Whole Wheat English Muffins

I know some people think I am crazy to make as much from scratch as I do and that's okay. However, I must tell you if you don't make anything else from scratch you MUST try these English muffins. They are just dreamy! (And really not difficult) Not to mention they are sooo much healthier and much less expensive. And how can argue with that?



Ingredients

• 1 cup milk, warmed until just barely bubbling




• 2 Tbsp honey




• 1 scant Tbsp yeast




• 1 cup warm water




• 1/4 melted butter




• 5 cups whole wheat flour - give or take a bit




• 1 cup all-purpose flour (if you like a lighter muffin you can use more and less whole wheat)




• cornmeal

Combine warmed milk and honey in the bowl of your stand mixer and stir until dissolved. In a separate bowl, proof the yeast in the warm water. After about 10 minutes it should be nice and bubbly.

Add yeast mixture, butter, and three cups of whole wheat flour to the milk. Beat on low speed with the dough hook until mostly smooth. Add remaining flour a half cup at a time until a soft dough forms. You will know that the dough has the right amount of flour when it pulls into a ball and cleans the side of the mixer.

Place the dough in a oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.

Layout a piece of wax paper and sprinkle it with cornmeal. Sprinkle your work surface with flour. Punch down the dough and move to the floured surface. Cut the dough into 12 to 14 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place on the waxed paper, leaving 2-3 inches between the muffins. Slightly flatten each round and sprinkle with cornmeal. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a greased griddle over medium heat. Gently brush off the excess cornmeal and place muffin on the griddle. Cooking until a deep golden brown, about 5-7 minutes on each side. Place grilled muffins on buttered baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes more or until the edges feel firm.

Cool on wire rack. Toast before serving.

Don't forget to stop by and check out all the recipes being swapped this week at The Grocery Cart Challenge.