Best English Muffins From Scratch Recipes

ENGLISH MUFFINS

Steps:

• Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine the milk, yeast mixture, shortening and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add salt and rest of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise.
• Punch down. Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut rounds with biscuit cutter, drinking glass, or empty tuna can. Sprinkle waxed paper with cornmeal and set the rounds on this to rise. Dust tops of muffins with cornmeal also. Cover and let rise 1/2 hour.
• Heat greased griddle. Cook muffins on griddle about 10 minutes on each side on medium heat. Keep baked muffins in a warm oven until all have been cooked. Allow to cool and place in plastic bags for storage. To use, split and toast. Great with orange butter, or cream cheese and jam.

ENGLISH MUFFINS FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• 1. Warm the milk to scalding in a small saucepan until it bubbles (150 degrees) Add the sugar and mix until dissolved. Allow to cool until lukewarm.
• 2. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water ( 110 degrees) I add a pinch of flour and a pinch of sugar to feed the yeast. It will bubble away. Give it about 10 minutes to bubble.
• 3. In a mixer or large bowl, combine the milk,yeast mixture,melted shortening and 3 cups of the flour. Beast until smooth. Add the rest of the flour and the salt. Knead the dough. Place in a greased bowl,cover and let rise until doubled. (About 1 1/2 hours)
• 4. Punch down dough. DO NOT over work the dough! I simply use a rolling pin and roll out to about a 1/2 inch thickness. Cut the muffins out with a biscuit cutter,drinking glass or an empty clean can. At this point, if you have the muffin forms, you can put the rounds directly into the forms that rest in the frying pans.. This is not necessary, but if you have the forms, they are beautifully even. See the pictures....I did some with the forms and some just by cutting, and they are equally just fine.
• 5. Prepare your frying pans. If using the forms, place them in the frying pans that are lightly coated with cornmeal. Place your slices of dough into the forms and sprinkle a little cornmeal on top of them as well.. Let them rise for 40 minutes, or until they rise to the top of the forms.
• 6. If you do not have the forms: Place your slices of dough onto a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper and sprinkled with cornmeal.Lightly sprinkle cornmeal on top of the rounds as well. Let rise 40 minutes, and then add them to the pans that are lightly sprinkled with cornmeal.
• 7. Either with the forms or not; Place the rounds in the frying pans that have a sprinkling of cornmeal on the bottom and turn the heat to a low/medium. Fry them for 5 minutes and check them by peeking underneath. Flip them and fry for an additional 5 minutes.
• 8. Let cool on wire racks. DO not cut these with a knife. You want to split them with a fork. Poke the fork all the way around the middle of the muffins, and then gently tear apart. This will keep all the nooks and crannies nice. :)

EASY ENGLISH MUFFINS

Steps:

• Place 1/4 cup flour, yeast, and 1/2 cup water in a mixing bowl. Whisk together and set aside for about 10 minutes to see if thin layer of foam develops to ensure yeast is active. Drizzle in vegetable oil; add salt, egg white, remaining 1 3/4 cup flour, and remaining 1/4 cup warm water. Mix together until dough is very wet and sticky. Cover. Set in a warm spot and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
• Pull dough gently from sides of bowl, stirring slightly, and turn out onto a well-floured rolling surface. Work in just enough flour until dough is easily handled and can be cut into 6 pieces, about 1 minute. Cut dough into 6 equal portions. Form a seamless ball of dough, adding a pinch of flour to keep it from sticking. Flatten to make thick disks. Transfer dough onto a lined baking sheet sprinkled generously with cornmeal. Let rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Add clarified butter to skillet over medium heat. Carefully transfer muffin disks to skillet. Cook in batches to avoid overcrowding. Brown on one side, 5 or 6 minutes. Turn, and brown the other side, 5 or 6 minutes. Continue turning to get muffins evenly browned and cooked through, 7 or 8 minutes total per side. Transfer to a cooking rack and cool completely (this is key as you can't split the muffins unless they are cooled).
• Split cooled muffins with a fork, inserting tines all the way around edges so the 2 sides can be pulled apart. Toast and serve with jam.

WONDERFUL ENGLISH MUFFINS

Steps:

• Scald milk in a saucepan; add butter, sugar and salt. Stir until butter melts; cool to lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water; add to milk mixture. Stir in all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour until smooth. Add sesame seeds, poppy seeds and enough remaining whole wheat flour to make a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Roll to 1/3-in. thickness on a cornmeal-covered surface. Cut into circles with a 3-1/2-in. or 4-in. cutter; cover with a towel and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes., Place muffins, cornmeal side down, in a greased skillet; cook over medium-low heat for 12-14 minutes or until bottoms are browned. Turn and cook about 12-14 minutes or until browned. Cool on wire racks; split and toast to serve.

ENGLISH MUFFINS

Steps:

• In a bowl combine the powdered milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, shortening, and hot water, stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Let cool. In a separate bowl combine the yeast and 1/8 teaspoon of sugar in 1/3 cup of warm water and rest until yeast has dissolved. Add this to the dry milk mixture. Add the sifted flour and beat thoroughly with wooden spoon. Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the griddle to 300 degrees F.
• Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt to mixture and beat thoroughly. Place metal rings onto the griddle and coat lightly with vegetable spray. Using #20 ice cream scoop, place 2 scoops into each ring and cover with a pot lid or cookie sheet and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the lid and flip rings using tongs. Cover with the lid and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a cooling rack, remove rings and cool. Split with fork and serve.