I’m obsessed.
I have a new love.
It’s this fig butter.
I know, I live a big, exciting life. You don’t have to tell me.
I want to put it on everything. The other night’s dinner consisted of a grilled cheese sandwich made with some leftover brie cheese, and you know I put some fig butter on that beauty.
So what did I do recently? I made whole wheat English muffins, so that I can toast them up and eat them with fig butter for breakfast.
I wasn’t kidding when I said I was obsessed.
Now, I had to do some research before I undertook this English muffin-making task. My research ultimately yielded the following information:
There are quite a few different English muffin recipes out there, though primarily they can fall into one of two categories: dough that you roll out, cut into rounds and then cook on the griddle; or a shaggy, wet dough (almost like thick pancake batter) that is spooned onto the griddle.
Now, from what I read, you get the best “nooks and crannies” (the ones so characteristic of and necessary to a true English muffin – according to self-proclaimed English muffin snobs) from the second kind of dough. So, of course, that is what I went with.
Now, I was going for more of a “rustic” look with my English muffins…ok. That’s not quite true. I just don’t currently own any English muffin rings, so I poured the batter directly onto the griddle instead of shaping it in rings. You could do either here. If you are interested in using the rings, Alton Brown has good English muffin recipe (I will likely try this one once I get some rings, just to see how it does) that walks you through how to use them.
The results of this particular English muffin experiment were quite good, though. Nice and golden on the outside, super soft on the inside, with a decent amount of little nooks and crannies (although, admittedly, there could probably be more). Downright awesome when toasted up and served with some fig butter…or any jam that you happen to be obsessed with at the moment.
Whole Wheat English Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 2 1/4 teaspoons 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 large egg
- 2 scant cups all-purpose flour
- 2 scant cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
- Cornmeal
Instructions
- In a microwave-proof bowl or measuring cup, microwave the milk on high for about two minutes, or until the milk is warm, but not hot. Warm milk will activate your yeast, hot milk will kill it.
- Sprinkle the sugar and the yeast into the milk. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, until the yeast foams. Once the yeast is foamy, whisk in the egg and melted butter.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flours and the salt. Pour in the milk and yeast mixture, stirring until combined. Dough will be wet and somewhat shaggy. Cover lightly with a clean towel and set in a warm place to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until dough is doubled in size. (Alternately, place in the refrigerator overnight, and remove from the fridge 1 hour before cooking.)
- Once dough has risen, heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. If using an electric griddle, shoot for about 300 degrees. If you are using rings, you will need to butter them. Stir the dissolved baking powder into the batter until well combined. Dust the cooking surface with corn meal. Using a measuring cup, spoon 1/4-cup portions of batter onto the griddle (either free-form or in the rings). Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until deeply golden. Flip, and cook for another 7 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from the griddle onto a cooling rack. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before prying in half with a fork. Toast and serve with butter, honey or jam, or use for Eggs Benedict.
- Store for up to 3 days at room temperature in a zip-top bag, or freeze for a couple of months.
Those look so great! I love that they’re whole wheat, too!
Well ya know…if I’m going to be stuffing my face with bread, it might as well be whole wheat… 😉
This seems like another one of those recipes I am kind of nervous about trying. I trust you and your baking skills though, so once I build up some courage I am going to try these!
You can do ittttt!! (Trust your yeast!)
Thank you for this great post! I’m just learning to use yeast. My first attempt was with pizza dough, but I think I am going to try to tackle these English muffins. Where do you buy this fig butter?
I made my fig butter (the first mention of it should be a hyperlink to the recipe, though it was just last week so it should still be on my homepage) and it is crazy easy (and quick!). I want to say that Trader Joe’s does sell some but don’t quote me on that.
As for yeast…believe in it! I love (lovelove!) baking with yeast, so if you ever have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email and I’d be happy to help you out!
I made English Muffins awhile ago, and they are a lot of work. I used the rings of lids to jars, and it worked well. I thought it was a lot of work to babysit them on the griddle though. Yours look great!
You do have to watch your time while they cook, although I was working on some other kitchen projects while I cooked them, so I wasn’t having to just stand there and stare at them. I kind of put them on the same level as risotto – took some time, but ultimately were worth it!
Whoa, your English muffins look perfect! All spongy with the right consistency and sooooo nice with the melted butter and fig butter! One of my girlfriends was telling me she had a pizza with figs and fig butter on it at a restaurant and said she loved it – made me think of you and the fact that I NEED to make your fig butter!! And the English muffins to put it on!
My wife and I have a whole-wheat english muffin and eggs each morning. I’m def. trying this as I am getting tired of the one type our store has.
I hope you like them! I like that it makes a big batch (I got 14), so they last longer than those little packages of 6 you get in the store! (Especially if you freeze them.)
wondering where the butter comes into play?
Whoops! Mixed with the warm milk and yeast. Thanks for catching that!
yum! don’t think I’ve ever eaten a home made english muffin! shame on me!
These are amazing, Steph!! They look like store bought, so good. You are a rockstar!
Thanks, Claire! I was pleased with how they turned out.