English Muffins
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the dough
Dissolve the yeast in ⅓ cup cold water.
Combine the dissolved yeast and salt with the warm water, then gradually stir into the flour.
Beat the dough thoroughly, cover, and let it rise in a warm place until spongy (about 5 hours).
Shape the cakes
Sprinkle flour on a bread board, shape the dough into balls about twice the size of an egg, and place them on the board.
Roll the balls into cakes about ⅓ inch thick.
Cook and serve
Place the cakes on a lightly greased warm griddle at the back of the stove.
Once the cakes have risen slightly, move the griddle forward and cook slowly, turning often, for about 20 minutes to rise and 15 minutes to cook.
Tear apart, butter, and serve.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Provides the gluten structure that holds the dough and cakes together.
- Yeast
- Produces gas as it ferments, making the dough rise and become spongy and light.
- Warm water
- Hydrates the flour and activates the yeast so the dough can develop.
The step that matters
Cooking slowly at the back of the stove. Low, gentle heat lets the cakes rise and cook through before the outside browns too deeply. Turning often keeps the heat even and prevents scorching.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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