I want breakfast. Again. It was so damn good.
The sun was shining in
The avocado was perfectly ripe and rich
The local eggs were full of flavor
But the homemade english muffins, the english muffins trumped it all!
I saw this recipe for english muffins on Taste is Trump weeks ago and have been gathering ingredients and waiting for just the right time to make them ever since.
The stars aligned this morning because not only did I have ever thing I needed in the kitchen, Tate and I were both home and planning on a lazy Sunday morning.
The ingredient list is short and these are super simple to throw together but they do take some fore-thought because the flour must soak for at least 12 hours.
Soaking flour or grains before using promotes the break down of phytic acid, resulting in increased absorption of key minerals including iron, magnesium, calcium, and zinc. The process of soaking grains/flour also helps make the gluten easier to digest.
Yesterday evening I mixed 2 cups of whole grain spelt flour with about 1 1/4 cup plain milk kefir (the recipe calls for 3/4 cup kefir but my bowl was still full of flour, not dough, after adding it so I poured in a little more to make a dough ball) and 1 tsp honey. I covered the bowl with a clean dish cloth and left it on the hutch overnight.
And I awoke to a dough ball waiting for me
Added 1/2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder, and a few pinches of rosemary salt and mixing it throughly with my hands.
I divided the dough into 8 balls
At this point I made another little adaptation to the recipe, I rolled each ball in cornmeal before shaping to give it that crusty english muffin quality
Eight little hand-shaped muffins
One hot and dry cast iron skillet
Flip!
Mmmmmmm
I put a lid on my skillet to ensure that the insides got done and cooked each side on low for 8 minutes or so, watching closely to make sure they didn’t get too dark. The first batch I made took longer because they were thicker, the second batch I flattened out more and it worked better.
The taste was awesome, the texture is doughy with a perfect english muffiny crust but they do lack the air pockets some muffins have.
Overall, I can’t wait to make these again, they are pretty amazing and, of course, I LOVE that they are super nutritious from the spelt flour, kefir, and soaking method.
Next time I’m going to try cinnamon raisin!
Don’t worry Kath, you’re invited! 🙂
It’s a gorgeous day and time to soak up some sunshine!
Those look amazing!!!!!!!!!
Glad I’m invited next time 🙂
Yum! I’ve just been reading about soaking flour – And the oatmeal I made that way is delish!! The texture is awesome!
Yeah, it’s a new thing for me but definitely one that will become a regular aspect of the baking process around here.
How did you do your oats?
I soaked 1 cup of rolled oats in 1 cup warm water with 2 tablespoons of yogurt and left them at room temp overnight. The next morning I cooked them with 1 cup of water (this is supposed to make enough to serve four) and the recipe is in Nourishing Traditions.
Yay for soaked grains! Did you like the texture? Nourishing Traditions is awesome! That’s a good reminder, I’m going to go soak some oats right now!
Ooh, yummy. Those look awesome! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’ve never even thought about making homemade English muffins, but those look delish!
I have been wanting to make English muffins for awhile since they are typical breaky fare in Oz but they are not sold in Sweden so thanks for the recipe link reminder 🙂
They are so easy and delicious! Make you some!
LOVED reading your experience! I miss the air bubbles too. If you figure that out, let me know. The cornmeal is a nice touch. Thanks for the link.
Hi Kara! I am glad you saw the link. I’ve been drooling over these muffins for weeks and am excited to experiment with them more. Check out Rebecca’s comment, she recommends using yeast instead of baking powder and soda to get air pockets.
If you use a sourdough starter or some yeast in the beginning (at the soaking stage), you won’t need the baking powder and you’ll get the nice holes and traditional texture. (Makes me miss my cast-iron pans!)
Thanks Rebecca, I will use yeast next time.
could you use water and vinegar to soak because soaking with dairy doesn’t get rid of phytic acid..the calcium inhibits this which is why you soak in the first place…has anyone tried this..i think i will.
thanks !!!
I have soaked in water and vinegar or water and lemon juice and it works fine, especially for dough where it just adds a bit of a sourdough flavor (as opposed to oats; sour oats are kind of weird). I recommend using a raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar if you go that route.
All of the information that I have found online and in books referring to the soaking of flour state that something acidic should be used for soaking. Sour or cultured milk, buttermilk, yogurt, and kefir, along with vinegar and lemon juice, are acidic. Vinegar and lemon juice will work, and are recommended for people that are allergic to dairy, but they will produce less than satisfactory results. Soaking with dairy does not inhibit the reduction of phytic acid, as long as it has been cultured. Also, the enzymes and beneficial bacteria in the cultured dairy provide way more benefits than vinegar and/or lemon juice.