English Muffins

16 years ago

I got a bee in my bonnet this morning, and decided to finally try making English muffins. I'd been saving the cans from water chestnuts (the only small can I can find that you still can cut both ends out with a canopener) and had 4, so I figured that was enough to start with.

I used a recipe from "The Book of Bread" by Judith & Evan Jones, a book from which I've taken several very good recipes in the past.

Well, I must admit I'm underwhelmed by the result. The muffins are o.k., but more like a light biscuit than an English muffin. The network of holes that make toasted English muffins so nice and crunchy weren't really there. Also, they were overly salty for my taste, and I do like my salt. (I thought 2 teaspoons in a recipe that only called for 2 3/4-3 cups of flour sounded like too much.)

So does anyone have a really good recipe for English muffins that come out nice and holey?

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Comments (16)

lindac
16 years ago
This is called crumpets....but it works the same....
Crumpets
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast , or one packet
1 tsp sugar
1/3 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1. In a large bowl sprinkle yeast and sugar over warm (105ÃÂ°-115ÃÂ°F) water. Let stand 5 minutes.
2. Stir in flour, milk, salt and soda. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes.
3. Grease several 3 inch round cookie cutters. Arrange cutters on a greased griddle over medium heat. Spoon 3 tablespoons batter into each ring. Reduce heat and cook until tops are full of holes and batter is set, about 10 minutes. Remove rings and flip to lightly brown the other side.
4. Split and toast if desiredÃ¢ÂÂ¦serve with butter and jam.
Makes 16 crumpets.
Lars
16 years ago
I've made them several times and was always disappointed with the results. I've also made crumpets and like them even less. The recipe I used (which I don't have here) did make plenty of holes, but the texture was a bit rubbery until they were toasted. I bought crumpet rings at a restaurant supply store, and I keep them in the garage because I don't plan to use them again any time soon, except perhaps for pancakes.

What is the recipe that you used?

