All For A Craving

Well, after lots of Pinterest failures, and a few successes, I can add another success to the drawing board.  ENGLISH MUFFINS!  That was my go to breakfast in the states.  I love English Muffins toasted, spread with some peanut butter and then drizzled with honey.  Growing up I would mix the peanut butter with corn syrup, but you know with the "at least gonna try to eat healthier...with some things," I now use honey instead of that awful high fructose corn syrup.  I just reserve that awful stuff for that healthy pecan pie that is at least 800 calories a slice, and I am probably being generous with that calorie count.

A few months ago I had seen a recipe for English muffins, looked at it, and thought that is too much trouble for that.  Then the  other day I saw another one that said they were super easy.  I took a look, and they looked super easy.  And would fix my craving for some good English Muffins.  I can find them here at PriceSmart (aka Sam's in Costa Rica), and I have subjected myself to that cardboard before.  That is the usual for most things here.  If you want something good, you have to make it for yourself.

Go to your pantry and pull out these ingredients.

• 3 2/3 C flour, plus a little more for kneading
• 1 envelope of dry active yeast (or 1 1/4 tsp yeast, if you buy the huge bag like me)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 C lukewarm water
• 2/3 C plain yogurt (I used sour cream, but in Costa Rica the sour cream is very similar to yogurt)
• Cornmeal for sprinkling
• Oil of choose for skillet, I used coconut oil

You can do this by hand in a large bowl or if you have a mixer that just means less work for you.

Whisk together the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a bowl.  Then dump the yogurt in. 

Add your warm water.  Not too hot or you will kill the yeast.

Then let the mixer do the work, or start stirring with a big wooden spoon.

While the mixer is mixing sprinkle a large cookie sheet with the cornmeal.

I mixed on speed 2 until I knew the flour wouldn't fly out everywhere, then I sped it up to high, or on a Kitchen Aid I used speed 8.  I let the mixer run for about 7-8 minutes.

Then I generously floured my pastry mat before placing the dough on it.  Then I sprinkled probably an 1/8 C flour on top of the dough.  You then roll it out to be 3/4" thick and cut them in 3" diameters.  I used a kitchen cup.

Place them on the cookie sheet then sprinkle corn meal on the other side.

Cover and let rise for 1 hour.  If it isn't warm in the house, just place in the oven and turn the oven light on.

It is crazy how they start puffing up in the skillet.  I noticed they didn't rise a ton in the hour, but puffed very nicely when I started cooking them.

They were super yummy right off the skillet!

I converted David and the kids.  He does not like English Muffins.  But he managed to eat two, hot right off the skillet this afternoon.  Planning on making some breakfast sandwiches soon.  This recipe made 13 muffins.  With 6 of us, they won't last long enough for me to need to freeze them unless I double the recipe, which I probably will next time.  I would pre cut them, wrap individually in saran wrap, then place them in a  freezer bag.  Pull them out the night before and place them in the fridge.  Try these soon!  You won't regret it.