I’m not sure why I started buying English Muffins. Maybe it was the memory of that chewy toast that seemed just the right size for breakfast. Maybe it was just that they were on sale. I’d been buying them regularly for a couple months when I stumbled across this recipe on NYT. The whole wheat was what caught my eye. I felt like the majority of store bought English Muffins tasted the same, and were just a vehicle. The idea of a hearty little roll-substitute sounded great.
Adapted from NYT
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon/4 grams baking soda
Cornmeal, preferably coarse, as needed.
In small bowl, pour ⅓ cup warm water (not hot) over yeast and mix with a fork or whisk. Let sit for at least 5 minutes, until yeast dissolves and mixture is fragrant and opaque.
In
medium sized bowl, mix together yogurt, buttermilk, olive oil, maple syrup and salt, until completely combined.
Sift together flours and baking soda.
Mix yeast mixture into wet ingredients until combined.
Add dry ingredients (all at once is fine) and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. If you’re having trouble incorporating all the flour, it may be easier to use your hands and give the dough a few kneads, but no need to shape it or over knead!
Cover bowl with plastic wrap (or a towel, but I think the seal of plastic wrap helps quicken the rise and leave for about an hour and a half.
When dough has about doubled and feels airy and soft to the touch, preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper covered with a sprinkle of cornmeal. Heat a large cast-iron skillet to medium heat.
I like to use a ¼ measuring cup with some oil on it so the dough will slide off. Scoop up a relatively even cup of dough and drop onto the skillet. Repeat 3-5 times depending on the size of your skillet. With the tips of your fingers (also oiled!) gently spread the drops of dough into disks, but don’t flatten them completely. The temp should be medium high, set time for 1 minute and put lid on skillet. When the minute passes, turn the temp to medium low and set the timer for 3 minutes. When a total of about 4 minutes has passed (1 minute medium high, 3 medium low) flip each muffin and repeat. Cover, 1 minute at medium high, 3 at medium low. When finished arrange on prepared pan and repeat process until you’ve made 10 muffins.
Bake for 10 minutes at 350F.
Let cool at least 5 minutes as muffins continue to bake (and are super hot inside!) Cut open and eat, or toast to get even more crunch.
For storage, cool completely and toss in a plastic bag. Good for at least 5 days, but they haven’t lasted that long in my apartment.
Serving size: 1 muffin (if you can!): about 135 cal, 4.1g Total Fat, 4mg Cholest, 31mg Sodium, 20.2 Carb, 2.6g Fiber, 2.7g Sugar, 5g Protein.
