English Muffins

English Muffins are perfect for brunch on a weekend, either with melting butter and jam, or with roasted asparagus and hollandaise sauce.

Ingredients

• 490g (3 1/2 cups) Janie's Mill High Protein Bread Flour
• 110g (1 cup) Silky Smooth Pastry Flour
• 6g (2 tsp) yeast
• 6g (1 tsp) fine salt
• 420g (1 3/4 cups) milk + two tablespoons for adjustments
• 3 tablespoons cubed high fat butter
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)

Instructions

1.  In a small saucepan, warm the milk slightly, then remove from heat. Add cubed butter, salt and sugar (if using). Set aside. The milk should soften the butter not melt it.
2.  In a mixer bowl, whisk the flour and yeast together. Pour in the tepid milk and butter mixture; make sure to scrape in any undissolved salt and sugar. Mix on slow with paddle attachment until the flour and butter are fully incorporated. The dough should be smooth and pulling away from the sides of the bowl - no more than two minutes. This should be a manageable but stretchy dough.
3. Scoop dough up into a ball inside the bowl. Cover and allow to rise until almost doubled. This can be up to two hours depending on the warmth of your kitchen. To check if it's ready: press a floury finger into the dough. If it leaves an indentation it's time to shape your muffins.

4. Carefully scoop out the dough so it slides gently onto the counter. Rest for 5 minutes.

5. Pat the dough out into a circle about 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut into rounds- use a floury wide mouthed glass or a cookie cutter. Turn rounds over in the flour/semolina so both sides are lightly coated. Then set on a baking sheet, cover, and allow to puff back up while your oven heats.

6. Prepare two large cast iron pans, heavy bottomed pans, griddles or baking steels on the stove. When the muffins are puffy, place them on the pans, on medium to low heat, and cook each side for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool slightly on a rack.

Enjoy straight away while still warm.

Tips

• A cooked muffin should be 190F on the inside. If they are browned before they are completely cooked, place them into a 350 oven to cook a few more minutes. Be careful not to overcook in the oven--English Muffins should be soft and fluffy.
• When I create a recipe, the first question I ask is: Which of Janie’s Mill flours or blend of flours will give the perfect result? I began the research into the right Janie’s Mill flour for these English Muffins with my trusted High Protein Bread Flour. They were great. Sifted Artisan worked well too, and so did the Italian-Style Pizza Flour. But they were not quite perfect, so on Bake #4 I added some Silky Smooth Pastry Flour to the High Protein Bread Flour and magic happened! The muffins baked up lighter and airier and held their softness longer. Once again the Silky Smooth Pastry Flour (Erisman Wheat ) brought sparkle to the baking!
• Remember that each flour does weigh slightly differently, so go here for the list of weights.