Baking Essentials Oven Baked English Muffins Recipes

BAKING ESSENTIALS: OVEN-BAKED ENGLISH MUFFINS

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
• 3. Add the water and milk to a small saucepan, and heat up to 105f (40c).
• 4. Chef's Note: Alternately, you could use the microwave.
• 5. Remove from heat, stir in the sugar, add the yeast, and wait five minutes.
• 6. The milk/yeast mixture should begin to foam.
• 7. Chef's Note: This is called "proofing" the yeast. If the mixture fails to foam, it's dead. Give it a proper burial, get some good yeast, and start over.
• 8. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder to a food processor fitted with a dough hook, and whisk to combine.
• 9. Add the milk/yeast mixture, melted butter, and vinegar.
• 10. Allow the ingredients to mix at medium-high speed until thoroughly combined, about 1 - 2 minutes. You may need to scrape down the sides once or twice to get the flour fully incorporated into the wet ingredients.
• 11. Chef's Note: This will be a slightly wet dough.
• 12. Remove the bowl from the food processor, scrape the mixture to the center of the bowl, and cover.
• 13. Place the bowl in a non-drafty area of the kitchen and allow the dough to rise for about 60 minutes.
• 14. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• 15. Add some English muffin rings, and sprinkle the interiors with the semolina.
• 16. Divide the dough into 2 ounce (56g) portions, shape into balls, add a ball to each of the muffin rings, and gently push down into the ring.
• 17. Add a piece of parchment paper to the top of the rings.
• 18. Add a flat weight, like another baking sheet to the top, and allow the dough to rise for about 90 minutes.
• 19. Place a rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 400f (205c).
• 20. Place the baking pan, with the weight on top into the preheated oven, and allow them to bake for 15 minutes.
• 21. Remove the top weight, and the parchment paper, and then sprinkle the tops with some additional semolina.
• 22. Return to the oven, increase the heat to 420f (215c), and continue to bake until the tops turn a nice golden brown, about an addition 5 - 7 minutes.
• 23. Chef's Note: Remove from the oven, and let them cool for 10 minutes, before removing the rings.
• 24. PLATE/PRESENT
• 25. Fork split, or cut open with a serrated knife, and fill with your favorite goodies. Enjoy.
• 26. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
• 27. Chef's Tip: These will keep quite well in the fridge for a week, or for several months, if frozen.

TRADITIONAL ENGLISH MUFFINS

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat bread flour, warm milk, egg, butter, sugar, yeast, salt, and baking powder at low speed until combined. Switch to the dough hook attachment. With mixer on medium-low speed, beat until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in refrigerator overnight. (Alternatively, cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place [75°F/24°C] until doubled in size, about 1 hour.)
• In a small bowl, whisk together semolina flour and cornmeal. Sprinkle a layer of semolina mixture over a well-seasoned cast-iron griddle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle semolina mixture over prepared baking sheet. Butter 8 (3¾x1-inch) English muffin rings. For a small, single-burner griddle, place 4 rings on griddle; set aside remaining 4 rings. For a large, double-burner griddle, place all 8 rings on griddle.
• Let dough come to room temperature. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball, and roll each ball into a 3½-inch disk. Place 1 disk in each prepared muffin ring. Sprinkle tops lightly with semolina mixture. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) for 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Place griddle on stove, and heat over medium-low heat, allowing muffins to come to temperature with pan. Cook, moving pan around occasionally for even heat, until muffins are golden brown on bottom, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn muffins, and remove rings; cook until golden brown on both sides and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 190°F (88°C), about 5 minutes more. If muffins register below 190°F (88°C) but are golden brown, place on prepared baking sheet, and cover with foil.
• Bake for 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. If using a single-burner griddle, remove pan from heat, and allow to return to room temperature. Wipe pan clean, and sprinkle with remaining semolina mixture. Place remaining 4 muffins on griddle.
• Place griddle on stove, and heat over medium-low heat, allowing muffins to come to temperature with pan. Repeat procedure as directed. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

EASY HOMEMADE ENGLISH MUFFINS

Steps:

• In a bowl, stir to combine lukewarm water, lukewarm milk, and yeast. Set aside for 5 - 10 minutes for the yeast to react. In a separate bowl (or in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook), combine all-purpose flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and knead into an elastic dough using your hands or a stand mixer. When the dough is smooth, add the softened butter and continue to knead until there are no visible traces of butter left, and the dough is elastic and smooth. Leave the dough in a bowl, cover with cling film or kitchen cloth. Leave to proof at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
• Divide the dough into eight equal parts. Shape each piece of dough into a round ball, then gently press the ball down, to get a pattie shaped dough. Sprinkle a tray or a baking sheet with semolina. Place the English muffins on the tray with semolina, making sure there's some space between them, cover with cling film, and leave to proof at room temperature for about 45 - 50 minutes or until doubled in size. Feel free to place them in the fridge for 2 - 3 hours or overnight, if you plan on making them fresh for breakfast.
• Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F. Place a large cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add half of the English muffins. Work in batches, because the dough will rise when cooking. Cook covered with a lid for 3 minutes on each side to get a beautiful golden-brown exterior. Transfer the baked English muffins to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and repeat the process with the rest of the muffins.
• Transfer the baking sheet with the English muffins to the preheated oven on the middle rack. Bake for 6 - 8 minutes at 180 °C / 350 °F or until the interior is cooked through, and the exterior is still golden-brown and delicious. Transfer the baked muffins to a wire rack to cool, then serve at room temperature.