52 Recipes in 52 Weeks: Week 3 - English Muffins

Ah, dear friends...this blog post is far overdue. Some of you might have seen on my facebook status last week that my blog decided to "pretend" it was saving my post without actually doing so. I discovered this only after I thought I had published and subsequently exited out of the post...as you can guess, my super long post about the yummy deliciousness I had so eloquently written had disappeared into the vast nothingness of the interwebs...

That is why, lovely readers, you will be denied the opportunity to read a post that can only be described as pure literary genius. I know it sounds like I'm leading up to a sorry excuse for why this post may lack in some way, but, I promise, it won't. I pledge to do my best to recreate the fantastic, witty blog I so sadly lost. 

That said, let's jump right on into the recipe for this week...or, actually, last week, I guess. 

As part of my "healthy eating initiative" that I wrote about in my "New Year, New Me" post, I have decided to attempt to create as many things from scratch as I can. I already tried the marshmallows (clearly, I have not put these "scratch" items in order of how commonly I will make or use them...I am picking at random here) and thoroughly enjoyed that whole process (especially the eating portion...yum!). This week, I decided I would like to try English Muffins. 

Why English Muffins, you ask? Well...it was my day off. I opened the pantry to get out my usual cereal (off-brand Special K Red Berries for the win! Woot!) only to discover that we were all out! I did not feel like going to the store or out to eat at that unholy hour of 10:00 am (besides which, by the time I got dressed, most breakfast menus would be gone! Pity...). I started thinking that I could make something...but what? Maybe it was the fact that I was watching Downton Abbey, but I had a HANKERING for some English Muffins. Now, mind you, we didn't actually have everything we needed to make these muffins, so I did actually end up having to go to the store later. In the mean time, I decided to eat some dark chocolate m&ms that were on the nightstand in the pantry. 

Because I didn't pay too much attention to the recipe I found originally, I ended up getting ingredients that were close, but not quite right. Good thing there is a huge database of knowledge about all things cooking, pet care, medical and otherwise: The INTERNET (also known as the thing I rely most heavily on for everything I do other than sleep. Actually...I have learned a lot from the internet about sleep habits). 

With my trusty tools, Google and Pinterest, by my side, I found the perfect recipe. Actually, I found a really nifty website called The Fresh Loaf. It has about a bajillion different bread recipes for me to try when I can create the time! For now, we'll just focus on the task at hand...

So, the recipe called for everything I had picked up/had lying around the apartment. Let's begin:

1/4 cup warm water 
1 tablespoon (1 package) active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
4 to 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (or, in my case, bread flour...oops)
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cup warm buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted butter
Cornmeal (for dusting)

You begin by preparing your yeast. You can use instant yeast if you have it on hand. I don't know why, but I always prefer to use the active dry yeast. It just seems to make things fluffier. I could be totally wrong about that, though, so don't quote me on it. Anyway, take your warm water and dissolve the sugar in it. Then add your yeast and let it do its thing. You'll notice it get all frothy on the top and the delicious yeast smell to begin to tantalize your senses. I love bread, by the way...

Ok. So, you're going to combine the salt and 2 cups of the flour while the yeast is frothing it up. I combined them in the bowl to my stand mixer so I could attempt to use it for bread making purposes for the very first time. You can use whatever bowl you want if you're not cool like me with my mixer. Side note: everyone should get married. That is how we got all of our cool stuff. If you don't want to get married, you should start yourself an "I'm NOT getting married registry" so that people know what you want for birthdays and stuff...

Anyway! Now you will add to this mixture the following items: egg, yeast mixture, warm milk or buttermilk and melted butter. Mix together using the paddle attachment on your mixer (or your lame hands and a spoon or fork if you must) until everything is creamy. Then begin adding the rest of your flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Only add enough until the dough is coming off the sides of the bowl and it looks like a big blob of yummy yeasty dough. 

I didn't "knead" this dough one bit...but I wanted it! ;)
Yes...I know I'm corny.

Then you can switch out your attachment to the hook for the KNEADING section! If you don't have a mixer, you can do it the old fashioned way. Knead it for a good while and then place it into a clean, oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit until doubled. This should take 90 minutes...or, roughly, the length of a really crappy Katherine Higel movie. 

Come on, dough...RISE UP!

Once doubled, you should throw some corn meal onto a clean, flat surface and roll the dough out. Be careful not to make it too thin or too thick. About 1/2 inch should do it. Use a biscuit cutter or cup to cut the dough into circles.

Here is where things get interesting in my world. When you get ready to put your muffins on the griddle or hot pan (by hot, I mean medium hot), do not, I repeat DO NOT, put butter on the griddle or skillet. You will not achieve the desired results if you do this. 

Yup...that's butter right there. Not a good decision.
You live, you learn, you get messed up muffins.
But you never make that mistake again!

Cook the muffins on each side for 5-10 minutes, or until the appropriate level of toasted brown has been reached. Another note: don't get distracted by that awful movie you were watching and forget to flip the muffins. No one likes a burned bun...no one. 

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.
Of course, I'm only showing you the pretty ones...

Overall, this was a great learning experience. Some of them turned out great, while others...not so much. We enjoyed them, though! We'll see if I have the courage to try again and maybe tweak the recipe just a bit. Not a fail...but not a resounding success, either. 

Enjoy!