English Muffins

Nic and I are breakfast people through and through. Anytime of day is good for any type of breakfast. English muffins with jam happen to be one of our favorite quick bites. Thomas muffins were our favorite until one day I decided to see if I could make them myself. It wasn't the cost but the desire to make them myself. I know, I know...I'm strange like that.

Once I use a couple more cans of crushed tomatoes, I'll have the rings I would like to use for another recipe. :-) I'll post that one once I try it. This is the recipe that I've been making lately. Courtesy of KingArthurFlour.com.

English Muffins English muffins are amongst the most popular breakfast foods. Quick and easy to eat, they can be as simple as a muffin-with-jam to all-dressed-up with ham, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce for an elegant eggs Benedict. 1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) milk, warm 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) butter 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) granulated sugar 1 large egg, lightly beaten 4 to 4 1/4 cups (17 to 18 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour 2 teaspoons instant yeast Place the ingredients in the pan of your bread machine following the manufacturer's instructions. Use the "dough" or "manual" setting. After the cycle is complete, transfer the dough to a cornmeal-sprinkled surface and roll it out until it's about 1/2-inch thick. Cut out circles with a floured 3-inch cutter. Re-roll and cut out the leftover dough. Cover the muffins with a damp cloth and let rest for about 20 minutes. Heat a frying pan or griddle to very low heat. Do not grease, but sprinkle with cornmeal. Cook four muffins at a time, cornmeal side down first, for about 7 minutes a side. Check after about 3 to 4 minutes to see that the muffins are browning gently and are neither too dark nor too light; if they seem to be cooking either too fast or too slowly, adjust the temperature of your pan or griddle. When the muffins are brown on both sides, transfer them to a wire rack to cool, and proceed with the rest. If you have two frying pans (or a large griddle), you'll be better able to keep up with your rising muffins. Yield: 16 muffins. Nutrition information per serving (1 whole muffin, 2 halves, 59g): 140 cal, 3g fat, 4g protein, 23g complex carbohydrates, 1g sugar, 1g dietary fiber, 24mg cholesterol, 194mg sodium, 78mg potassium, 38RE vitamin A, 1mg iron, 77mg calcium, 55mg phosphorus. ©2007 The King Arthur Flour Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

They were super easy and delicious!


I also didn't use a cutter...I just used one of my larger glasses. I dipped it in flour each time to make sure it didn't stick.


This particular time, I had my griddle set to 300. It took about 15 minutes on the first side...

I did notice that I had to leave them on the griddle longer than the recipe called for but that could be that my griddle is getting old and doesn't heat as evenly as it used to. It also might be that I like mine a little more brown than store bought.

...and 10-12 minutes on the second side.

I love the flipping part. You can see the little pillow of goodness sink into the warm griddle. Try it, you'll see.

Since you probably wont be able to fit all of your muffins on the griddle at the same time, start round 2! :-)

It's important that you split the muffin properly so that you can utilize all of those nooks and crannies we've just worked so hard to get. Not just any knife or even the worlds greatest bread knife will do. You must use a fork! Go all the way around the edge. No wiggling, or sliding. Just poke in a straight line all the way around.

Then split when you've come to where you started.

As I was saying before, this is best toasted with your favorite jam. As I was making these, I went to the basement to grab another jar of my homemade jam only to realize that it's my last pint!
Let's get a closer look. Mmmmm......

I guess you'll be seeing the recipe for that soon too! Stay tuned as strawberry and blueberry season season is just around the corner!