Ok, I finally made English muffins, and they were a big success!
Hereâs my recipe. Itâs complex and is done in three parts:
English muffins
I. Starter:
2 c. warm water
2 c. unbleached all-purpose (medium gluten) flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp. FRESH dry active yeast
Stir together water and yeast; let sit a few minutes to dissolve; continue only if yeast slurry becomes visibly active. Mix in flour and whole wheat flour; will be a thick batter (not dough).
Cover and let this âstarterâ rest at at warm room temperature for 4 hours.
II. Sponge:
2 tsp FRESH dry active yeast
3/4 c. warm water (about 110 degrees F)
2 c. (about half) of the part I. starter
3/4 c. scalded milk, cooled to lukewarm
2 c. high-gluten or bread flour, unbleached
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the 2 cups starter (reserve remaining starter for dough), and mix well; Stir in the milk and bread flour to make a thick batter. Cover this âspongeâ and let stand 1 hour.
III. English Muffin dough:
Sponge mixture from part II.
Remaining starter from part I.
4 c. (approximately) unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
4 Tbsp. honey
2 1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. dry buttermilk powder
cornmeal for surface
Stir down the sponge mixture and add the remaining starter, flour, honey, salt, buttermilk powder and cornmeal. Beat about 5 minutes. Dough will be soft (important; do not add extra flour to stiffen). Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
In the next step, avoid completely deflating the dough if possible. On a work surface sprinkled with cornmeal, gently roll or pat the puffy, elastic dough out to a 3/4-inch thickness (no thinner!). Use a floured, sharp cookie cutter if possible (otherwise an inverted can) to cut into 3 1/2-inch rounds. Place on a baking sheet thatâs been sprinkled with cornmeal, cover, and let rise slightly in a warm place, about 15 to 45 minutes. If youâve avoided deflating the dough while rolling and cutting, less rising time is needed. The muffins need to be significantly higher than, and as much as double, their final desired height, as some deflation will occur in the griddle cooking process (especially when turning them over).
Heat a cast iron frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Sprinkle cooking surface liberally with cornmeal. Gently (attempting not to deflate them) place 2-3 muffins on surface, without crowding. Lower heat. Cook until bottoms are browned, about 4 minutes. GENTLY turn (attempting not to deflate) and brown the other side, adjust heat if muffins are browning too quickly. Transfer cooked muffins to a wire rack and cool completely.
Store in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days or freeze and use as needed.
Makes 14 to 16 English Muffins.
Note: The softer the dough, the more ânooks and cranniesâ will form; at the extreme, the dough can almost be of a batter-like consistency, in which case muffin rings must be used on the skillet to contain the shape (you can âcreate your ownâ by removing the tops and bottoms of large tuna cans.