I love making my own bread and I have switched my routine to include making all kinds of bread products instead of buying them. These 50/50 whole wheat english muffins are a very forgiving bread product to make at home if you are new to the process.
There are two major differences between making sandwich bread and English muffins. First, you cook them in both a skillet, and in the oven. The skillet get the muffins toasted and brown and starts the rising process. Then you finish cooking them in the oven.
The second difference is that you use both yeast and baking powder as leavening agents, when sandwich bread only uses yeast. The baking powder is activated in the skillet and starts the rising process, giving a little more lift than yeast alone. The finished texture is light and airy with all the iconic nooks and crannies that will trap a delicious smear of butter and jam. Yeast will continue to add lift in the oven and provide a lot of flavor as well, so we use both.
About the 50/50 Whole Wheat English Muffins recipe:
- 50/50 flour ratio: I prefer this ratio of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour for all my baking because it adds nutrients while keeping baked goods soft and tender.
- Bread flour can be used in place of the all purpose flour, if you have it on hand.
- Plant-based milk: You can use soymilk or milk that is made from pea protein in this recipe, but lower-protein plant-based milks will not yield the same results because the protein is necessary to create structure.
- Enriched dough: This is dough is enriched with honey, egg and milk, which all keep the dough soft and supple with extra fat and protein. 3 TBS yogurt can be used in place of the egg if necessary. I have not tried any vegan alternatives.
- Are both yeast and baking powder necessary? Yes. While some recipes will only use one of these leavening agents I recommend both because it will provide the absolute best texture. If you want to only use one, you should use a different recipe. As written, this recipe requires both.
- I use these English muffins for a tasty breakfast, or to make these smoked trout melts.
- Always split with a fork: If you cut these english muffins with a knife, they will not have any nooks and crannies. You must cut them by inserting the tines of a fork into the sides of the muffin all the way around until split.
- 310g whole wheat flour (about 2 ¼ cups sifted flour)
- 310g all purpose flour (about 2 ¼ cups sifted flour)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp yeast
- 1 TBS honey or sugar
- 1 ¾ cups milk, luke warm (~90F)
- 3 TBS butter, melted
- 1 egg
- Cornmeal, for dusting
- Sift together the dry ingredients including whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, salt, baking powder and yeast.
- Stir together the honey or sugar, milk, butter and egg. Mix in the dry ingredients and knead the dough briefly to form a ball, about 3-4 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 12 portions. Working with a single dough piece at a time flatten the dough piece and fold in the four corners, pinching the seams together on one side to make a ball. Then press the ball between two floured palms to make a disk. Place on a cornmeal dusted sheet pan and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap for 20-90 minutes, or until visibly puffed and almost doubled, about 30 minutes at 75 degrees F, longer if it is cooler in your kitchen, shorter if it is hotter.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Cook each muffin in a skillet until golden brown on each side, 4-5 minutes (I use a cast iron that is virtually non-stick; if they are sticking in your pan dust with more cornmeal). Place them back on the sheet pan as you go. Finish cooking the muffins in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- When cool, split muffins with a fork before toasting or spreading.
