30 Things to Make Before I Turn 30: English Muffins

My 30th birthday is one week away - EEEK! English Muffins were probably one of the most intimidating items on my list of 30 Things to Make Before I Turn 30. I love English Muffins, but am not a baker! However, I have come to realize over the past year that baked goods are really not that difficult, just more time consuming and laborious. These English Muffins were no exception. They took several hours and lots of steps, but overall were not hard to make. I am really pleased with how they turned out and the fact that I will have fresh, homemade English Muffins for breakfast all week. I finished them in the afternoon, so topped my first one with a cream cheese and olive spread. I am really looking forward to topping them with eggs for breakfast. Yum!

Homemade English Muffins
From Kitchen M
Makes 8 - 10 English Muffins
Printable Version


Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons dry active yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 reduced fat buttermilk
1 - 2 tablespoon water
Extra flour and cornmeal for dusting
Cooking oil (I used vegetable oil)

Directions
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients (whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, active dry yeast, salt, and baking soda) and mix well. 

Add buttermilk and water and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture starts forming into dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth, soft, and pliable. If the dough is too wet, add a little bit of flour. If it is too dry, add a little more water. Transfer the dough to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

Sprinkle a large flat platter or a couple flat plates with cornmeal. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch. Cut the dough into 3 inch circles. I used a glass, but you could also use a 3" round cookie cutter. 

Place the circles onto the plates. Avoid working with the dough too much because it will get tough. You can gather the scrap pieces and combine to create more circles, but do not do this more than one time. Sprinkle cornmeal on top and allow to rest for 50 minutes.

Brush a large flat skillet with cooking oil. Heat to medium and place the muffins on the griddle so they are not touching. Cook on each side for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and repeat the procedure on each side for 2 more minutes each. Remove from heat and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes.