Homemade English Muffins

Recipe courtesy of King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) lukewarm milk OR 1/3 cup (2 ounces) Baker’s Special Dry Milk + 1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) lukewarm water
• 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) melted butter
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon Pizza Dough Flavor, optional
• 3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) potato flour or 1/3 cup instant mashed potato flakes
• 3 cups (12 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• Semolina, for dry frying

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients except the semolina in a mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer.  Mix till everything is combined, then beat at high speed (using the flat beater paddle, if you’re using a stand mixer) for 5 minutes.  The dough will be soft, sticky, and glossy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover it, and allow the dough to rise for about 90 minutes, till it’s just about doubled in bulk.
2. Heat an ungreased frying pan or griddle over very low heat; a griddle with a thermostat should be set at 300 deg F.  You may want to make one test muffin first, as follows:
3. When the griddle or pan is up to heat, place one well greased 3 3/4″ English muffin ring in the pan, and sprinkle a little semolina inside the ring.  Semolina will give your muffins the typical crunchy English muffin crust. (Why not cornmeal, instead of semolina?  Cornmeal burns easily.  Semolina is preferred, but use cornmeal if you must.  Or try using Farina, a.k.a. Cream of Wheat)  If you don’t have muffin rings, fashion them from tuna cans, tops and bottoms removed, washed and greased.
4. Scoop a scant 1/2 cup (2 3/4 ounces) of sticky dough out of the bowl; it’s easiest if you rinse your measuring cup and wet your fingers before adding the dough to the cup.  Use your wet fingers to shape the dough into a circle about the size of the ring (don’t stress about being too exact), lay it into the ring, and sprinkle the top lightly with semolina.  After 7 minutes, check the bottom of the muffin, it should be a medium-golden brown.  If it’s not, turn up the heat; if it’s too brown, turn down the heat.  Cook for another 10 minutes, then use a pair of tongs to grab each side of the ring.  It might lift right off; if it does, lift it off and set it aside, and use a spatula to gently turn the muffin over.  If it doesn’t, flip the muffin over, ring and all; then gently wiggle the ring around till it comes off.  Cook the second side for about 15 to 18 minutes, till it’s a deep golden brown.  If you have an instant-read thermometer, the interior temperature will be about 200°F.  Remove the muffin from the griddle, and gently split it open.  If it appears to be done inside, cook the remaining muffins the same way.  If it’s still gummy or wet, turn the heat down a bit and continue to cook the remaining muffins a bit longer on each side.
5. When the muffins are brown on both sides, transfer them to a rack to cool.  When completely cool, store in a plastic bag.

Yield: about a dozen muffins

You can read the King Arthur Flour ‘Baker’s Banter’ blog entry for this recipe for more detailed, step by step instructions.