A couple of friends received little Christmas gift bags filled with english muffins. It was a spontaneous gift, or kinda spontaneous...meaning, I didn't sit down and write out a gift list in August and next to Lisa's name write english muffins, but rather I had some freshly baked english muffins on the counter, I was heading to work on Christmas Eve, thought of Lisa, etc...of course, spontaneous can be a multi-step process. F'rinstance, before giving them I asked Nik (as I oft do), "Is that too wierd?" Nik obligingly answers, "She'll be glad to get them." But it was just a little before 6:00 in the morning and I had to wake him up to ask him and he probably would have said anything to get me to turn off the light and let him go back to sleep. So, not quite satisfied with his first opinion, I actually toasted up one of the english muffins, spread it lovingly (and generously) with butter and raspberry jam, woke him up again and said "Taste this...is it okay?" Because he is Nik, he opened his eyes, said "mmmm" even before taking a bite, chewed thoughtfully and said, "Yes, it's good." It was early (still dark out, in fact), they aren't really pretty english muffins, and they did taste (I thought) a little malty (not a flavor some people might enjoy in the morning), so I pressed further and asked, "Really? Is it okay?" His eyes were closed again by this time, he was starting to roll over (away from me), and I think I heard him say, "mm hmmm." Convinced, or at least more confident, that english muffins were an okay gift item, I went to work and delivered them to Lisa C....along with caveats and instructions and after-thoughts.
The next morning, Christmas morning, I again toasted up an english muffin. Wearing red and green flannel and my old man slippers, sipping a cup of hot coffee, sitting in front of the twinkling Christmas tree just as the sun was coming up, surrounded by 3 of 4 dogs, a little sleepy and a little excited because it was Christmas...english muffins seemed at that moment like the perfect food/gift. Not too malty at all, temptingly crunchy and chewy at the same time, lots of nooks and crannies (which seem to be the hallmark of a good english muffin) for butter and jam, and (were it not for the butter) fairly healthy given that they are made with several whole grains. These english muffins weren't just comfort food...they were cozy food. Deep breath, take another sip of coffee, close your eyes, smile...a cozy start to a really nice Christmas day.
English Muffins
(adapted from Breads from La Brea Bakery, by Nancy Silverton)
Yield: approx 17-20
SPONGE
Liquid Levain (sourdough starter).................18 oz
Skim Milk.............................................2 cups
Bread Flour...........................................8 oz
Rye Flour.............................................3 1/2 oz
1. Mix the Sponge ingredients thoroughly in stand mixer bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it ferment at room temperature for 2 hours.
DOUGH
Sponge.................................all of the above
Water (room temp)..................10 oz
Active Dry Yeast......................1 Tbl
Bran Cereal (crushed)................1/2 cup
Flax Seeds.............................1/4 cup
Spelt Flakes............................1/4 cup
Cornmeal...............................1/4 cup
Bread Flour.............................8 oz
Barley Malt Syrup......................4 Tbl
Vegetable Oil..........................4 Tbl
Kosher Salt.............................1 Tbl
Semolina Flour/Cornmeal.............for dusting
Melted butter..........................2 Tbl
1. In a small bowl (or measuring cup) rehydrate the yeast in the water.
2. Add the rehydrated yeast mixture, crushed bran cereal, flax seeds, spelt, cornmeal, flour, malt syrup, and vegetable oil to the sponge in the mixer bowl. With paddle attachment, mix on low until all ingredients are combined, about 1-2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and continue to mix for 6 minutes. The dough will be VERY wet but should begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl as it is mixing. Add a small amount of flour if you do not see a very very wet dough forming. Add the salt and continue to mix on medium for 2 minutes.
3. Cover with plastic and let rise until doubled (it will come to the top of the mixer bowl), about 1 1/2 hours. (Dough can be refrigerated at this time...but watch it in the 'fridge, it may try to flow over the edges of the bowl).
4. Line baking sheets with parchment and dust generously with semolina or cornmeal. Brush inside of baking rings with the melted butter and set them on the baking sheets.
6. Let them sit at room temp, uncovered, for an hour - they will rise slightly during this time. Preheat oven to 400.
7. Sprinkle with dough with semolina or cornmeal and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the trays and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. The tops will be slightly browned when done.8. Let cool and remove from rings.
9. When serving, split in half with fork and toast. (WARNING: these are not so good untoasted)
No comments:
Post a Comment