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Prep Time: 300 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes |
Ready In: 330 Minutes Servings: 16 |
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Homemade English Muffins! Oh boy! Never again be fobbed off with those little white sponges sold in grocery stores. I have called for whole wheat flour because that is what I use, but you can certainly use all or part hard unbleached (white) flour. The ascorbic acid (Vitamin C powder) is available in bulk food stores, but you will not need it unless your flour is organic, and does not have dough conditioners added. Don't be put off by the length of the instructions, these are really quite easy. You can even make the dough in your bread machine. Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups milk |
1 tablespoon butter |
1 egg |
3 3/4 cups hard whole wheat flour |
1/4 cup gluten flour |
2 teaspoons yeast |
1 teaspoon salt |
1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid (optional) |
1 tablespoon vegetable oil |
Directions:
1. Heat the milk and butter to blood temperature.
2. Test a drop on your wrist- it should feel barely warm.
3. Beat in the egg.
4. Dissolve the yeast in the milk mixture.
5. Measure the flour into a bowl and stir in the salt.
6. Make a well in the middle and pour in the milk mixture.
7. Mix well.
8. Turn out the dough and knead it until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
9. Put the dough back into a clean, oiled bowl and turn it over (so it is coated in the oil.) Cover it with a damp teatowel and let it rise for about 2 hours, until doubled in volume.
10. Punch it down, then turn it out and roll it into a cylinder, about 1 1/2 in diameter.
11. Cut it into 16 equal slices.
12. They should be 1/2 thick; flatten them slightly if required.
13. Arrange these on an oiled cookie sheet or on waxed paper.
14. Cover them with the damp towel and let rise another 2 hours, until doubled in size again.
15. Bake them in a heavy, ungreased, cast iron skillet at a temperature just slightly lower than for pancakes.
16. (Medium-low heat.) They should be lightly browned.
17. Turn them once, and bake the other side.
18. Each side should take 3 to 5 minutes.
19. To serve the muffins, they should be split and toasted.
20. (They will be just barely cooked in the middle otherwise.) These can also be made in a bread machine on the dough cycle.
21. Put the wet ingredients in first, and follow with the dry ingredients.
22. Run the dough cycle.
23. Let rise for the first time, then follow the instructions above from that point, step ten.
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