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English Muffins (Squffins!)

The first time I made these, I did a double recipe and it took a long time to handle the stove top portion.  That being said, it did leave us some already made for the next morning.  Making 8 at a time was a way more manageable project like making pancakes for the family and feels less projecty.  

Servings 8 Larger square muffins

Ingredients

  • 3 Cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 Tablespoon of kosher salt I use Morton because that is what we have around here
  • 1/2 Tablespoon of sugar
  • 1/2 Tablespoon yeast
  • 1.5 Cups water
  • Cornmeal and or coarse ground polenta
  • Cast iron skillet/griddle

Instructions

  1. Mix all of the dry ingredients together. Then pour in the water and stir till all the flour is incorporated and behold the shaggy mess. Don't worry that it looks impossibly dry, just cover it well (plastic or a lid, not a towel) and place in the fridge overnight.
  2. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll on a floured work surface into a square shape. You want the dough to be about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. Cut into squares.
  3. On a sheet tray put a mixture of cornmeal and or polenta (I like to use both) and gently press each side of the muffins into the mixture. If you can let the muffins rise for about 15-20 minutes to come up to room temperature, that is great.
  4. Lay the muffins in a cold cast iron skillet and heat very slowly over low heat. This is very important to do very very slowly. You want to activate the yeast in the dough before cooking it. When the muffin starts to look domed, you know you can flip it. I find a metal spatula works well as the sides are still very tender--almost raw and indent easily. You may end up flipping your muffins over a few times, but try not to deflate them (some natural deflating happens with a flip, but treat them gently). I find if I can go slow, it can take up to 30 minutes to cook them slowly enough. You want the internal temperature to read over 200 degrees F on an instant digital thermometer. Depending on the size of your plan, or how many you have, you may need to work in batches.
  5. If they are done before they are browned, you can turn up the heat toward the end to get a golden color to them. If they color before they are cooked through, you can put them in a low oven of about 300 for about 5-10 minutes and check the temperature again.
  6. It is best to let the muffins rest once cooked about 5-10 minutes before fork splitting them. Even if you don't plan to eat them right away, I recommend fork splitting them (using the tines of the fork to go all the way around and into the middle) so they are easier to split later.
  7. You can toast and serve now with butter and jam if you please, or let cool completely and save for later. I haven't tried freezing these just yet (they disappear too quickly!) but I am sure they would work well.