Two weeks ago, I was on a mission to make homemade English muffins. Many of you have been inquiring about the griddle which is coming soon, but for these, we don't really need a grease channel, so I placed my ¼" Baking Steel on my stovetop instead. There are a lot of English muffin recipes out there in google universe. Initially, I didn't follow my own instinct and I ended up with some flavorless English muffins. Live and learn. One thing we have learned with pizza dough, is that you need to plan ahead. A slow, cold ferment is needed to develop amazing and complex flavors. The same rules apply to our English muffins. So for my next batch, I applied this technique and let my dough sit in the fridge for 3 days. And as they say, the second time's a charm. The official ruling came from my son Cooper who gave the 2nd round a thumbs up and proceeded to devour the entire batch.
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients
445 Grams All Purpose Flour or 3 1/2 cups
236 Grams water or 1 cup
15 grams sugar or 1 tablespoon
57 grams milk or 1/4 cup
2 grams ady yeast
27.5 grams butter or 2 tablespoons
15 grams salt or 1 tablespoon
a bunch of semolina flour for coating
Procedure
1. combine all ingredients in your mixing bowl, excpet the semolina
2. mix on low speed until a smooth ball of dough is formed, about 5 minutes or mix by hand
3. place dough mixture into a new bowl that has been lightly oiled, cover with plastic rap and place in the fridge for 2-3 days. If you can't wait, allow to sit in fridge for 2-3 hours.
4. remove from fridge and let sit at room temperature for about an hour. Place your Baking Steel on top of your burners, heat on medium or about 325 F. It helps to have one of these. spray or lighly oil the steel with canola oil. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 F.
5. remove dough and divide into 85 gram dough balls.
6. grab a sheet tray and dust with semolina flour, place dough balls on sheet tray and cover both sides with semolina
7. carefully cover with plastic wrap, make sure semolina flour is evident on both sides to prevent plastic wrap from sticking. allow to rise or rest at room temp for an hour.
8. place the rounds on your hot Baking Steel and cook 5 minutes
9. turn over and press using the back of a spatula to flatten, very lightly.
10. cook alternate side for 5 minutes, remove and place on a sheet tray and place in the oven. Bake for an additional 7 minutes. Grab your thermometer and place in the center. You want to the thermometer to register about 200 F.
11. remove and place on cooling rack until they reach room temp.
12. to split english muffins, jab with a fork along the center. go all the way around.
Enjoy,
Andris
