Simple and Amazing English Muffins!

Let me tell you about two things I do not possess. I do not have high confidence in my baking skills involving yeast, and I also have literally no patience. A baked good that takes multiple days to make is totally not my jam. Heck, even a recipe that takes a few hours and multiple kneads will lose my interest! I hate to admit it, but I am one of those millennials who appreciates instant gratification, even when referring to things coming out of my oven 😂

That is why this recipe calls to me… only a single hour initial rise and about 5 minutes of kneading. It is something I can accomplish in a single evening after I get off work, and that is something I can surely handle. If that still sounds like a lot to you, what I would suggest is adding the bread baking to your routine, once you work it in it won’t seem that bad! I will proof my yeast and mix my ingredients right after work. Then during my long rise I will cook dinner – typically by the time we are done eating it’s time to break the bread up and do the last rise, during which I clear the table and load the dishwasher… then 15 minutes or less of cooking and these are done!

If this still sounds like a lot to you, let me tell you why we are so in to doing all our own scratch baking. The reason is that it is so darn adorable!! You can pick up a 10 LB bag of flour at Costco for $5. 10 LBS of flour will last us anywhere from 4-6 months, and this $5 bag covers basically every carb we eat. As a family of 5 we typically go through 2 loaves of bread, a pack of flour tortillas, a dozen muffins or other baked breakfast bread… then maybe add two pizzas and a cake for a birthday once a month… this bag of flour provides us all that for 6 MONTHS in a row! Yes of course all these recipes require yeast, some sugar and butter or oil, but when it comes down to it we are talking about making bread for pennies, compared to $4-$5 for a nice loaf (no the air fluffed super processed chemical ridden Wonder Bread doesn’t count!). It is a very affordable way to live, not to mention, sustainable, eliminating all those bread bags, pasta boxes, plastic muffin cartons, and so on.

Okay, I know everyone hates blathering in recipe posts, so here we go, on to the real thing!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
• 2 Tablespoons melted butter (can sub with 2 Tablespoons oil for vegan if desired)
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups flour (plus more for kneading)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• cornmeal for dusting

DIRECTIONS:

Pour warm water into a large bowl. If possible, use a cooking thermometer to check your water temperature to assure it is ideal for your yeast (110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit maximum). Use a fork to whisk in your sugar until dissolved then add yeast, whisking briefly again. Let sit and foam for 10 minutes in a warm area.

Add in melted butter, flour, salt and stir again with your fork, or a spatula. Start with 3 cups of flour and add more from there until the dough is a good consistency (not sticky). Once combined, drop your dough on a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, while adding as much flour as needed to prevent it from sticking.

Shape the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let set in a warm to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Once dough has doubled, lay down a piece of parchment paper and dust with a few tablespoons of cornmeal. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 10 equal pieces (to keep them as evenly-sized as possible, I usually split the dough in half, then divide each half into 5 pieces). Shape each piece in to a ball, and place the ball onto the prepared parchment paper and press delicately into a flattish rounds. Sprinkle more cornmeal over the tops of the rolls, cover again with your tea towel, and allow them one last 20-minute rise.

Heat a large frying pan or skillet and grease with cooking spray. I have made them on both cooking surfaces, and found a cast iron skillet will get you a darker crispier exterior, while using a large skillet cook top will leave you a little more soft and golden. There is no right answer, just whichever you prefer! Cook the muffins in batches of 2-3 at a time. Cook the first side on low for about 9 minutes, until the bottom is golden, and the top starts looking a little more formed (less like uncooked dough, a little more firm). Flip and cook about 5 more minutes, again until the surface is nice and golden-brown and appears toasted.

I love to enjoy these warm with butter, peanut butter, or jam! They of course make fantastic little sandwiches too (breakfast ones with egg and cheese are my favorite). They will keep for a week easily in the refridgerator, but I have found they typically disappear much faster than that in our household. Enjoy!

X.O. – Abbey Co.

*Disclaimer* I am an Amazon affiliate and get a tiny kickback if you purchase anything from my links… I only share things that I use and love, and it is just a small avenue for me to earn money to support my blog as I go.

This skillet below is the one that I used that made my muffins super golden. We use it for all sorts of things and even bring it camping with us – it was a great and affordable purchase! You can click the image if you want more info. Thanks for reading!