Whole Wheat English Muffins

A lot of people wax poetic about english muffins, their nooks and crannies, etc etc. As much as I love butter, I have just never been one of those people. Too many of the store-bought variety as a kid maybe, and those are nothing to write home about. However, english muffins do have their strengths. For me, the very best thing about them is that they make an excellent vehicle for a breakfast sandwich. And if you know me, you know I looove a good breakfast sandwich.

As with the majority of our home baked breads, I have been transitioning to whole grain baking. Finding decent whole grain english muffins has been a more complicated endeavor than I might have imagined. I’ve lost track of how many different recipes and subsequent tweaks I have tried. Some lacked in flavor, some in texture, some had impractical methods. Finally I am satisfied. These are simple to make but have great flavor and texture, good enough to make them worthy of their own spot at the breakfast table, even when they aren’t part of a breakfast sandwich.

Yield about 10 english muffins (depending on size)

Ingredients

2¼ tsp. instant (rapid rise) yeast
1/3 cup warm water
¾ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
½ cup low-fat greek yogurt, at room temperature
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1½ tsp. honey
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups (250 grams) white whole wheat flour
½ tsp. baking soda
Yellow cornmeal or semolina flour (for sprinkling the baking sheet)
Additional butter (for greasing the pan)

Directions

01
In a medium bowl, combine the yeast, water, buttermilk, yogurt, butter and honey. Stir well until evenly combined. Stir in the salt, flour and baking soda until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated and a wet dough is formed. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise until doubled, about 1-2 hours.
02
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal or semolina flour. Heat a non-stick skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium heat. Grease evenly with butter. Using a large dough scoop (about 3 tablespoons), drop a scoop of dough into the heated skillet. Repeat to fill the pan, spacing the scoops at least 3 inches apart. Cover the pan and let cook about 4 minutes. Flip the muffins over to the other side, cover the pan again, and cook 3-4 minutes more, until both sides are nicely browned and the muffins have puffed up. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, adding more butter to the pan as needed.
03
Once all of the muffins have been cooked in the skillet and placed on the baking sheet, transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake until the muffins are fully cooked through, about 8-9 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool slightly before splitting and serving as desired.

Source

adapted from The New York Times