Close enough to Thomas
Grandpa’s Comments:
While not EXACTLY like Thomas’s English Muffins, these are close enough that I bought ten rings from Amazon and will not go back to the more expensive commercial product. This recipe produces a slightly better muffin than the recipe above, but is a bit more work.
INGREDIENTS
- FIRST MIX
- 1/2 cup non-fat powdered milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 tablespoon butter or shortening
- 1 cup hot water – nearly boiling
- SECOND MIX
- 2 TBL dry yeast
- 1 TBL sugar
- 1/3 cup warm water
- THIRD MIX
- 1 C all-purpose flour – sifted
- 1/2 C spelt flour – sifted
- 1/2 C whole wheat flour – sifted
- Non-stick vegetable spray and oil for brushing
- 1 egg – beaten
STEP BY STEP
- FIRST MIX: In a glass bowl combine the powdered milk, 1 tsp sugar, salt, shortening, and (nearly) boiling hot water; stir until the milk, sugar and salt are dissolved. Set aside to cool to 100 degrees or less
- SECOND MIX: In a separate glass bowl combine the yeast and tablespoon of sugar in 1/3 cup of warm water and rest until yeast has dissolved. Let proof for 5 minutes.
- THIRD MIX: After the milk mixture has cooled to 100 degrees or less, put it into your food processor or Kitchen Aid. Add your beaten egg, and start adding your sifted flours about 1/2 cup at a time. Beat until incorporated, then add more flour. Your target is a soft wet dough. Thicker than pancake batter, but not as thick as bread dough.
- Cover the bowl and let it rise in the fridge overnight.
- The following morning, use a 2 ounce ice cream scoop to put into your greased rings. Let rise in a warm spot for 90 minutes (longer = more holes!).
We will be baking our muffins on a baking sheet in the oven. If you don’t have muffin rings, try wide-mouth canning lids or mini-tart rings. And if you don’t have those, try using tuna cans with the top and bottom removed!
- A small square of foil underneath each ring makes it easier to transfer to the hot skillet.
- Preheat the griddle to exactly 300 degrees. If you do not have an electric skillet, either get one or get an infrared thermometer at Thermoworks.com – This is where I got mine and I use it every single day. I cannot stress how critical temperature is in this recipe.
- Flip them onto an oiled skillet, and cook them with the foil on top until you are ready to turn them – then gently remove the foil
- COVER the skillet with its lid, and then cook for EXACTLY 5 minutes – they are easy to burn so set the timer.
- Use a tongs and remove the ring and the foil, then flip the muffin and cook for 5 more minutes.
ALTERNATELY BAKE IN THE OVEN AT 400º FOR 20-30 MINUTES. Cover with parchment paper for the first 15 minutes.
