English Muffins, Classic (made with honey)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk (12.7 oz / 360g)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 oz / 28g)
• 2 tablespoons honey (1.5 oz / 43 g)
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast (0.11 oz / 3g)
• 2 3/4 cups bread flour (12.7 oz / 360g)
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (1.2 oz / 35g)
• 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (0.21 oz / 6g)
• Neutral oil, for the bowl and baking sheet
• Cornmeal, semolina or farina for dusting

Directions

1. --- It is best to measure ingredients by weight for consistency and accuracy ---
2. Going to try doing these completely in the oven. Check out this video:

https://youtu.be/T9DJyzMDF_M?si=kIK7O-BKONHxVGjv

1. bake, flip, bake. Can we do this in the convection? Do we need just lower burner heating?

Scald the milk.

1. Add to the milk, the butter and honey and whisk together.

Allow milk to cool to about 100 degrees F

1. Use 2 Tbsp of the warm milk to proof the yeast in a small bowl.
2. Once the yeast is proofed, ad it and the rest of the wet ingredients to all the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook and mix for about 8 to 10 minutes on medium(ish).
3. As it mixes, stop occasionally and scrape down the hook and scrape any flour stuck to the bottom of the bowl.
4. While that mixes, generously oil a large bowl.

Remember this is a wet dough.

1. Put dough into the greased bowl for its first rise . Make sure the dough can move freely and is not sticking to the bowl. Cover the bowl and let rise until doubled.
2. While the dough is rising, prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and oil the paper well. Then generously dust with cornmeal.
3. Cut another piece of parchment paper the same size and generously coat with oil and set aside.
4. Once the dough has finished its rise, gently place it onto the sheet pan on the cornmeal.
5. Gently pat out to about 1/2 inch uniform thickness.
6. Now set the other oiled parchment paper on top (oil side down - duh)
7. Cover and put into the fridge for about 12 hours (cold rise)
8. Cooking:
9. Peel off parchment from the top.

Well oil your 4 inch cutter.

1. Carefully cut out 4 inch circles and place on cold (nor heated yet) cast iron pan or griddle using a spatula. Dough is much easier to use straight out of the fridge.
2. Put cut out muffins that are not in the pan back into the fridge so they don’t warm up.
3. Turn flame on to low under cold cast iron pan with muffins in it

No need to oil pan

1. Let them cook 5 to 7 minutes (maybe rotate pan to ensure even cooking)

Most of the cooking is on the first side

1. Flip when surface is no longer shiny and puffed (also brown on bottom)
2. Flame up to medium low.
3. Cook a minute or 2 until brown and cooked through

The inside should b2 200 degrees F when done.

1. If the outsides are cooked and the inside is still doughy, put in a 350 degree oven for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Notes

We use bread flour because it has more protein which means it will produce more gluten.

These store well up to 3 days