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Zinglish Muffins

Bakehouse Zinglish Muffins

Be prepared, this dough is sticky–a sign of a high moisture content. Although a little challenging to work with, it’s this quality that gives the muffins lots of nooks and crannies and a light airy texture. Use these muffins, fork-split and toasted to a golden brown, as the foundation for Eggs Benedict, or a mouth-watering breakfast sandwich of eggs and sausage or vegetables.
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Ingredients
  

  • 435 grams all-purpose flour 3 cups plus 1.5 tablespoons
  • 1.5 cups water room temp
  • 1.25 tsp instant yeast
  • 1.25 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1.5 tsp fine sea salt
  • cornmeal for dusting
  • clarified butter or ghee for griddling

Instructions
 

Make the dough

  • In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and water, and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a shaggy mass.
  • Scrape the dough onto a clean, unfloured work surface and knead for 6 to 8 minutes. This is a very sticky dough because it has a lot of water in it relative to the flour. Professional bakers refer to this as having a high hydration. Don’t add flour! This high hydration will help to create those nooks and crannies, which are the trademark of an English Muffin. Initially you can knead it in the bowl if you like. As it comes together, you can move to kneading it on the work surface.
  • Place the kneaded dough into a medium mixing bowl or container, lightly coated in oil or non-stick cooking spray, and cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
  • Turn out the fermented dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide the dough into 10 equal pieces (Each one will weigh about 2.25 oz [75g])
  • Shape each piece into a small round, as if you were making a dinner roll, and place on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal, several inches apart. Let the rounds rest for 10 minutes. 
  • Lightly dust the tops of the dough rounds with flour. Use the palm of your hand or a flat tool, like a spatula, and press each dough round down into a disc 3 in (7.5cm) in diameter. Dust the tops with cornmeal for a nice garnish at the end of the baking and enough to stop the plastic from skipping in the next step.
  • Cover all the disks loosely with plastic and let them proof for 45 minutes to 1 hour. To assess if the dough is optimally proofed, flour a finger and poke it gently into a dough disk; if the indentation holds its shape, the dough is ready for the next step.

Griddle the English Muffins

  • Traditionally, English muffins are cooked on a griddle or in a skillet.We recommend a large skillet that has a lid. If you are using a cast-iron skillet , preheat it over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. If you are using a skillet other than cast iron, preheat it over medium-low heat for 2 to 4 minutes, depending on its thickness.
  • Rub the skillet with the clarified butter or ghee just like you would prepare a pan to make pancakes.
  • Use your hands or a flat spatula to transfer the dough disks to the skillet, leaving 1 to 2  in (2.5 to 5 cm) between each muffin; cook in batches if you run out of room. Cover the griddle or skillet with a lid to ensure that the muffins are cooked through and achieve good loft and airiness. Bake the muffins, covered, for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Check the bottoms of the muffins as they are baking and adjust the heat if necessary.  The muffins are fully baked when their internal temperature registers 190°F (88°C) on an instant read thermometer. (Griddling these muffins is a bit like making pancakes. It takes a bit to get the pan at the perfect temperature and timing down. Try griddling just a couple to start with to get everything set and then do the remaining ones.)
  • Place the baked muffins on a wire rack to cool.
  • Split cooled muffins with a fork and toast to your taste and enjoy! 

Notes

Storage: Store in an airtight plastic bag for up to 3-5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Tip! Butter that is clarified can be cooked at higher temperatures without browning or burning because the milk solids and water have been removed. It is great to use when cooking at high temperatures or when griddling something for several minutes and you don’t want the item to brown. Ghee is an Indian version of clarified butter and is readily available in many grocery stores. It’s easy to clarify your own butter though. Take a stick of butter, or more, and melt it in a small pot very gently. Do not stir. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Skim off the residue that will rise to the top of the butterfat. Slowly pour the clear fat into a container, carefully keeping the watery milk solids in the bottom in the pot, which can then be discarded. The clear, clarified butter is now ready for you to use and can be kept at room temperature or in the refrigerator for months.