Lars
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O-o-o-h! Now I'm craving one of those luscious looking muffins.
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Traditional crumpet recipes, but not nearly as tasty, or as quick and easy to make as sourdough crumpets (I linked above). CRUMPETS 1/2 c. warm 1 pkg. active dry yeast 1 t. sugar 1 c. milk 2 T. butter 1/2 t. salt 2 c. all-purpose flour 1/2 t. baking soda 1 T. tepid water In a large mixing bowl combine warm water and yeast. Add sugar and stir to dissolve yeast. Set aside. In a small saucepan heat 1/2 c. of the milk and the butter until the butter melts. Remove from heat and stir in salt and remaining 1/2 c. milk. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Add milk mixture to yeast mixture and stir to blend. Mix in flour with wooden spoon. The batter will be very lumpy. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and secure with an elastic band. Set aside to rise for 1-1/2 hours or until the bubbling action slows and the mixture begins to collapse in on itself. Place 4 crumpet rings on a griddle, allowing the sides to touch. Set over medium heat and spray all surfaces lightly with vegetable oil. Dissolve the baking soda in the tepid water and stir into the batter. The batter will be moist and ropy. When the griddle is hot, take up by scant quarter-cupfuls and pour into the rings. Spread to the sides with the back of a spoon. As the batter begins to set, carefully rotate the rings to ensure even cooking. When the surface of the crumpets is covered with holes and no longer looks wet (about 3 minutes), remove the rings with tongs. Turn the crumpets over and continue cooking for about 1-minute, until the surface is lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining batter, spraying the rings and griddle before each batch. Cool crumpets on a wire rack. Toast to serve. Makes 10 ORANGE CRUMPETS 1/2 c. warm water 1 pkt. active dry yeast 1 t. sugar 2/3 c. freshly squeezed orange juice 1/3 c. milk 2 T. butter, melted 1 t. finely grated orange zest 1/2 t. salt 2 c. all\-purpose flour 1/2 t. baking soda 1 T. tepid water In a large mixing bowl combine warm water and yeast. Add sugar and stir to dissolve yeast. Set aside. In a small bowl combine the orange juice, milk, butter, orange zest, and salt. Whisk to combine, then stir into the dissolved yeast. Add the flour and mix in with a wooden spoon. Follow the same procedure listed in the recipe above to complete the crumpets. Makes 10 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Almost any bread recipe will make holey, moist, chewy English muffins. The dough should be slightly over\-kneaded and much wetter than bread dough. Keep a bowl of water handy to dip your hands in while kneading the dough in order to keep it well\-hydrated, rather than kneading in flour. HONEY WHOLE-WHEAT ENGLISH MUFFINS (source: Stonyfield Farm Yogurt Cookbook) 1/4 c. honey 1-1/2 c. warm water 2 T. active dry yeast 1-1/2 c. plain yogurt 1/2 c. water 1 t. salt 1 t. baking soda 7-8 c. whole wheat flour (you can use 50/50 whole wheat and unbleached/bleached all-purpose flour for a less-hearty English muffin) 1/2 c. cornmeal (I omit this and use semolina instead) In a tall glass, dissolve the honey in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the warm water/honey; stir to dissolve. Set the yeast and water mixture aside to proof for about 10-minutes, or until the yeast begins to bubble. Combine the yogurt with 1/2 c. water and warm slightly to remove any chill. Pour the yeast/water mixture into a large mixing bowl and add the yogurt-water mixture, salt, and soda. Beat in as much of the flour as possible, 1 cup at a time, until the dough is stiff. Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead in more flour, a little at a time, until the dough is no longer sticky. Form the dough into a ball. Cover it with a bowl and allow it to rise at room temperature for about 1 hours, until doubled in bulk. Punch down the dough and roll it out to a thickness of about 1/2-inch. cut the dough into rounds about 3-inches in diameter. Sprinkle several cookie sheets with cornmeal and place the cut-out rounds on top of the cornmeal. Sprinkle the tops with additional cornmeal and cover the rounds with wax paper or a clean towel [Grainlady note: use plastic wrap that has been sprayed with PAM. It works much better than wax paper or towel - this dough likes to stick to whatever covers it.] Allow the dough to rise about 45-minutes. [Grainlady note: I retard about half of the cut muffins in the refrigerator on cookie sheets because I can't get them baked in good order before the last of the batch over-proofs. Even using my large electric griddle.] Lightly grease an electric skillet and preheat it to 300-degrees F. (If you don't have an electric skillet, e a lightly greased cast-iron skillet over medium heat on top of the stove.) Cook bout 6-8 muffins at a time, COVERED, for about 8-minutes on each side or until golden brown. FORK-split [don't use a knife, use an English Muffin Fork, or table fork, to split the muffins) before serving them, fresh OR toasted. Allow the English muffins to cool on racks before storing them in plastic bags. Variations: I. Before allowing the dough to rise the first time, add 2 t. cinnamon and 1 to 1-1/2 c. raisins, knead, and place under a bowl on a floured surface. continue with the recipe as above. II. For lighter muffins, use unbleached all-purpose flour in place of half the whole-wheat flour. Makes 24-36 muffins - depending on size. [Grainlady note: Cut the recipe in half and make it in a bread machine on the dough cycle. Remove from the bread machine AS SOON AS the machine has finished kneading the dough and then proceed as above from the point where the dough is proofed after kneading.] ENGLISH MUFFINS (source: Recipes from the Old Mill \- Sarah E. Myers and Mary Beth Lind) Yield: 15\-18 muffins 1\-1/2 c. warm water 1 pkg. active dry yeast 2 T. sugar 1 t. salt 1/4 c. oil 1/2 c. instant nonfat dry milk powder 1 egg 2 c. whole wheat flour 2\-1/2 \- 3 cups flour 1\. Dissolve yeast in warm water. 2\. Add sugar, salt, oil, dry milk, and egg. Mix well 3\. Add whole wheat flour and enough flour to make a stiff dough. 4\. Knead until well mixed, about 2\-5 minutes. 5\. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise until double, approximately 1\-hour. 6\. Punch down. Turn onto lightly floured surface, cover, and let rest 15\-minutes. 7\. Roll dough about 3/8" thick. Cut dough into 3\-inch circles. 8\. Dip both sides of circles in a pan of cornmeal; place circles on cookie sheet. Cover and let rise about 30\-45 minutes. 9\. Using an ungreased electric frying pan set at 350\-375\-degrees F, cook muffins for 8\-minutes on each side. 10\. To serve, split muffins horizontally with tines of a fork.
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RECIPE: Teresa, I made your English Muffin Bread recipe...
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Comments (10)
Emily, I'm sorry you had trouble. I think that too much flour might have been the problem. I know the recipe calls for 6 cups of flour, but whenever I make any kind of bread, I always hold back at least 1 or more cups. I only add more flour if I think the mixture is too, too wet. I forgot that I kind-of ran into the same problem you're describing. Even at the five cup stage, the flour mixture seemed more like a kneading dough than a batter. So I remember (now) adding about 1/4 -1/3 cup additional water to make it more batter-like. When I got the batter into the pans, I was so worried about over-proofing the dough. I didn't want to pop the pans into a hot oven and then watch the bread deflate. So I think I could have let the dough rise in the pans longer. I'm sorry you had trouble. Forgive me for not mentioning anything. This old gray mare's brain ain't what it used to be. I need to make a note on my copy of the recipe too or else the next time I make it, who knows what I'll remember. I hope you'll try the bread again. It really did turn out well. My biggest problem right now is that my husband keeps wanting to have "toast" snacks.
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suzyqtexas
16 years ago
Martha Stewart had a recipe in the fall for whole wheat english muffins. I tried twice, but they're just not like the commercial ones!
althetrainer
16 years ago
Have you tried sourdough English muffins? The batter is very wet and a bit tricky to handle. But the crumb is usually open with large holes, like the ones you buy in the store. My family doesn't like English muffins that much. I made SD English muffins once but ended up throwing most of them out because I was the only taker and I couldn't eat them fast enough. :-( Al
annie1992
16 years ago
I made English Muffins a couple of times and didn't think they were worth the trouble. Al, I froze them and thawed them one at a time for toasting because I was the only one eating them here too.

