Description
Adapted from Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Bread Every Day
- This dough is very wet, like batter, so you will need English muffin rings or something similar (empty tuna cans, Ball jar rings, etc.) to constrain the dough.
- The key with this recipe is to be sure to portion the dough into 10 rings. I only have 8 English muffin rings, and twice I’ve divided the batter into those 8 rings, and twice I’ve been disappointed — it’s very hard to cook the muffins all the way through on the griddle when they are on the large size. Use two Ball jar rings or empty tuna cans or be patient and reuse two of your rings to ensure you get 10 muffins out of the batter. You will doubt the need to divide the dough into 10 rings as you portion it out — I do every time — but the dough spreads and fills the rings as it cooks slowly on the griddle.
- With 100% white whole wheat flour, the texture isn’t quite like that of a Thomas’ English muffin (see photo of halved muffin above), but it is still light and airy.
Ingredients
- 2⅔ cups (12 oz | 340 g) King Arthur Flour White Whole Wheat flour
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1½ cups (12 oz | 340 g) lukewarm whole or nonfat milk
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon oil, such as olive, grapeseed, canola or vegetable
For finishing:
- 3 tablespoons warm water
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- cornmeal for dusting
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and instant yeast. Add the milk to the bowl followed by the honey and oil. Stir with a rubber spatula until combined. Cover bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator overnight or up to 4 days. (Note: I have not tested storing the dough longer than 1 day.)
- On baking day: remove the dough from the refrigerator 2 hours before you plan to bake the English muffins. After the 2 hours, dissolve the baking soda in the warm water. Add it to the batter and stir to combine. Let the dough rest 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a griddle or cast iron skillet (or other skillet) over medium heat. Mist the griddle and the inside of the rings with spray oil, then dust the inside of the rings with cornmeal (I dunked each ring into the bag of cornmeal.) Cover the cooking surface with as many rings as it will hold, then dust the pan inside the rings with more cornmeal. Lower the heat to low to medium-low — you’ll have to use trial and error to find the right temperature.
- Using a ⅓ cup measure, scoop dough into the rings. It’s OK if the dough doesn’t fill the ring completely initially — it will spread and rise as it cooks. Sprinkle tops of dough with more cornmeal. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, peeking underneath with a spatula every so often to ensure griddle is not too hot. If muffins are browning too quickly, turn the griddle down. Flip muffins, and cook for another 10 to 12 minutes. (This will feel interminable. Be sure to have a crossword puzzle nearby.) When both sides are evenly golden brown and crisp, transfer muffins to cooling rack. Let cool briefly (enough for rings to cool), then pop out rings. Let the muffins cool for at least 20 minutes before splitting them open with a fork.
- Prep Time: 18 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Griddle, Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
