Swift

Stovetop English Muffins

Matt’s Marvelous Monday Mouthwatering Morsels: Stovetop English Muffins

Perhaps you just woke up, and you say, "Please sir, could I have some fresh English muffins??"
One thing that we find difficult to keep stocked up on is fresh bread and bready products. This has even been true cruising the ICW in the US. So, in an effort to live the comfortable, carb filled life of our dreams, I have been making all sorts of baked snacks. This is the first in a series of “quick” bread snacks for the boat that can be made quickly and in small batches. I really like this recipe because it’s so easy and so tasty. With that said, you have an important choice in your future. Do you,

A) make a half batch of this recipe so that you only have one days worth? or do you,
B) make the whole batch of this recipe so that you may spread out the yumminess over multiple days?
Your choice may be made easier by the number of persons in your vicinity who want to devour this yumminess, but likely you won’t really want to share. So good luck with all that.

Now, a note about these marvelous morsels: this is a very rare occasion where I am going to ask you to purchase or make a “uni-tasker” as my culinary hero Alton Brown says. You are going to need English Muffin rings. Alton himself, whose recipe this is based on, says you can make your own out of tuna cans. After destroying three cans with various hand and power tools and wasting over an hour, I decided to buy these for $6:

The whole process of going from a clean kitchen to a messy one with yummy English Muffins takes less than an hour total. This recipe makes 8 3”-muffins (two batches).

Here’s your list of ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup powdered milk
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon shortening, coconut oil or butter
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) yeast
  • 1/8 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/3 cup warm water 
  • 2 cups all purpose flour (or 1 cup AP flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour)
  • Non-stick vegetable spray (like Pam)
Here’s the procedure:
Proof the yeast by mixing it with 1/8 teaspoon sugar and 1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees Fahrenheit), letting it sit. It should be frothy and about doubled in volume in less than 5 minutes, if not the water was too hot or the yeast is sadly deceased. While the yeast proofs, mix the milk, sugar, salt, shortening, and hot water in a mixing bowl until dissolved. Add the yeast mixutre into the milk mixture, then stir in the flour. Beat it well for a few minutes until an even, very sticky dough is formed. Make that gluten you all are so afraid of! Now let it sit, covered in a warm-ish place for 30 minutes. That’s right, you can go back to bed if you like.

Now the dough has risen slightly it’s time to get cooking. In a large, flat bottomed pan (or pot) with a lid, arrange your rings so they sit flat on the bottom. Heat up the pan over low heat and spray both the pan and the rings with the vegetable spray. Scoop in a large spoonful of dough into each ring and then cover the pan and let cook for 5-7 minutes. Open the lid and flip the rings over with tongs or a spatula. Cover and cook another 5-7 minutes. The rings should slide off easily and the muffins are done when the sides look dry and aren’t sticky. I cook two batches of four, so once the first ones are done I reapply the spray and cook the last batch. 
One batch in the pan!

Sadly, I’m sad to tell you the sad news: now the hardest part has come. What will you adorn the top of your tasty, fresh, hot English Muffin with? Butter? Jammy preserves? Nutella? Peanut butter? Or perhaps you are an ambitious overachiever going on to make Eggs Benedict? Go you! 
Hot, fresh and buttery on day one! Perfect for sharing with the crew (who are waiting patiently).
Toasted with honey on day two!

This is the story of Matt, Lucy and Hastings, the crew of the sailing vessel Dulcinea, a 1985 Cabo Rico 38.

You Might Also Like

9 comments

  1. The Cynical SailorFebruary 6, 2017 at 8:11 AM

    I'm intrigued by the thought of homemade English Muffins. I hate tuna from a can, so there won't be any homemade English Muffin rings over there. Love the Star Trek mug :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Boat Life Larks - S/V DulcineaFebruary 6, 2017 at 9:45 AM

      You need a Star Trek mug to go with your new Aeropress!

      Delete
    2. UnknownFebruary 6, 2017 at 11:46 AM

      Be like Sionna. They just ordered the rings using that handy-dandy like Lucy provided!

      Delete
  2. TheCambriansFebruary 6, 2017 at 8:44 AM

    Ha ha ha. And a Jane Austen mug.

    When we're cruising, I make a lot of bread and pizza dough from scratch, so this English Muffin recipe will fit right in -- thanks! Oh, and peanut butter all the way.

    Stephanie @ SV CAMBRIA

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Boat Life Larks - S/V DulcineaFebruary 6, 2017 at 9:47 AM

      I like peanut butter on toasted muffins, but go with jam on fresh muffins. And the Jane Austen mug holds 1/3 cup more coffee than the Star Trek mug :-)

      Delete
  3. LiesbetFebruary 6, 2017 at 11:28 AM

    When we were on Irie, we made our own bread and pizza dough (this we still do). Once in a while, Mark would make home-made English muffins, especially when we were throwing a brunch for friends. Then, he would make Eggs Benedict with home-made Hollandaise sauce. Sometimes, there would be spinach or bacon involved as well. I know... I'm pretty spoiled in a culinary manner. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Boat Life Larks - S/V DulcineaFebruary 6, 2017 at 12:10 PM

      Oh my goodness! I'd always wondered if there were people out there making Eggs Benedict... and homemade sauce! We'll be tracking you down and inviting ourselves over for brunch shortly!

      Delete
  4. UnknownFebruary 6, 2017 at 11:48 AM

    This is wonderful! We go through a lot of Eng muffins, and I'm dying to try making them fresh! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Boat Life Larks - S/V DulcineaFebruary 6, 2017 at 12:08 PM

      That's awesome! Let us know how they turn out... and what you top them with.

      Delete

Flickr Images