English Muffins

There are some things we see at the grocery store, and we just take advantage of the simplicity.  Nobody makes English Muffins at home, it's pretty much unheard of.  We just think of the nooks and crannies, and stock up.  But then, a recipe comes around that puts a stop to the simplicity, and says that a little complication is worth it for the extraordinary taste.  Either get up early and make these, or make them the day before.  

This recipe is from Damaris Phillips, star of "Southern at Heart" on Food Network.  She's darling by the way.  I'd love to have her over for a French 75, I think we'd get along quite nicely.  Door's open Damaris, cheers!

English Muffins

4 1/2 cups bread flour (all purpose is fine)

3 T sugar

1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1 large egg

1 3/4 cups whole milk

2 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil (vegetable oil worked fine)

Coarse corn meal

Cooking Spray

Butter and jam for serving, I prefer Lemon Curd, over jam!

1.  Whisk flour, sugar, yeast, ans salt in a bowl of a stand mixer.   Add the egg, but do not mix.

2.  Heat the milk and oil in a saucepan until it reads 110 degrees.  Careful to not make the milk too hot, otherwise it will kill the yeast.

3.  Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture.  Avoid pouring it directly on the egg--you don't want the hot milk to cook the egg.

4.  Using the dough hook, mix on medium speed until the dough comes together and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 3-4 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if needed.  Texture may seem irregular.

5.  Knead the dough.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, soft and elastic 3-4 minutes.  Shape into a ball and place in a large lightly oiled bowl.  Rub a small amount of oil on  the dough, cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.

6.  Form muffins.  Sprinkle baking sheets with cornmeal and set aside.   After the dough rises, punch it down and divide into 16 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten into a 3 inch disk.  Place the disks on the baking sheets

6.  Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Coat the skillet with cooking spray and liberally sprinkle with cornmeal.  Working in batches, cook the muffins until they are deep golden brown, 5-9 minutes per side.  If they start to rise in a doomed fashion, flatten them with a spatula (this line is STRAIGHT from the recipe, love Damarias's humor!).   Check for doneness, take the internal temperature with an cooking thermometer, the middle should be at least 200 degrees.  If not hot enough, finish them in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Let the muffins cool completely before serving.  Split open with a fork.

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