English Muffins
AS MANY OF YOU ARE AWARE, I have been making yeast dough weekly for a couple of years after a twenty-year hiatus from my bread maker, which I tried to master at my farm. I never liked the shape of the loaf it made, so I retired the machine to a storage shelf, where it remains.
I wonder what the inside looks like?
My renewed interest in bread making started because I wanted to make my own yeast dough for healthy and tastier pizzas. It has since expanded to include sesame hamburger buns, artisan herb breads, and recently, English muffins finished with rustic cornmeal.
I’m really into this culinary craft and enjoy the challenges it brings.
I have tried variations on my basic dough recipe. With a few tweaks here and there, I get a very respectable dough just about every time.
Last year, I got into developing a homemade Detroit-style pizza and compared notes with my good friend Gene Cassady; he was also experimenting with doughs and cheeses last winter to capture the famous caramelized cheesy edge that makes Detroit-style pizza so extra delicious. He even bought a fancy pan to help in its creation.
I’ll have to do it myself this year because Gene headed to the happy hunting ground in early August. Maybe he’ll send me some cosmic inspiration. That would be nice; I always appreciated his culinary input, just not his golfing tips.
RIP, my good friend.
The English muffin recipe has evolved, and I adopted Gene’s insistence on an overnight refrigerator fermentation (rise) for our doughs; it is a key step to maximize the flavor of the dough. I use a plastic Dollar Tree container with a snap lid – which is ideal for overnight storage and proofing. The container keeps the dough from forming an undesirable skin as you head into the final prepping stage for English muffins.
I also decided to form shapes from a 2/3rd-inch thick rolled-out dough using a small Ball jar metal ring. The “die” helps form a smaller muffin, which is more my interest these days.
Bob’s Basic Dough Recipe
Ingredients
3 cups of bread flour
1 and ¼ cups of spring water
1 packet of fast-rising yeast
1 TBS sugar
1 TBS butter and 1 TBS EVOO.
1 tsp of salt
1 TBS Carnation milk powder
Directions for English muffins
In a glass mixing bowl, gradually add flour to the measured ingredients. After mixing with a wooden spoon, then by hand, the dough forms into a tacky, round, softball-sized ball. It takes some effort.
Place the ball in the lightly oiled plastic container, cover it, and place it in the fridge for overnight fermentation.
The next day, bring it to the kitchen counter and let it warm up for 90 minutes.
Knead it on a floured cutting board for 3-5 minutes.
Shape the ball into a thick disc and roll it to a uniform 2/3” round thickness.
Die-cut into a dozen blanks. Place them evenly on a parchment paper-lined, cornmeal-dusted baking pan. Let rise for an hour covered by a damp paper towel.
2-step cooking method is my choice
Pan-fry for 2-3 minutes per side in an iron skillet. I do 3 at a time until lightly browned.
Place them back on the parchment-lined baking pan. Brush the top with an egg wash and sprinkle with cornmeal.
Place the pan in a 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes to complete the second step.
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Let them cool on the pan for an hour, then place the dozen in a plastic storage bag in the freezer for future enjoyment.
Some recipes recommend using fork tines to halve the muffin before toasting, but they are good sliced or opened with a fork, either way.
I’m a lightly buttered, dollop-of-jam guy.
Enjoy.
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