They were OK, not horrible, but not worth the time and trouble for me. I'll eat English muffins if I can have them toasted with peanut butter, but that's about the only way.

Annie
althetrainer
16 years ago
Awwwww Annie, now you make me want to eat SD English muffins with peanut butter and banana! Gonna LOOOOOVE it! Al
annie1992
16 years ago
Yup, Al, put the peanut butter on while the muffin is still hot from the toaster and it all melts down into those holes.....yummy.

Annie
carmellia
16 years ago
The King Arthur Flour site has two recipes. One is called English Muffins the other is called Breakfast Muffins. I have tried both and had my best result with the Breakfast Muffins. Temperature seems to be the tricky part with these things. The dough is so moist and sticky so they have to be fried very slowly at a low temperature. Using too high a temp gives a gummy interior.

King Arthur Flour also sells the rings. They call them crumpet rings. If I remember right, I paid about 8 or 9 dollars for the set of 8.
grainlady_ks
16 years ago
I make crumpets with rings, but cut English Muffins with a cookie or biscuit cutter to the size I want them. Both are baked on a griddle. Crumpets (cooked in rings) are more like a tough pancake and you need to toast them in a toaster or toaster oven to serve, after they were baked on the griddle. You don't split crumpets.

I cut English Muffins into squares using a pizza cutter to avoid second-cuts. Second-cuts are cut from the dough left after you cut the dough the first time. You gather it up and re-work it to cut another batch or rounds. This is the #1 cause of tough English Muffins (or biscuits).

The trick to English Muffins is to have a well-hydrated dough so you get the open/holey texture. Before I adapted my favorite English Muffin recipe to the bread machine, I would knead the dough with wet hands (just have a bowl of water handy to dip your hands in). Any substantial bread dough can be made into English Muffins. It doesn't require a special recipe, just special hydration, cutting and baking on a griddle.

Another tip is to bake them on a griddle where you can cover them for the baking of the first side (bake about 8-minutes), then flip, and bake UNcovered for the other side. I have a large electric griddle that can accommodate a large number of muffins, and the lid to my roaster fits over it for baking the first side of English Muffins.

Don't cut English Muffins with a knife, use a "fork" (aka English Muffin Splitter) to split them apart. Otherwise you will destroy the open crumb.

A problem people often make is not having enough griddle space to keep up with the number of muffins in the recipe, and will find the last of the batch has over-proofed from the long wait to be baked, and they get poor-quality muffins. If your recipe is large, make half a recipe or retard half the dough, or retard a portion of the cut English Muffins in the refrigerator while working with the first portion.

I made homemade yogurt yesterday just so I could make English Muffins today. LOVE the smell of them baking!!!

-Grainlady
althetrainer
16 years ago
OK, Annie, I admit... you had me at peanut butter! LOL Al
Terri_PacNW
16 years ago
I make English muffins almost every week.

