ENGLISH MUFFINS

Every week, I make sure to bake at least one loaf for our Sunday brunch (we rarely eat bread during the week) as, without trying to sound pretentious, I prefer my creations to what can be found in bakeries or in stores. This leaves me the advantage of choosing the type of bread/recipe (white, wholewheat, rye, sourdough, sweet, savory, etc...) I want to put together, it gives me the opportunity to experiment with the craft of bread baking as well as to eat specialities from around the world and which simply cannot be found here...

As the summer brings us our share of stuffy, humid and sticky air and transforms the apartment into a sauna or tropical jungle, there was no way that, on this suffocatingly hot Thursday, I was going to put my oven on and chase away the only little ounce of freshness I was able to keep in my "rabbit box"!!!

So, I decided that I was going to use a frying pan/skillet in order to cook my bread. And that's the reason why I stumbled across Beth Hensperger's version of "English Muffins".

This speciality which is also called "Hot Muffin" or "Breakfast Muffin", and which is a yeast-leavened form of bread almost always dusted with cornmeal, can be found in North america, Australia, New Zealand and England.

"English Muffins" are generally eaten for breakfast, toasted and topped with butter and jam. They are also served for teatime and can be used to make sandwiches with meat, eggs and cheese or even hamburgers. Not to forget that they are the base ingredient in the traditional and famous New York dish, Eggs Benedict.

"Originally eaten by the "downstairs" servants in England's Victorian society, the English muffin surfaced and rose to prominence in Great Britain when members of all classes of society became aware of its goodness. The family baker made English muffins from leftover bread and biscuit dough scraps and mashed potatoes. He fried the batter on a hot griddle, creating light, crusty muffins for the servants. Once members of the "upstairs" family tasted these rich muffins, they began to request them for themselves - especially during teatime." - www.kitchenproject.com

I have made "English Muffins" a few times in the past, but never were they as good as Beth Hensperger's gorgeous little rolls. Her recipe gives great results and is so easy to follow!

Those delightful buns are quite addictive both in texture and taste. With their pillowy smoothness, soft, chewy inside and crispy edges, their perfect yeasty fragrance and toasty flavor, it is impossible not to succumb to that heavenly goodness.

This post is also for YeastSpotting.

~ Traditional English Muffins ~
Recipe adapted from Beth Hensperger's "The Bread Bible".

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup (60g) Warm water (40.5° C - 46° C/105 - 115° F)
1 Tbs (1 package/7g) Active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
4 to 4 1/2 Cups (510g to 575g) Unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tsps Salt
1 Large egg
1 1/4 Cup (300ml/g) Lukewarm milk
2 Tbs (30g) Unsalted butter, melted
Cornmeal (for dusting)

Method:
1. Combine the water, yeast, and a pinch of sugar in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Combine 2 cups of the flour and the salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in egg, milk, butter, and yeast mixture. Mix until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring in each time, until you have a soft dough that just clears the sides of the bowl.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes. Return the dough to a clean, greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
4. Sprinkle a work surface with cornmeal. Pour the dough out of the bowl and onto the surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with cornmeal and then roll the dough into a rectangle about 1.3 cm (1/2 inch) thick. Use a large round cookie cutter or an upside down drinking glass (2.5-3 inches/7-8 cm) to cut the muffins out of the dough.
5. Heat a large frying pan/skillet over medium heat. Place the muffins onto the skillet and let them cook for 5 minutes on each side.
6. Cool on a rack.

Remarks:
If using instant yeast, you can just mix the yeast in with the flour and ommit this first step and the sugar.
The muffins should be golden brown on each side.
Once the muffins are cooked through, they should sound hollow when tapped.

Serving suggestions:
Eat halved, toasted or not, with butter, jam, curd, cream cheese, cottage cheese, etc...
You can make sandwiches or hamburgers with them too.

***************

~ Muffins Anglais ~
Recette adaptée du livre "The Bread Bible" de Beth Hensperger.

Ingrédients:
1/4 de Tasse (60g) d'Eau tiède (41.5° C - 46° C)
1 CS (1 sachet/7g) de Levure sèche en granulés
Une pincée de sucre
4 à 4 1/2 Tasses (510g à 575g) de Farine blanche
2 CC de Sel
1 Gros oeuf
1 1/4 Tasse (300ml) de Lait tiède
2 CS (30g) de Beurre non-salé
Polenta fine ou farine de maïs jaune (pour saupoudrer les muffins)

Méthode:
1. Dans un petit bol, mélanger ensemble l'eau, la levure et la pincée de sucre et mettre de côté pendant 10 minutes afin que le mélange devienne mousseux.
2. Dans un grand bol, mélanger 2 tasses de farine avec le sel. Faire un puit et y verser l'oeuf, le lait, le beurre et le mélange levure/eau/sucre. Bien battre pendant 2 minutes avec un fouet afin d'obtenir un mélange crémeux. Ajouter le restant de farine 1/2 tasse à la fois, tout en incorporant la farine après chaque rajout, jusqu'à ce que vous obteniez une pâte souple et que les bords du bol soient propres.
3. Pétrir la pâte pendant 5 à 10 minutes. La remettre dans le bol (huilé) et couvrir avec un film plastique. Laisser lever pendant 90 minutes ou jusqu'à ce que la pâte ait doublé de volume.
4. Saupoudrer la surface de travail avec la farine de maïs. Sortir la pâte du bol et la saupoudrer avec de la farine de maïs, puis la rouler en un rectangle de 1.3 cm d'épaisseur. A l'aide d'un découpe biscuit/scone rond ou d'un verre de 7-8 cm de diamètre, découper la pâte afin d'obtenir des muffins.
5. A feu moyen, chauffer une poêle et l'huiler légèrement, puis déposer les muffins. Cuire les muffins 5 minutes de chaque côté.
6. Les laisser refroidir sur une grille.

Remarques:
Ces muffins doivent avoir une jolie couleur dorée.
Une fois que les muffins seront cuit, ils devront sonner creux.

Idées de présentation:
Mangez ces petits pains coupés en deux, toastés ou non, avec du beurre, de la confiture, du curd, du fromage frais (cream cheese), du cottage cheese, etc...
Vous pouvez aussi en faire des sandwiches ou des hamburgers.