BBA Challenge (Week 12): English Muffins

Bread Baking, Food September 10, 2009

As much as I like living in the United States, I can’t help but sometimes be jealous of other countries. Sure, we have democracy, baseball and Mount Rushmore, but think of the amazing contributions that other nations have brought to American culture. And yes, this is about the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge so bear with me.

France sent us French fries and French toast, Belgium sent us Belgian waffles and the UK shares a namesake with English muffins. And the US?

Well, we have sausage, egg and cheese sandwiched between two pancakes.

This week, I made English muffins for the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge and they turned out so well, I made a second batch and swapped half the flour for whole wheat to make them a little bit more nutritious.

The best part about an English muffins is how versatile they are.

Most of us think of of the English muffin as a sidekick for eggs with a diner breakfast. Aside from eating them plain, with a liberal dollop of fig jam, like I did last Saturday morning, here are a few ways you can also enjoy an English muffin, homemade or otherwise:

Make English muffins pizzas

Spread a little tomato sauce on each muffin half. Top with your favorite vegetables and a sprinkling of part-skim mozzarella cheese to take the edge off your pizza craving without eating your daily calories in one sitting!

Make burgers

Give the fluffy white rolls a break and serve your favorite hamburgers (or feta-stuffed turkey burgers) on a toasted, whole-wheat English muffin.

Make breakfast

Make a breakfast sandwich with two egg whites, low-fat cheese, a few pieces of spinach and a slice or two of bacon, you can take breakfast to-go for a balanced meal easy to eat during your commute.

Though we don’t typically share Peter Rinehart’s recipes (buy the book!), this is such an easy starter recipe that it’s worth sharing just so you can get your feet wet.

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English Muffins

Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time: 8 mins

Total time: 33 mins

Serves: 6 muffins

Ingredients

2¼ cups flour
½ tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon shortening or butter (at room temperature)
¾ – 1 cup milk (at room temperature)
Cornmeal for sprinkling

Instructions

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. mix in the shortening and ¾ cup of the milk. add the remaining milk if the dough is too dry.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. place in a lightly oiled bowl and roll to coat. cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour. divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and shape into balls. lay parchment paper on a baking sheet and spray or lightly coat with oil and sprinkle with cornmeal. move the dough balls to the baking sheet evenly spaced apart (giving them room to rise more). cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and allow them to rise for another hour.
Heat the oven to 350 F and heat up a skillet on medium heat on the stovetop. brush the skillet with oil and gently transfer the dough balls to the skillet a few at a time. allow them to cook on the skillet for 5-8 minutes, until the bottoms are nicely browned. carefully flip and cook the other side for about 5-8 minutes more. they should flatten as they cook.
When the muffins look as if they are about to burn, remove them from the skillet with a spatula and transfer quickly to a baking sheet. bake at 350 for 5-8 minutes. do not wait until all of the muffins have been cooked on the skillet before moving them to the oven – as the first batch is baking, move the second batch of muffins to the skillet.
Transfer the baked muffins to a cooling rack and let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing or serving. serve with lots of butter and jelly. store them as you would muffins you buy in the store – in a sealed Ziploc bag in the fridge or freezer.

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Written by

Maris Callahan

Maris Callahan has been blogging about cooking, dining and entertaining since 2008. A public relations director by day, Maris is also a brand spokesperson, freelance writer and media relations expert with more than 10 years experience working with consumer brands. She lives in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood with her boyfriend Brad, chihuahua Henry and a very well-stocked pantry.

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17 Comments

English Muffins & Eggs Benedict | Beyond [the Plate]

August 4, 2011 at 2:44 pm

[…] Maris at In Good Taste […]

Sarah Caron

September 23, 2009 at 10:17 am

Oh. My. Goodness. You made English muffins?? I am in awe.
I love mine with an ounce of Cambozola cheese, a poached egg and a dollop of tomato jam. MMMM!

leslie

September 18, 2009 at 10:29 pm

english muffins have to be one of my favorite breakfast breads!

Amber

September 13, 2009 at 5:12 pm

Wow, if a picture is worth a thousand words, then great job! I’ve never had a homemade English muffin.

Sues

September 12, 2009 at 11:04 pm

Those look absolutely perfect!! What I like on English muffins totallyyy depends on my mood. Sometimes peanut butter, sometimes jelly, sometimes butter, sometimes eggs, sometimes cheese… you get the point 🙂

thatShortChick

September 12, 2009 at 9:12 pm

wow you are ambitious…I can’t believe you baked english muffins!! I’ve always heard that they’re difficult to make.
I like my english muffins, lightly toasted with jam or peanut butter – yummy.

Melissa

September 11, 2009 at 11:11 pm

toasted with butter. so good!
2nd favorite is an egg sandwich with pepper jelly.
Your english muffins look so awesome. how were they to make? easy? hard? worth it?

Andrew

September 11, 2009 at 5:44 pm

I am over 30 is is still OK for me read your blog?
…and don’t forget America is behind the apple pie, the chocolate cookie and the doughnut. Although maybe those aren’t pastries.

Daryl

September 10, 2009 at 5:20 am

I like them burnt to a crisp with lots of butter!!!