Homemade English Muffins for Breakfast Sandwiches

Yikes, I sort of forgot about this whole blog thing. Last post in July 2019? Eek. In my defense, I blame it on pregnancy. I'm currently 7 months pregnant and due in May, and this blog has been the last thing on my mind. Heck, I basically neglected the garden for August - October because of first trimester nausea and exhaustion, not to mention extreme aversion to any and all vegetables. I always figured food aversions were kind of bullshit, but I'm here to say that they are, in fact, totally and utterly real, unfortunately. Kristian had to eat an ungodly amount of tomatoes from the garden because I was disgusted at the mere sight of them. But you know what I wasn't digusted by? Carbs, in all of their glorious forms. Specifically, homemade English muffins.

And if you've seen any of my numerous breakfast sandwich photos on Instagram, you'll know that my love of English muffins runs deep. Couple that with the fact that I've been bingeing Great British Baking Show, and it's only natural that I tried my hand at making them from scratch. This recipe is a slight adaptation from The Joy of Cooking English Muffins recipe, and they've been hitting the spot since yesterday.

Homemade English Muffins for Breakfast Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon warm water (105-115 degrees)
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
• ½ cup room temperature unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoon softened butter
• Optional: cornmeal for dusting

Directions

• Dissolve yeast in 2 tablespoon warm water for 5 minutes until it blooms. Then, in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine 1 cup warm water, ½ cup non-dairy milk, sugar, and salt, and mix together. Add in dissolved yeast and then gradually beat in 2 cups sifted flour.
• Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for 90 minutes.
• Place bowl back on mixing stand, then beat in softened butter and the additional 2 cups of sifted flour. Knead with dough hook attachment for this portion, as the dough will be stiffer than the first time. You may want to finish kneading by hand on a lightly floured clean counter.
• Roll out dough to ½" thick, and using a muffin ring, round cookie cutter, or whatever you have on hand, begin cutting out shapes. Try to use something 4" in diameter. You should end up with 20-24 rounds.
• Pour cornmeal in a bowl, and drop the English muffins in to lightly coat each side, then place on a greased baking sheet and let the muffins rise a bit (around 30 minutes).
• Pre-heat a skillet or two pans on low-medium heat, and when your muffins have poofed up a bit more, add them to the pans, cooking for 5-8 minutes on each side. This varies depending on your stove -- you want them to be a light golden brown.
• To ensure they're fully cooked through, I finished mine off in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. No one wants chewy, gooey English muffins!
• To separate before toasting, pry them open with a fork to get the nice nooks and crannies we all know and love. Good for 4 days in the fridge, or toss in the freezer to enjoy for longer!