English Muffins
Man, did this recipe need an update! It could not have been clearer that I wrote this pre-children. With rules like “you MUST use special imported flour” and goals like “let’s make this vegan by using strange milk types and something that is sort of like butter but not as good” … how could I not revisit this gem.
Here’s the deal: The recipe is good with 00″ flour that’s fancy and Italian and imported… but it also definitely works with AP flour. The recipe works with almond milk instead of cow’s milk and vegetable shortening instead of butter. But listen– why would you do that to yourself if you’re not a certified vegan? Just use the AP flour already in your pantry and the cow’s milk and salted butter you’ve already got in your refrigerator. The results will be delicious.
If you want to use these for eggs Benedict with Hollandaise sauce, you can find a Benedict recipe here and the sauce recipe here.
English Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 3 cups AP flour (divided)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- cornmeal for dusting ~1/4 cup
- salted butter for grilling ~4 tablespoons
Instructions
Make the dough
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Microwave the milk in a measuring cup for 1 minute.
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Add in lukewarm water and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
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When the milk mixture is warm, add in the yeast and stir gently. Set aside.
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Melt 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening in the microwave and set aside.
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Measure out 1 1/2 cups of flour into a large bowl. Pour in the shortening and the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
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Add in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour along with the salt. Stir well, until all of the flour is incorporated.
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Knead for 3-5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
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Coat the dough and the bowl in shortening and cover the bowl.
First rise
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Place the covered bowl in a warm location for 1 hour.
Form muffins
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Flour a work surface and a rolling pin. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Measure roughly 1/4 cup of yellow cornmeal onto a plate.
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Roll out the dough to 1/2″ thick. Using the bottom of a glass or a 4″ round biscuit cutter, make your muffins, dust them in cornmeal, and place them on the baking sheet.
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This dough is forgiving and you can reuse scraps repeatedly to continue making muffins until you are out. Ours resulted in 13 rather large muffins.
Second rising
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Place the baking sheet in a warm place for 30 minutes for a second rising. At the end, muffins should have a slight jiggle when shaken.
Grilling
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Grill muffins in butter several at a time. Grill them over medium-low heat, with roughly 3-5 minutes per side to ensure they are cooked in the middle. Muffins can be frozen and reheated in the oven, or eaten right away.
Recipe Notes
I used a cast iron skillet to grill these, and they turned out fantastic.
