English muffins.

I need a recipe/technique for making whole-wheat or whole-grain english muffins, as I want to cut our grocery bill somewhat. Celia, anybody?

Here's a modifiable recipe you can try and see how it works:

4 cups bread flour
1.5 tsp salt
1.5-1.75 cup lukewarm milk
1/2 tsp sugar
1 pkg yeast (scant TBS)
1 Tbs melted butter or olive oil
rice flour or semolina

1. Flour a nonstick pan. Lightly grease a griddle. Sift flour and salt into bowl. Make a well. Blend together the salt, milk, sugar, yeast and oil.
2. Add mixture to flour. Beat 4-5 min. until smooth and elastic and dough is soft, but just holds its shape. Cover, let rise for 45-60 min until doubled.
3. Turn out dough. Punch down. Roll out to 1/2 inch thick. Use a floured 3-inch cutter to cut 9 rounds.
4. Dust with rice flour or semolina, place on prepared sheet. Cover, let rise 20-30 min.
5. Warm the griddle over medium heat. Cook slowly in batches for about 7 minutes per side until golden brown. Cool on rack.

For whole wheat or grains, I'd substitute no more than half whole wheat and/or I'd throw in a Tbs or so of grains. Too much whole wheat cuts gluten strands and will make them too heavy.

I need a recipe/technique for making whole-wheat or whole-grain english muffins, as I want to cut our grocery bill somewhat. Celia, anybody?

Robert-
Be sure to add some cinnamon and raisins to the recipe.
'Winger

Any you don't wish to eat immediately, place in the freezer. The inside of a freshly made muffin is not completely cooked. They will mold in just a day or two.

Would someone remind me... these things aren't an English invention, right?

We cook ours on the griddle in old tuna cans with top and bottom removed.

Robert, I make them very rarely from a fairly convoluted sourdough recipe I picked up at northwestsourdough.com.

However, Mike Bowlin posted a nice looking recipe here.

Good luck!

Celia

After I pick up some whole wheat flour from the store later today, I'm going to attempt it.

Would someone remind me... these things aren't an English invention, right?

Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man,the muffin man...

Yeah, they seem to have been conceived in the sculleries of British homes by "the help". They crept upstairs and became a big hit with the uppercrust. Then came the song...

Do you know the Muffin Man?
The Muffin Man, the Muffin Man.
Do you know the Muffin Man,
Who lives on Drury Lane?

Would someone remind me... these things aren't an English invention, right?

They certainly look similar to what we call (or at least used to call) muffins. Very different beast to US muffins that make it over here (not a blueberry in sight!)
regards
Ian

A lot of people think "English Muffins" are a crumpet derivative invented in the US:
http://www.thenibble.com/zine/archives/wolfermans-muffins.asp#history
http://www.imaginatorium.org/words/muffin.htm

Jeff
Perhaps they are - but (TROLL ALERT TROLL ALERT TROLL ALERT) surely too savoury for a US invention

Seriously though... the commercial crumpets available these days are more dough-like with plenty of air bubbles (bicarb of soda / baking powder?). Not really a fan of either, so I'm not particularly well placed to comment!

regards

Ian

...surely too savoury for a US invention

Did he just call Americans unsavory???

...surely too savoury for a US invention

Did he just call Americans unsavory???

[David M. Bueker]

...surely too savoury for a US invention

Did he just call Americans unsavory???

It's true. We're very sweet!

...surely too savoury for a US invention

Did he just call Americans unsavory???

It's true. We're very sweet!

but of course!

I always buy the premade muffins- I've a hard enough time with the coffee maker first thing in the morning!

A lot of people think "English Muffins" are a crumpet derivative invented in the US:
http://www.thenibble.com/zine/archives/wolfermans-muffins.asp#history

The Brits did not invent the English muffin—in fact, they had never heard of it until the 1990s, when Best Foods, a unit of international conglomerate Unilever, bought the S.B. Thomas brand† and began exporting it to the U.K.

This is utter bollox*. It is true I'd never heard of an "English" muffin before I went to the USA. In England they were just muffins and I had them when I was a boy in the 1950's and they were nothing new to my parents. Since there was no other muffin, one didn't need to call it English. The above quote makes more sense if they're talking about the American muffin.

The American muffin, a sweet cupcake, has become popular in the UK since the advent of US style coffee shops but I can't recall such a cake in my youth excpet as some sort of homemade cup cake -- and without blueberries for sure.


*translation -- totally wrong.

A lot of people think "English Muffins" are a crumpet derivative invented in the US:
http://www.thenibble.com/zine/archives/wolfermans-muffins.asp#history

The Brits did not invent the English muffin—in fact, they had never heard of it until the 1990s, when Best Foods, a unit of international conglomerate Unilever, bought the S.B. Thomas brand† and began exporting it to the U.K.

This is utter bollox*. It is true I'd never heard of an "English" muffin before I went to the USA. In England they were just muffins and I had them when I was a boy in the 1950's and they were nothing new to my parents. Since there was no other muffin, one didn't need to call it English. The above quote makes more sense if they're talking about the American muffin.

The American muffin, a sweet cupcake, has become popular in the UK since the advent of US style coffee shops but I can't recall such a cake in my youth excpet as some sort of homemade cup cake -- and without blueberries for sure.


*translation -- totally wrong.

My husband, who is from England, along with his parents, totally agree with Peter.

For the record, despite the sharing of names, Americans don't consider "muffins" and "english muffins" the same kind of food.
English muffins are used more as a substitute for toast, whereas the sweet muffins to which you refer are more of a breakfast substitute.

At least that's the way I see it.

Since there was no other muffin, one didn't need to call it English.

Reminds me of the conversations my wife and I had when we were first married.

Her: Are we having Italian food again?
Me: It's not Italian food. It's just food.

For the record, despite the sharing of names, Americans don't consider "muffins" and "english muffins" the same kind of food.

I don't think any suggested they did. They're totaly different things.

Yesterday my boss was telling some of us about her vacation to Maine last week, including some of the food she had, including lobster several ways - lobster rolls and such. A male coworker then asked "did you have any American food up there?" I reminded him that Maine has been part of America a LOT longer than Oklahoma has! He is a strictly meat-and-potato guy. To him, American food is steaks, hamburgers, brisket and fried chicken.

New Mexico is frequently considered another country. The New Mexico Magazine has a whole page of silly goofs, "One of Our Fifty is Missing," that recounts the most ridiculous stories: U.S. officials demanding a passport, National Geographic leaving out NM on a map so AZ is right up against TX, is the water safe to drink?, etc..

A couple of decades ago, the state added "USA" on our license plates because of confusion from cops who thought they were dealing with foreigners.

When I moved from PA to NM and tried to rent a U-Haul truck, the dealer said, "We don't go that far." El toro poopoo.