When we are out of homemade bread in the USA during our visit, the best option is English muffins. We are really Blessed in Sweden when it comes to the variety of good bread, this is not really the case in the USA in general. You do not even need to have an oven to make these wonderful muffins. The following recipe is enough for 6 muffins, depending on how large you make them. The shape I cut out muffins with is 8 cm in diameter (3 inches). If you use larger shapes you get fewer muffins.
When we came back from the USA in February, I decided to bake English muffins, they are so wonderful to have for breakfast.
As usual, I did quite a lot of research when it came to recipes – I fell for a recipe from the BBC. The BBC assumes that everyone can all the tricks in baking!
You can actually mix everything in a bowl except for the liquid. Measure the temperature of the liquid, it should be 37 degrees.
Ingredients for 6 – 8 pieces
300 grams of flour
15 grams (1.5 tbsp) of sugar
6 grams of salt (0.5 tbsp)
6 grams of yeast
15 grams of soft butter
1 medium-sized egg
1.7 dl of milk
15 grams of semolina
Oil to lubricate the bowl (I lightly flour the bowl instead)
Method:
- Measure all ingredients.
- Mix flour, sugar, salt in a bowl.
- Melt the butter and mix in the milk. The liquid should be 37 degrees Celsius or 98,6 Fahrenheit.
- When the liquid has reached 37 degrees Celsius (or 98,6 Fahrenheit), mix in the yeast and stir until the yeast has dissolved.
- Mix in the egg and the liquid in the bowl and stir with a ladle.
- Pour the dough on your kitchen counter and knead by hand for about 10 minutes until you get a stretchy and smooth dough.
- Cover and let it rest in a draft-free place for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Take out a large oven plate, put on a parchment paper. Sprinkle with semolina.
- Pick up the dough on the baking table, roll it out 2.5 cm thick (1 inch
- Put the bread in the oven mold and sprinkle with semolina. Cover and allow to rest for an additional 30 minutes.
- Preheat a heavy frying pan (preferably iron frying pan) on very low heat (I use some butter as well).
- Melt the butter and then grill the muffin about 5-6 minutes, then turn and grill for another 5-6 minutes on the other side. My plate has 9 degrees and I use the 3rd for 12 minutes for each side.
You can even bake the muffins in the oven (160 degrees Celsius or 320 degrees Fahrenheit) for 10 minutes to make sure that they are done.
Freeze in and you have freshly baked muffins every morning!
I cut the muffin in the middle and pack them individually in plastic wrap before I put it in the freezer. Heat it in the oven for about 5 minutes (150 degrees Celsius or 302 degrees Fahrenheit). Or toast the bread, it is really a matter of taste.
Enjoy!
