There's truly nothing like a homemade English muffin. Once you've had one, it's hard to go back to store-bought—which is fine by me, because they're really fun to make! The two-step cooking process may seem tedious, but watching them plump up in the oven is worth all the work. Oh, and splitting them open when they're still warm? That's a pretty great moment, too.
One of the best parts of an English muffin is that once you've made them, there are endless ways to use them. Keep it simple with butter, almond butter, or jam, or get a little more creative and use them as the base for a breakfast sandwich. If you take the savory route, treat it as you would a pita and eat it with hummus, arugula, and tomato. Yum!
These muffins are the perfect ratio between slightly dough-y yet perfectly crispy. If you don't have a toaster (like me), simply crisp up each side face down on a skillet before devouring. If you decide to make these (and we're really hoping you do!) let us know how they turn out in the comments. We'd love to hear from you!
Whole Wheat English Muffins
Makes 10
Ingredients
- 1 packet active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp.)
- 2 tablespoons sugar, divided.
- 2¼ cups whole-wheat flour, plus more as needed
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ teaspoons. salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1¾ cups whole milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large egg, beaten
- cornmeal, for dusting
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Pour the yeast into a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar and stir to combine. Let stand until the mixture has doubled, about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Add the the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
In a small saucepan set over medium heat, heat the milk and butter until the butter has just barely melted.
Add the egg and the milk/butter mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until the dough comes together (this can also be done with a mixer, but it worked fine by hand). If the dough is too sticky, add a little more whole-wheat flour a teaspoon at a time, until the dough isn't sticking to your fingers.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for a minute or two. Roll it out to 1-inch thickness, and, using a round cutter (or the top of a drinking glass, if you don't have a biscuit cutter), cut the english muffins, re-rolling the dough as needed.
Place the rounds on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal, cover the baking sheet with a dish towel, and allow the dough to rise for 20 minutes.
Heat a nonstick skillet over low heat and cook the muffins 4-5 minutes per side, until crispy and brown. Move the muffins back onto the baking sheet, and finish cooking the muffins in the oven, until firm to the touch and not dough-y if poked with a fork, about 12-15 minutes.
Before serving, split the muffins in half and toast. They will keep for 1-2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.
Enjoy!
grace
Recipe adapted from Savory Simple.