Matt Xiaxiang
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Stovetop English muffins made with flour, yeast, milk, and butter, featuring a crisp crust and soft, fluffy interior.
English muffins can be served with butter and jam, cream cheese and smoked salmon, or used for breakfast sandwiches with eggs, bacon, and cheese. They also pair well with avocado and tomatoes, hummus and roasted vegetables, or peanut butter and honey.
Ingredients
- 300 millilitres Whole milk
- 35 grams Honey
- 10 grams Dry active yeast
- 480 grams Bread flour
- 9 grams Fine salt
- 7 grams Diastatic malt powder (optional)
- 35 grams Unsalted butter
- Fine semolina
Instructions
- Warm the milk to about 43°C. Stir in the honey until dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy.
- In a large bowl, combine the bread flour, salt, and diastatic malt powder.
- Add the yeast mixture and softened butter to the dry ingredients. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Gently deflate the dough and roll it out to about 1.5 cm (½ inch) thick on a surface lightly dusted with semolina. Use an 8 cm (3-inch) round cutter to cut out muffins. Place them on a baking sheet sprinkled with more semolina.
- Cover the muffins lightly and let them rise for 30–45 minutes until puffed.
- Heat a heavy pan over low to medium-low heat. Cook muffins for 7–8 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Adjust the heat as needed to avoid burning.
- Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.
My notes
Cooking tips
- Kneading: Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic but still slightly tacky—not sticky. This helps develop gluten for structure and those signature nooks and crannies.
- Butter: Adding butter softened (not melted) during kneading helps tenderise the crumb without making it greasy.
- Rising: Make sure the dough doubles in size during the first rise. Under-proofed dough can be dense, over-proofed can collapse.
- Cooking heat: Keep the skillet at low to medium-low heat to allow muffins to cook through without burning outside.
- Dusting: Use fine semolina on your baking surface and muffin tops before cooking to prevent sticking and add texture.
Alternative ingredients
- If you don’t have diastatic malt powder, you can substitute a teaspoon of barley malt syrup.
- Semolina can be replaced with fine polenta or cornmeal.
- Ideally bread flour should be used for better gluten development and a chewier texture. However, all-purpose flour can be used instead.
- For this recipe, 25g caster sugar can be used to replace honey.
- Vegetable or olive oil can be substituted at 80% of the butter’s weight.
Storage instructions
Cool completely before storing to prevent condensation and sogginess.
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container or resealable bag for up to 2 days.
- Refrigeration: Avoid storing muffins in the fridge, as it can dry them out faster. However, they will last 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Store in a sealed freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Re-heating instructions
Toast muffins for the best results. To use frozen muffins, thaw at room temperature or toast directly from frozen.
Nutrition and dietary facts
Vegetarian
(Per serving) Calories: 265kcal (12%), Protein: 6.4g (11%), Fat: 7.3g (9%), Saturated fat: 4.5g (30%), Carbohydrates: 43g (16%), Sugars: 6.3g (25%), Fibre: 1.7g (6%)
Note: The nutritional information provided for this recipe is an estimate based on ingredients and cooking instructions as described - it is intended for informational purposes only.