This Stovetop Technique Makes these SO Much Better

English muffins are just one of those things that take me right back to my childhood. And whether I had it plain or just with jam or even a breakfast sandwich, I can still perfectly picture my mom toasting them up in the mornings for me. It's really crazy how food can transport you like that. I'm gonna try to capture those same feelings with my daughter. Sound good? Let's bake. I usually make this recipe in a stand mixer because honestly, it's just easier. Now the bowl of the mixer tends to be a little cool because it's just sitting in the kitchen. So when I add the one and a half cups of whole milk, yes, you can use skim one or 2%, and three quarter cups of water, I usually go a little higher, work towards that 115 degrees F range because by the time it hits that cooler bowl, it drops it down a few degrees to be right in that perfect range of about 110 degrees F. Next, sprinkle in a half of the common seven gram active yeast packet and be sure to keep the remaining yeast close by because we'll need it soon. And yes, instant or baker's yeast will also work, except you'll need to double if you're using baker's yeast. And at this stage, add in two cups of all-purpose flour and using a whisk, completely mix it in. The goal here is to make something known as a sponge. This is a pre-ferment, which is typical in bread baking and can help add flavor, a softer crumb, and can help the English muffins stay fresher for longer. Score. I usually know I'm at the right consistency when the batter is smooth and when I make a figure eight with it, you can still see it on the top for a few seconds. Perfect. Now for the ferment part. After covering it with plastic wrap, I've got a little trick I like to use and mostly because it's on the cooler side of my kitchen. I place it in my oven, which is completely turned off, by the way. I then keep the door cracked with the light on. It creates a perfect proofing environment where that yeast can really get activated. Love this trick. And little techniques like this always make meals worth remembering. Now this can sit anywhere from one and all the way up to eight hours. The longer it sits, the more flavorful it'll be. So when it comes time to start mixing our dough, our sponge should be pretty jiggly like this and you should absolutely see bubbles breaking the surface. Okay, at this point, fix the bowl to a stand mixer and you'll need the hook attachment for this. And all I'm trying to do out of the gate is to get things moving for a few minutes. So put it on low speed and let it roll. After those few minutes, add in two tablespoons of granulated sugar, the remaining half packet of yeast, which is three and a half grams to be spot on, then two teaspoons of salt. I'm using diamond crystal just as an FYI. Four tablespoons of melted unsalted butter. Then of course, last but not least, the remaining three cups of all-purpose flour. And make sure you're doing this at low speed or else that flour is going to go everywhere and you're gonna be cursing my name. No good. What I wanna do here is to mix it for maybe two to three minutes. I don't need a strong elastic dough like a baguette. I want these to puff up. You've got this, my friends. And for the folks who aren't using a mixer, yes, you can absolutely knead the dough by hand, no problem. And when you're done, you'll have a nice, extensible, relaxed dough that is a bit sticky. If you're new to baking and sticky dough freaks you out, don't let it. Sticky dough is good dough. It means the hydration is really high in it. And when this cooks in the pan, all that steam from the hydration, it's gonna puff up and make this so fluffy and so tender. Plus, a baker's card goes a long way to scraping up all that stickiness. Now to proof it. If you've followed me for a while, you know I like to proof my dough in Cambro containers. That way I can see exactly how much they've risen. Just brush on a bit of oil to prevent anything from sticking first. Then add the dough right into the container. Pop on a lid and back into my turned-off oven for a good two hours. I want this dough to really be tripled in size and some good gas cell development, which will be those odd-shaped, irregular holes throughout. Okay, it's time to shape the dough. But first, a dusting of cornmeal. Maybe a tablespoon or a tablespoon and a half lined with, you guessed it, parchment paper. Sorry, the kitchen's ruined me. When it's done, the dough will be puffy, have bumps on top, and be extremely light and lifted. And this is why I love these Cambro containers so much. You can clearly see how much the dough has risen. Love these. I'll drop a link in the comments for this one. At this stage is when I make a few folds from the outside in. This is just to help further strengthen the gluten a bit. Then invert it onto a clean surface, but not without a light dusting of flour. Almost forgot about that part. Now gently press it until the dough spreads out, and it's about 3 1⁄4 of an inch or so thick. You're doing great, and I promise you can do this. The easiest way I find to shape these is with a 3 to a 3 1⁄4-inch cookie dough round. And I always start closer to that outside edge and work my way to the center. Just press the round cutter down and give it a little turn so that it easily releases from the rest of the dough. Then add them right to the cornmeal-dusted sheet tray and give it a gentle little flip to lightly coat both sides of the English muffin. You'll need that, trust me. And also when cutting, I try to stay as tightly to the previous cuts as possible to ensure I get anywhere from 12 all the way up to 14 total English muffin. And unfortunately, you can't re-roll the extra dough to make more, but you could make really random English muffin shapes if you wanted, and they'll still be delicious. Once everything's on the tray, I'm just gonna give it another quick, light dusting of cornmeal, and then one last final proof for about 30 minutes covered in a kitchen towel. And yes, room temp for this part will do just fine. All I'm looking to do during this process is for it to have a gentle rise and an evening out from where they were before the proof. And now it's finally time to start cooking these bad boys up. And probably my favorite part about these is that they're done in a cast iron skillet or a griddle will work great. Brush on just enough neutral flavored oil. I'm using avocado oil here just to make the bottom shine, if you will. Turn the heat up to low to low medium-ish and give it a heat for about 60 to 90 seconds. Next, add as many English muffins as you can into the pan without them touching. I got four. And you're looking at about five to maybe six minutes per side on that lower side of low to medium heat. I like to add a lid or a cap because this will help create a more moist environment and puff the English muffins up even more. Ah, fluffy, thick English muffins. I'm game. Let's just have a little look-ski and yeah, these are gonna be ridiculous. Give them a little flip and cook them for that additional five to six minutes and no need to add a lid this time around. I can't wait to hear what you think when you make these. Hopefully my daughter will feel the same way I do about them. And I usually just rest them on a rack and simply go to the next round until they're done. Super simple. When I was a kid, like I would just eat these for a snack in the middle of the day. Just absolutely loved them. In the morning time, little butter, little jam, totally in heaven. My family, however, they love breakfast sandwiches. So my work, it's not quite over yet. Honestly, any ingredients or combo of things you like and wanna add to these sandwiches, totally fair game. Bacon, spinach, you name it. Just be sure to try and enjoy the process. For the sandwich, here's a little trick I learned back in my restaurant days, especially when I was working the lunch shift and had to be there early in the AM. Just pour the scrambled batter all around the English muffins that are cut side down. The eggs will cook and the muffins will toast. Pop on a lid and cook for just a minute or two. That's it. Then flip it over and hook it up with everything your heart desires. Cheese, ham, you name it. This is the time where it's all about you and what you want. Flip it together and yeah, that's a breakfast sandwich right there. But I'm a little bit partial to this next one. This time though, whole eggs next to the English muffin, toasting, and I usually break the yolk so that they don't blow up on me when I eat them. And call me what you want, but American cheese, I'm sorry guys, it's the best with eggs and of course, crispy bacon. Flip it over, fold it, and breakfast is served. However, for me, it mostly matters if the people who are always at the table enjoy it and those smiles are worth gold to me. Thanks mom for showing some love through something as simple as serving me English muffins. So now moving on to lunch. Do not skip my homemade corned beef sandwiches. Oh my gosh, they are so good. I'll see you on that video. For now. It's just, it's just chewy, doughy, it's warm. It's homemade.