Awesome English Breakfast Muffins

Intro: Awesome English Breakfast Muffins

welcome to my first instructable, English breakfast muffins..

There really is no finer accompaniment to a cooked breakfast than these muffins, we have them every Sunday and as they freeze and toast brilliantly from frozen they are very convenient.

STEP 1: Mixing the Dough

first things first, the ingredients, this should make 8 to 9 muffins.

1 beaten egg

20 grams of sugar

5 grams of salt

20 grams of softened unsalted butter (cut into cubes)

300 grams of strong white bread flour

7 grams of easy bake yeast

Approximately 200ml of full fat milk

Corn meal (for dusting)

Add the ingredients to the mixing bowl in the order their listed, adding the milk slowly while the mixer is running on a fairly slow speed.

You may not need all the milk or you may need more, it all depends on the flour your using. Your looking to form a smooth soft dough that's stretchy and elastic when pulled..

Of course you don't need a mixer to do this, it can be done just as well by hand.

STEP 2: Proving the Dough

Now it's time to prove the dough, this is the process of allowing the dough to rise and develop its aeration and structure.

Place the dough in a plastic bowl and cover with cling film, leave it to at least double in size. This can take two to three hours depending on the room temperature. Now this isn't very convenient if you don't want your breakfast muffins to become lunch time muffins so I mix mine the night before and leave it in the fridge until the morning. This slows down the yeast but doesn't stop it.

STEP 3: Shaping Your Muffins

Now the morning has come, you've made yourself a coffee and taken the dough from the fridge, it should of risen appreciably.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll Flat to about 7mm thick then cut out the rounds using a 10cm circular dough/biscuit cutter. You can gather up all the off cuts and reform them, I don't waist any.

Lay them on Brown paper, dust lightly with corn meal and cover with cling film. Leave them for a half hour to an hour, they should rise by about half there height.

Have another coffee while you wait.

STEP 4: Cook Your Muffins, Hoorah

Its time to cook your muffins, this part is critical, or at least the temperature of your pan is. Too hot and the muffins will be doughy and under cooked in the middle, too low and they won't rise.

You need a medium to large non stick frying pan, we're going to fry them dry on a low to medium heat, cook one to start with to gage the heat of the pan it should take around four minutes a side and you should be able to see it rise, gently lift up one side and peep underneath, if it's lightly browned turn it over and cook the other side.

Place them on a wire rack to cool.

STEP 5: The Best Step, Eat Your Muffins

Hoorah it time to eat muffins, how is up to you, I like mine warm with butter and Claire my wife likes hers toasted.

We both like lots of bacon, sausage, egg and mushrooms with them.

If you slice your muffins then freeze them they can be popped in the toaster an cooked from frozen, not quite as Good as fresh but still very tasty.

I hope you try these muffins and enjoy eating them as much as we do.

Comments

[glipp]

Just made my first batch today. They were excellent! Much better than store bought. They are much lighter. Thank you so much for sharing.

If you ever go to Newfoundland, you may hear of or see on a menu something they call Toutons. They are similar to english muffins but without the cornmeal and they are usually fried in fat and then drizzled with corn syrup or molasses.

[nadjarian]

Once I ate those in Ireland and enjoyed it. We can't find them in my country so I gave your recipe a try. It worked out pretty well.
Thanks!

[buildandsewandstuff]

Do you cook these with a lid on the pan, or uncovered?

[Gav110780]

In a dry frying pan, Uncovered

[BayRatt]

I will have to give these a go. Thanks! (And I also like the guinea pigs... very cool!)

[judgejoyce]

I use a laser thermometer to check pan temperatures. What temperature should the frying pan be to cook these properly?

[Gav110780]

I only ever judged the heat of the pan by the feel of my hand, I've got a thermometer so ill measure it this wknd, I'm curious my self now?

[judgejoyce]

Thanks. Would you kindly post the temp? I'm hoping to make these Monday!

[Gav110780]

Hi, I measured the temp of the pan at 160 degrees Celsius.

[judgejoyce]

Thanks so much I'm going to make them tomorrow! I'll be using a gluten free 1 to 1 flour and so it will be a double experiment for me!

[winneremerald12]

Do these taste as sour as the originals? Not to say English muffins taste bad—they’re delicious—but I’d like to know how this version tastes.

[Gav110780]

Hi, I'm not sure how to describe the taste, their soft and slightly buttery. their definitely not sour. Cook them up and give them a go I'd be interested to hear your description.

[winneremerald12]

Will do.

[mlaiuppa.]

Awesome. I am going to try these. The number one reason? You have the same guinea pig salt and pepper shakers that I just gave my sister. But I also like English Muffins.

[Gav110780]

Guinea pigs Rock!

[obillo]

Most baking experts agree that a slow overnight rise in the icebox results in better flavor and better-handling dough.Better than store-bought? I'll have to try and see.
of the many brands avble Thomas's is the gold standard--no other comes close and most are travesties.

[malijai]

Realy easy to do and better than purchased ones ;) No photo we have eaten them all

[gralan]

I'm going to get out my lingonberry jam for these. Thank you very much.

[Lorddrake]

if you want to make a double batch, does the recipe scale accordingly or do some ingredient quantities need to be adjusted?

[Gav110780]

Hi, yes, just double the ingredients to double the batch, you can vary the suger and salt to suit your own taste.