I decided to try out Alton Browns English Muffin recipe in comparison to my English Muffin recipe that I use from the Kitchn blog. I made my normal muffin recipe the night before and the new recipe in the morning and compared. The Fast English Muffins came out with lots of nooks and crannies and were great for a quick breakfast but were more like a crumpet since the dough was so soft. My normal muffins were more dense, less nooks and crannies but with more complex flavor. Depending on the time that I have, I will come back to both recipes.
Fast English Muffins
2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
In a bowl, mix the powdered milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, oil, and hot water. Stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Let cool. In a separate bowl, combine the yeast, 1/8 teaspoon of sugar and 1/3 cup of warm water and let rest until yeast has dissolved, about 10 minutes. Add to the dry milk mixture. Add the flour and beat thoroughly with wooden spoon. I didn’t use my kitchen aid and decided to do this by hand, using the wooden spoon as suggested. Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm place for 30 minutes (which happened to be in my oven).
Preheat the griddle to 325°F. Place 8 english muffin rings on griddle. The recipe asked to add a remaining salt to mixture and beat. I happened to forget to do that, but will do it next time. I also don;t think that the griddle should be coated with vegetable spray, as it toasted the bottom rather than browned it. I would sprinkle the griddle with cornmeal instead. Scoop about 1/3 cup batter into each ring (it is really sticky) and split the remaining batter between the rings. It was hard to judge exactly how much should be used. Cover with a cookie sheet (greased so the batter doesn’t stick to the top) and cook for 5 minutes. Flip rings with a spatula and cook covered for another 5 minutes.
All together, they turned out pretty well and were much faster to make than my original recipe. I will try this recipe with a few modifications next time and report back on what happened. I am thinking of skipping the powdered milk and just using milk.