{"id":3003,"date":"2019-03-27T04:57:55","date_gmt":"2019-03-27T04:57:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simpletasty.recipes\/?p=3003"},"modified":"2019-12-06T12:19:59","modified_gmt":"2019-12-06T12:19:59","slug":"10-tips-for-making-an-english-muffin-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simpletasty.recipes\/10-tips-for-making-an-english-muffin-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Tips for Making an English Muffin at Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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English muffins, despite the name, are not actually English. They were created during the late 1800s in New York City by a man named Samuel Thomas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The English muffin was modeled from the crumpet, which is an English bread product. English muffins were first called toaster crumpets and were made to be placed in the toaster and eaten with butter, jam, honey, or a combination of these toppings. English muffins can be used to create many different dishes such as pizza burgers or other types of sandwiches. Making your own English muffins is not that difficult and when done right they will taste so much better than the store-bought versions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have the basics of making regular bread down, making English muffins is not that much more difficult. Here are some tips for creating perfect English muffins at home from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Basic Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To start making English muffins it is important to have the basic ingredients on hand. Flour and yeast are the two main ingredients that are needed in order to make English muffins. You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour. Instant yeast is the easiest to use, but you can use active dry yeast as well. Just make sure that you activate the yeast for about ten to 15 minutes before making your muffin mix. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other ingredients that you will need in order to make the perfect English muffin include salt, whole milk, water, melted butter, and sugar. The milk and the water will need to be at room temperature when making the mixture. Another ingredient found in many English muffins is cornmeal. This is what will give the English muffin its classic texture. However, it is not necessary to use cornmeal if you do not happen to have any on hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Mixing the Dry Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you are making English muffins it is important to follow the directions carefully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dry ingredients in the recipe are extremely important. You want to make sure that you mix these dry ingredients very thoroughly. Start by putting the dry ingredients into a bowl. Use a fork or a whisk in order to fully mix the salt, flour, and yeast together. Make sure that the dry mix is well blended. If you do not mix these ingredients well, there is a chance that your English muffins may not all turn out the same. Consistency is key when it comes to making English muffins. There should be salt, yeast, and flour throughout the dough in order to ensure that they bake consistently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it may be tempting to mix all of the wet and dry ingredients together at once, this is not recommended as you want to make sure that each mixture is well blended. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. Mixing the Wet Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The next step is to mix the wet ingredients together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While sugar may seem like it belongs in the dry ingredient mixture, it actually should be mixed with the wet ingredients. The milk, water, sugar, and butter should be placed in a liquid measuring cup. If you do not have a liquid measuring cup, simply use a bowl instead. Make sure that you melt the butter beforehand so that it will easily mix with the water, milk, and sugar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you have placed all of the wet ingredients into your measuring cup, use a whisk to stir them together. You want to make sure that this mixture is well blended. A coil whisk or fork can be used, but a standard whisk will typically do the best job. You should whisk these ingredients for at least a few minutes so that they are well combined. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4. Mixing the Wet and Dry Ingredients Together<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The best way to fully combine the wet and the dry ingredients together is to use an electric mixer. The dough hook attachment for your electric mixer will work the best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Place the bowl of dry ingredients on the mixer stand and turn the speed to low. Slowly pour in the liquid ingredients. Continue to mix the ingredients together until they are well blended and form a dough. If you do a lot of baking, having a stand mixer is well worth the investment. If you currently do not own a mixer, or you do not have a dough hook, using a spatula to mix the ingredients together will work just fine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are mixing the dough by hand make sure that you are ready for a bit of a work out as you are going to need to stir the mixture continuously until everything is well incorporated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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5. Creating a Dough Ball<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After mixing all of the ingredients together until they are well incorporated, you will then want to increase the speed of the mixer to either medium or medium-low. Let the dough continue to mix together at a higher speed for several minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the dough is whipping around at a higher speed the sides of the mixing bowl should begin to clear off. The dough is considered to be well kneaded when there is no longer any of the dough left on the sides of the bowl. When the dough is well mixed it should be in the form of a ball in the mixing bowl. When this happens, turn the mixer off and remove the ball from the bowl. If you do not have a mixer, you will need to mix the dough by hand. You will need to knead the dough for about ten minutes or so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When finished the dough ball should be completely smooth and elastic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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6. Let it Rise<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the bowl that you mixed the dough in, add about a tsp of olive oil or another type of oil. Place the dough ball back inside the bowl and turn it around several times. Make sure that the entire dough ball is covered in the oil so that it does not end up sticking to the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dough ball is ready when it has doubled in size. The rising process will typically take about an hour and a half for up to two hours. This time frame is pretty forgiving. You should wait a minimum of an hour before using the dough. About 3 hours is the maximum time to wait before beginning the process of making your muffins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waiting the right amount of time for the dough to rise is important as this is what will provide your English muffins with the texture that you desire for your perfect muffins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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7. Cutting the Dough<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once your English muffin dough has doubled in size, it is time to cut it. In order to cut the dough you will want to use a baking mat. If you do not have a baking mat, you can simply use your kitchen counter or a cutting board. Before you place your dough on the baking mat, you will want to make sure that you sprinkle the surface generously with flour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you have sprinkled the surface with flour, turn your dough onto the surface. Split the dough ball into quarters. You will work with one-quarter of the dough at a time. Take the first piece and split it into thirds. Roll these pieces into balls by gently rolling the piece in your hands until it is smooth and perfectly round. Once it is round, place the dough balls onto a prepared baking sheet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Repeat the process with the rest of the dough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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8. Refrigerate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The large dough ball should make 12 smaller balls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you are cutting the dough and rolling it into smaller balls, try to keep them roughly the same size. They do not have to be completely perfect and uniform, but they should all be roughly the same size. Once you have placed each of the dough balls on the baking sheet you will want to wrap them in plastic wrap. Once they are wrapped, place another baking sheet on top of them. This will help to flatten the dough balls and provide them with the classic English muffin look. Let the muffins sit on the counter for thirty minutes up to an hour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After they have rested, place the baking sheet in your refrigerator and leave them in there for at least 12 and up to 24 hours. The muffins will cook the same no matter how long they are refrigerated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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9. Ready to Cook<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you are ready to cook your English muffins you will want to pull the dough from the refrigerator about thirty minutes beforehand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will need to let the dough rest for about thirty minutes so that the dough comes up to about room temperature. There are several ways to cook this dough. You can cook the English muffins in a skillet on the stove, or bake them in the oven. No matter how you are going to cook them it is important to make sure that the dough is warm enough before you start the baking process. If the dough is too cold when you start, the English muffins are not going to cook as well. You also want to make sure that you do not let them sit out for too long. If you do they will start to rise and they will not bake properly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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10. Cooking English Muffins<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The best way to cook an English muffin is to cook them on the stovetop first and then place them in the oven to finish. Make sure that you grease the skillet that you are going to use with some butter or cooking spray before you add the dough to it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use low heat and then add the dough to the skillet. Cook each side of the muffin for one or two minutes or until the dough begins to turn a golden brown. Make sure that you keep an eye on them the entire time as it does not take much time for the muffin dough to burn. Lift them up with a spatula about every 30 seconds to check on them. Once you have cooked each of the muffins on each side, place them onto a baking sheet and then bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about twelve minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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