g

Includes 1.3g Added Sugars 3%

Protein 7g

Vitamin D 0.2mcg 1% Calcium 23mg 2% Iron 2.2mg 12% Potassium 76mg 2%

* % Daily Value based on a 2,000 calorie diet · Estimated values

Note

Estimated nutrition: Calculated from the ingredients using USDA FoodData Central values, for 10 muffins. Assumes butter (not oil), about 10g of cornmeal sticking to the muffins, and a little oil for greasing the skillet.