I have found in my endeavors that a wet batter gives you more "holes" in the final product.

My recipe is very simple, and subbing more than 1/2c of AP for a different grain will make very heavy muffins.

I hand form them..I went out and bought rings..but they were such a pain..You just form balls in your hand, and pat them into corn meal on both sides, then set on a sheet to rise..when you put them in the pan, they will flatten out to the right shape when you flip them over to the second side.

The recipe I use is:

English Muffins

1 c warm milk
1/4 c warm water
1/2 T of sugar or honey
2 1/4 t of yeast
1 t salt
2 T butter
3 cups of flour

I "proof" the yeast in the sugar/honey with the water..Don't have to, just do...
Then I add in the milk and butter, give the mixer a few turns, toss in the salt and 2 cups of flour. Get a good smooth batter, then add the last cup of flour..It will be sticky. Put out on a lightly floured board/counter and knead until it's not sticky, but still soft. Let rise to double plus a bit, and then hand form into 12-13 muffins.

If you use rings you can spoon the batter into a proofing bowl, and then back out into the rings...let rise and go from there..
colleenoz
16 years ago
Lars, crumpets are supposed to be rubbery untoasted :-) I can't imagine anyone eating an untoasted crumpet :-P
A memory regarding Engligh muffins and crumpets: when I visited my Mom overnight invariably she would ask if I wanted an English muffin for breakfast. I quite like them, so would say yes, only to find she actually meant a crumpet. I'm not that nuts about crumpets, so after the first couple of times I learned to decline with thanks...
rachelellen
Original Author
16 years ago
Well, I guess I'll just have to try again. So many different recipes and methods! My batter was pretty darn wet, so I can't imagine cutting it into any shape or even rolling it into balls in my hands. I do wonder if maybe I didn't beat it enough. The recipe was rather vague on that score, and the batter very sticky and hard to beat with a spoon, but too darn sticky and hard to beat for an electric mixer, which the recipe suggested (at least, for mine...not having one of those counter-top, muscle man mixers.)

Anyway, as I write this, I'm munching on another...half spread with butter and half with peanie bunkle & jam, and it's a bit better than the first. Maybe aging (going a bit stale) helps, I know toast is better if the bread isn't fresh.
jakkom
16 years ago
English muffins - another American invention that is neither English, nor a muffin. LOL!

I stick with the commercial brands - we like Orowheat's Extra Crisp. I tried the whole wheat versions from different vendors but they're too soft and never really crisp up nicely.

But crumpets - ah, that's a whole 'nother beastie! Fresh off the griddle, dripping with melted butter, spread with homemade lemon curd and Devonshire cream...bliss! There used to be a shop that made homemade crumpets, not far from us. We were crushed when it finally closed down. The commercial variety is tolerable, but never as good.
Islay_Corbel
16 years ago
Hi, again! Something I can help with too, being English.

Crumpets have holes in the top. You DON'T split them before toasting, and you never put cream on them.

The recipe Lindac posted is great, but they're way too thick. You need ONE tbs of batter in each ring not three. Cook for 4 to 5 mins on the first side, flip then one minute on the other side. They should be lovely and crunchy with a soft middle and spread with lots of lovely dripping butter! Bye bye Weightwatchers!.

Muffins are definitely English.
1lb strong flour
1 tsp salt
8 fl oz (225ml) milk
2 fl oz (55ml) water
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp yeast
a little lard for the griddle

Heat milk and water until warm add sugar and yeast. leave 10 mins until frothy.
Sift flour and salt into bowl, pour yeast mix in and mix to a soft dough. It should leave the sides of the bowl cleanly. If it seems too sticky, add a little more flour/if too dry, a little more water.
Knead for about 10 mins until very smooth and elastic.Leave to double in size (45 mins)
Roll out 1cm (1/2 inch) thick. USe 3" cutte, sprinkle with flour and leave to rise again for about 35 mins.

To cook, either bake in a very hot oven, or griddle over a medium heat for about 7 mins on each side.

To serve, split and toast. NO cream here either!

Cream is reserved for scones. If you're in Devon, you put Devonshire cream THEN jam on the scone.

If you're in Cornwall then you put jam THEN CLOTTED CREAM on top. Certainly the superior way to go!
annie1992
16 years ago
Thank you, islay. If I ever get to England I will ask for a scone with jam and clotted cream!

Annie

English Muffins

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