I’m kind of a weirdo when it comes to lunch. Most days when I’m home I eat a toasted peanut butter and jam sandwich, and depending on the season I have either cocoa or chocolate milk. If it’s really warm out I’ll have an iced coffee. Must be the whole comfort food thing or reaching back to my childhood. My kids think its very boring, but every day at noon, that’s what sounds good. Sometimes I get busy and make something more creative or even more healthy, but most days it’s just me and my PB &J.
I do enjoy a good organic peanut butter and homemade jam and I like it best on an English muffin like the one above with homemade raspberry jam (thanks Laurie!). I saw this recipe for homemade muffins on the Beekman Boys website and decided to give it a try. Yum! You’ll need a cookie cutter and some time to spend in the kitchen, but they’re worth it. They’re not baked, they’re cooked on the griddle, then left in a warm oven as each batch is completed. Upon flipping each muffin I pressed it down just a bit for a flatter finished product. My griddle doesn’t give degrees but I found it worked best at medium low. Slow but steady, they cook 10 minutes on each side. On my second batch I found using the 3 1/2” ring from a canning jar was the perfect muffin cutter. This recipe makes about 24 muffins.
They really are far superior to any packaged brand I've tried. I'm hooked!
NANCY’S ENGLISH MUFFINS
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
¼ cup melted butter
2 TBS white sugar
6 cups all-purpose flour [King Arthur is best]
1 [.25 oz.] package yeast
2 TBS Wheat Germ
1 cup warm water [110 F]
1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
- Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles; then remove from heat. Mix in the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
- In large bowl, combine the milk, yeast mixture, wheat germ, butter, salt, and 3 cups flour of the flour. Beat until smooth, add salt and add the remaining three cups of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place. Usually about 1 hour.
- Punch down. Roll out to about ½ inch thick. Cut rounds with biscuit cutter [you can also use a drinking glass or empty tuna can]. Sprinkle waxed paper with cornmeal and set the rounds on this to rise. Dust tops with cornmeal also. Cover and let rise for ½ hour.
- Heat greased griddle [to about 270 F]. Cook muffins on griddle for about 10 minutes on each side. Keep baked muffins in a warm oven [250 F] until all have been cooked [about 20-30 minutes for each batch]. Allow to cool and place in plastic bags for storage. To use, split and toast. Can be frozen!
Enjoy!
