Authentic English muffins with a crispy exterior and soft, light crumb. Perfectly toasted and served with butter, jam, cheese, eggs, or your favourite sweet or savoury toppings.
Adapted from a video by John Kirkwood
English Muffins: You’ll never buy an English Muffin, Ever again!
warm milkif not using egg, add an extra 50 ml instead~200 mlest.
instant yeast~1½ tspest.
olive oil or butter~2 tbspest.
flour~330 gest.
salt~1 tspest.
Steps
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1
Add sugar to warm milk, crack in the egg and whisk well. Add the yeast and mix thoroughly, then set aside to activate. After 10 minutes you should see activity; if there is no change, the yeast is dead and must be replaced.
2
Add the activated yeast mixture to a mixer bowl, then add the oil or butter, flour, and finally salt. Mix on speed 2 for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and well combined. Alternatively, knead by hand for 10 minutes.
3
Turn the dough out onto the work surface and give it a quick fold, then form into a ball. Drag the dough ball to tighten the outer skin, place it in an oiled medium proofing bowl, coat with oil all over, and cover with a cloth. Let it proof in a warm place for 1 hour.
4
After proofing, turn the dough out and knock it back to its original size by pressing out the gas. Knead lightly and form into a ball. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces (approximately 115 g each) using a baker's scraper. Form each piece into a rough ball.
5
Using a rolling technique, form all 6 rough balls into smooth finished balls. Cover with a lightweight dry cloth and let them rest for 5 minutes to relax the dough.
6
Prepare a large lightly floured tray for proofing the rolled muffins. Have an adjustable rolling pin with spacers ready. Begin rolling: lightly dust the work surface and dough ball with flour, roll the dough back and forth in straight lines, turn it 90 degrees and repeat to keep it round, until it reaches approximately 11 cm in diameter or 6 mm thickness.
7
Place the rolled muffins on the lightly floured tray, clean up the work surface, cover the muffins with a dry cloth, and let them proof for 20 minutes.
8
When there are 3-4 minutes left in the proofing time, place a large frying pan on the heat and bring the temperature up to 200°C. Carefully lift the muffins from the tray and place them in the hot pan, doing 3 muffins at a time to avoid overcrowding. Use absolutely no oil or fat.
9
Set the timer for 3½ minutes and periodically check underneath to ensure they are not getting too dark. Maintain the pan temperature at approximately 180°C but do not let it exceed 190°C or they will burn. After 3½ minutes, flip them over and cook the other side for a further 3½ minutes until the desired colour is achieved.
10
Lift the cooked muffins out of the pan and onto a plate. Keep the plate in a warm oven at approximately 60°C to keep them warm. Repeat the same process for the remaining 3 muffins.
11
Inspect the finished muffins: the outside should be golden-brown and the crumb inside soft and light, not dense and heavy like supermarket versions. Serve with butter and jam, cheese, poached eggs, or your favourite toppings. For future use, freeze them as soon as they cool from the pan; you can defrost them in the microwave in the morning for fresh muffins anytime.
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