English Muffins

Total Time: 48 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 48 hrs Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 280 g flour
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 g instant yeast
• 14 g butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup milk, at room temperature

Recipe

• 1 in a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. mix in the shortening and the milk. add some extra milk if the dough is too dry.
• 2 knead by hand on a floured surface for 10 minutes, or with the dough hook of your stand mixer for 8 minutes. the resulting dough should be smooth and pleasantly tacky.
• 3 transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 4 hours. (after the first rise, you may place the dough in the fridge for a few hours or overnight; let rest at room temperature for an hour before continuing.).
• 4 turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface or an unfloured silicon baking mat. divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. shape them into balls. then, to create surface tension, strech the outside of each boule into an oblong, being careful not to squeeze out the gas trapped in the dough any more than necessary. repeat this streching motion, bringing the opposite ends together to make a ball. tighten the surface tension by pinching to seal the bottom of the dough where the creases come together.
• 5 space the balls of dough out on a silicon mat or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, about 3 inches apart, sprinkling cornmeal under each of them.
• 6 cover the tray loosely with plastic wrap and let rise, at room temperature, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until boules are almost doubled in size, in both height and in width.
• 7 heat a lightly greased skillet or griddle on medium heat; if your griddle has a thermostat, set it to 175°c (350°f).
• 8 also, preheat the oven to 175°c (350°f) and have ready a baking sheet.
• 9 use a thin spatula to lift the muffins carefully, one by one, transfering them to the skillet without deflating.
• 10 cook for 5 to 7 minutes on the first side, until the bottom is lightly browned. the muffins should rise and expand a tiny bit more. flip the muffins carefully using the spatula, working gently to avoid deflating them, and cook 5 to 7 minutes on the other side, until lightly browned. avoid overbrowning the muffins.
• 11 transfer the cooked muffins to the prepared baking sheet, and place in the oven to bake for 6 minutes; they shouldn't brown any further. transfer to a rack to cool.