Aaron--I cannot recall if I've made a dough English muffin that is rolled out, then cut with a cutter. I've made a KAF recipe that used rings that was more of a batter, but I never quite got what I wanted in an English muffin. Of course, I did not have good pans (cast iron) at that time. The one I'm using now (see following discussion) is probably between a dough and a batter. They did have excellent rise, and are worth the mess. I will work on fine-tuning what I do. There must be an easier way of getting them divided. The dough/batter is too sticky, I think, for a scoop.

I’ve been dreaming of English Muffins, on which to use a bit of jam left over from a batch of strawberry-blackberry jam that I recently made. It’s a cooler, rainy Tuesday, and I bought new batteries for my infrared heat reader on Sunday, so I pulled out the recipe for Easy Buckwheat Oat English Muffins, which is my favorite. As always, I substituted 12 oz. buttermilk for that much regular milk, then used ¼ cup warm water to proof my yeast. Usually, I substitute honey for sugar, but this time, I decided to use the sugar. I reduced the salt to 1 tsp. and added 2 Tbs. flax meal and 3 Tbs. special dry milk. I replaced the 3 Tbs. of butter with 2 scant Tablespoons of canola oil. I resisted the urge to use the bread hook, which I’ve done in the past, and instead mixed the dough for 5 minutes using the paddle, scaping as I went. I used speed 3 on my Cuisinart stand mixer. (The recipe states, “medium speed.") I let it rise in the mixing bowl. The rise took the full two hours. It’s a very sticky dough. I used farina (cream of wheat) rather than semolina on the tray. I managed to cut the dough into ten pieces, not the twelve specified—and there was no way that I could weigh them. I used a bowl of water to help shape them into the semblance of a disc, then let them rest, covered for 20 minutes. I only have two medium sized griddle pans; one a Le Creuset (probably sold as a crepe pan), and one a Lodge 10-inch griddle pan. I was able to fit three on each. Once the pans came to temperature, I put the flame as low as it would go on both burners. [Major thumbs up here to the gas cooktop on my Wolf!] After 15 minutes, I turned them for another 15 minutes. All but one tested done the first time, and I moved the slacker muffin to a hotter spot and let it go a little longer. I then did the other four—two on each pan. While my English muffins are not perfectly round, they are about 1 ¼-inches high. I’m looking forward to toasting one to have with breakfast tomorrow.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by BakerAunt.

Chocomouse--I think that I tried the zucchini brownie recipe once and was similarly underwhelmed.

That's a fun link, skeptic!

Upon reflection, I would say that the recipe I made yesterday is a dough English muffin, but a slack dough.

After sampling at breakfast, I am very pleased--holes and cooked through nicely. Of course, I would have been ranked low in the Great British Baking Show because I was only able to make ten and not a dozen--another reason that I would never want to compete on a TV baking show: it takes the spontaneity out of baking--and the fun--and the need just to go with what works.