Homemade English Muffins

Here is my most recent column in "The Hinton Voice", my local newspaper. 

[In an effort to save money on groceries, my husband and I have been making all of our bread from scratch for the past several months.  Not only do we save copious amounts on our weekly grocery bill, the novelty of a fresh loaf of bread directly out of the oven never loses it’s charm.  Once we had the art of homemade bread down to a science, I knew it was time to step it up a notch and start cutting out other store bought purchases like pizza dough, bagels, and the perfect bed for eggs benedict … English muffins. 

Whether served simply toasted with butter and jam, or in the most incredible breakfast sandwich you will ever make in your life, these English muffins are definitely worth adding to your baking list.   They are both dense and light all at the same time, with airy nooks and crannies just begging to be filled with something delicious.]

Recipe makes a dozen

Ingredients

- 1 cup warm milk

- 1 ½ tsp yeast

- 1 tsp brown sugar

- 2 ½ cups flour

- 2 tbsp butter

- ¼ tsp salt

- 1-2 tsp oil

Directions

Heat milk until just warm (either in a saucepan, or in the microwave).  Add yeast and brown sugar.   Allow to sit for 5 minutes or so, to give the yeast a chance to activate.

Meanwhile, combine flour, butter, and salt in a medium bowl.   Once yeast has bloomed, pour the liquid into the dry ingredients, mixing well to combine.

If using a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook, kneed on a low speed for 6-8 minutes, or until dough is nice and elastic.  If kneading by hand, you’ll need to knead the dough for about 8-10 minutes in order to get the right consistency.

Did you know most ovens come with a proof setting?  If yours doesn’t, simply preheat your oven to it’s lowest temperature (around 170 degrees), then shut off for 5 minutes or so before placing the dough inside.

Place dough in a large, greased bowl and cover loosely with a clean towel for 60-90 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size. 

Punch the air out of the dough and separate into 12 equal sized biscuit shaped pieces.  Alternatively, for more uniform pieces, roll the dough out onto a floured surface and cut using a biscuit cutter.

Once you’ve formed the biscuits, allow the dough to rise once again for 30-60 minutes, or until they have doubled in size.

Add 1-2 tsp of oil to a medium frying pan set to medium heat, and brown the muffins for a couple of minute on each side (a cast iron pan works great for this because you can transfer it directly into the oven for the next step).

If your frying pan isn’t oven safe, transfer to a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.   

 

Calories -115   Fat - 2    Carbs – 20     Protein - 4   Fibre – 1

Enjoy!