English Muffins

I'm pretty sure we've tried making our own English muffins, but that was probably years ago, so I don't have any record of it. We tried again this week, and they were so successful we probably won't wait so long before making them in the future. I looked at a few recipes online, (here's one of them, and here's another), but this is what ended up working for us. Because we're in the middle of our Great Raisin Adventure, this is a cinnamon raisin version. Note that they become plain wheat English muffins if you omit the cinnamon and raisins, and plain regular English muffins if you use all white flour.

Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins

• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 cups wheat flour
• 2-3 cups white flour
• 1/4 cup dry milk powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raisins
• cornmeal, for dusting

Add yeast and sugar to warm water and let sit for a few minutes until bubbly. Stir in the honey. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixer, then stir in the liquid mixture and raisins. Knead for 10 minutes. Cover and let rise for about an hour.

Divide dough into 12 pieces. Form into balls and flatten into discs, about 3 1/2" in diameter. Place on a cookie sheet dusted with cornmeal and let rise 30-40 minutes.

Preheat a griddle to 325 degrees. Carefully place the English muffins on the hot, greased griddle and lower heat to 275 degrees. Cook for 10 minutes; flip and cook an additional 10 minutes. (You may have to do this in a couple of batches depending upon the size of your griddle.)