Taste better, homemade
I'm not promising all the nooks and crannies of the commercial brands we used to eat. A good tip is low to almost no kneading for the 2nd rising.
Equipment:
big ceramic bowl for dough rising
muffin rings or a plastic cup that measures the size of the english muffin you like
large saute pan
parchment paper
cookie sheet, baking pan
spatula
cooling rack
plastic bag or wrap to cover rising bowl
some clean towels
bench scraper
big spoon
rolling pin (french rolling pins are nice, no squeaky handles)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 tsps or 1 package of active dry yeast (NOT NOT the self rising type or the pizza dough, or the bread machine type)
3 cups of all purpose flour, or, bread flour
2 tsps salt
1 1/2 TBL sugar
3/4 cup soy milk warmed with 3 tsp of vinegar mixed in to make "buttermilk"
as needed, vegan butter or canola/safflower oil for the bowl
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| These are not a thick as I wanted. They were still delicious and better than store bought english muffins. When I make again, I will roll out to around 2". We toasted these and made breakfast sandwiches with muffin tin cut out tofu quiche and seitan breakfast sausage. |
Method...
Workspace and prepping: Have a very clean, dry, somewhat open, large workspace (like a kitchen island, or a large counter). Have a clean towel on hand, your bench scraper by your side and around 2 1/2 cups flour, instant yeast, salt, sugar combined in a big mixing bowl, set aside and ready to go. Have around 1/2 cup flour at the edge of your workspace, on the table top, ready to be dusted and used.
Step 1: Combine your warm to room temp curdled soy milk with dough and mix with big spoon until becoming bread like (this is the hardest part to explain, it becomes a big ball of dough with a little left over flour, but NOT NOT a bowl of batter. (If you need more liquid use warm tap water) Lift out of bowl, place on flour dusted work space and incorporate the remaining flour, yeast mixture, folding over until ready to knead.
Step 2: This is a wet / somewhat sticky dough, not dry like bread. Dust your hands and work area with the flour you have setting aside, and remove the formed mixture from the bowl, fold it over a couple times, while dusting with flour until you feel you can knead it a little without it sticking to everything. Start kneading the dough, flipping over and pressing your palm into it, while constantly incorporating more dustings of flour until it forms a ball. Should take around a minute or two. I learned from the youtube video that kneading does not matter, its the form of rising (in the plastic bag, moisture i’m assuming) This will form a soft, somewhat sticky ball of dough.
Step 3: Let the dough ball sit uncovered, then wash your big mixing bowl with hot, warm water. Dry the bowl and place a little oil in the botom of the bowl. Transfer the dough and roll it around to cover with the oil, then cover with the plastic bag and towel and set in a somewhat dark place for around 1 1/2 hours. This is the first rising. Clean up the workspace with the bench scraper and leave the flour pile to use for the 2nd rising.
Step 4: Second rising: after the hour and 1/2, take the dough out of the bowl and press down on it and start kneading, while incorporating flour if it is way too sticky to work with, around 1 minute? Place back in bowl and turn plastic bag inside out, then let sit, again, for around 1 hour this time. Clean your workspace, once again.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and have your rolling pin, muffin tins, spatula and sauté pan oiled and heated until very hot.
Step 6: When the 2nd rising is complete, dust your hands and workspace with flour, take the dough out of the bowl, press lightly into a small circle, then, using a rolling pin, roll out to around 2" thick then start cutting with muffin tins or plastic cup. Carefully lift the dough muffins onto the oiled and heated until very hot sauté pan and let cook around 30 seconds, then carefully flip with spatula (if they are too light, flip again and keep cooking another 20-30 seconds, if they are too dark turn the heat down on the sauté pan. Remove when both sides are brown and move to parchment lined baking sheet, place in 350" oven for around 20 minutes to 1/2 hour.
Remove from oven and place on cooling rack until room temperature. Store in refrigerator or freeze for use. When cool, try to pull apart with fingers of use the side of a spoon, makes more nooks and crannies.
