Easy English Muffins
- Carbohydrate 37.3689501041666 g
- Cholesterol 2.44 mg
- Fat 1.08055375 g
- Fiber 1.35915627235174 g
- Protein 6.016934375 g
- Saturated Fat 0.458705625 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (78g)
- Sodium 159.009598958328 mg
- Sugar 36.0097938318148 g
- Trans Fat 0.183021875 g
- Calories 187 calories
Step-by-step
- Mix water and yeast, let rest for about ten minutes making sure the yeast foams and is active.
- After yeast foams, add all of the rest of the ingredients, starting with about 4 cups of flour and, start mixing (if you have a mixer, use your dough hook, if doing it by hand, you will need to start with 5 cups of flour).
- Add flour a little at a time until you have a fairly stiff smooth dough. Take the dough on a lightly floured surface and start dividing it in halves. Ultimately you want 16 small little equal sized dough pieces.
- Place a piece of parchment paper (or silicon mat) on the bottom of a cookie sheet. Roll and shape each of the small dough pieces into a round ball, and place on the cookies sheet, leaving enough room for them to spread out (I choose a 2 x 4 pattern, so they were laid out as follows): 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
- Then place a sheet of parchment paper on top of them, and place an empty cookie sheet on top of them, giving a little push to flatten out the top of the english muffins, but don't squish them too thin. As they rise, the sheet will press down and make it so they rise out into an english muffin shape.
- Let them rise until muffin sized (about 1.5 - 2 hours) and then bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for ~15 minutes. Leave the cookie sheet on top of the english muffins while baking, this helps them keep they're shape and stops them from browning too much (you don't want them very brown since they need to be toasted).
Why is the dough sticking to the counter instead of forming smooth rounds? Water temperature dictates success right from the start, requiring liquid that registers precisely like a baby bottle at roughly 100 degrees Fahrenheit to activate the yeast without killing it. Controlling flour absorption keeps costs low and texture right.
- Substitute tap water with leftover potato water at a one-to-one ratio to feed the yeast extra starches for a softer crumb.
- Add the flour gradually, holding back one cup until kneading reveals if the humidity requires the full five to six cups.
- Maintain the oven temperature at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, keeping the top sheet resting directly on the dough during the fifteen-minute bake to prevent excessive browning.
- Allow the active dry yeast to foam for ten minutes before mixing to confirm viability and avoid wasting dry goods.
- Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days or freeze them immediately.
Overworking the divided dough pieces creates tough bread rather than tender English muffins. Splitting the mass into sixteen equal portions ensures uniform baking times across the cookie sheet.
