Tea Worthy (Gluten-Free) English Muffins
After four valiant attempts we finally have a gluten-free English muffin we can toast with pride. An English muffin worthy of Sunday jam. Worthy of artisan organic peanut butter. A slather of mashed avocado. Or cream cheese and chives. And yes. Breakfast in bed.
These warm and golden delectables are too crispy-tender good to munch running to the bus stop or strapped in your car, cataloguing the priority of your daily tasks.
These muffins deserve a proper plate.
A mug of frothy chai.
Your Sunday morning playlist.
I'm not sure why a simple English muffin is so tricky to recreate gluten-free (and in this case, also vegan- no milk and eggs to help the stubborn gluten-free flours fluff and rise). I thought it would be a snap. So I perused Alton Brown's recipes for inspiration.Using Alton's basic template the first batch turned out very dense, with no rise and no crunchy edges- though the dough looked promising (pictured above, rising). Dense was not a quality I wanted in my muffin. So I tried again, this time using my own original Gluten-Free Bread recipe as a template (I'm loving the combo of sorghum, potato starch and millet as a flour base for yeasted breads these days). The result was better- but still not quite there.
After a third attempt I realized that the issue might be moisture. I was creating a dough that resembled wheat dough, and I could shape it a bit and pat it into the English muffin rings, but the result was heavy and more resembled a gluten-free hockey puck.
The fourth try was the charm (sometimes perseverance pays off). I added more warm water to the dough (than seemed wise), until it was more of a thick cake batter than a stretchy playful dough.
And sweet bi-locating John from Cincinnatti! It worked.
Karina
xox
Gluten-Free Goddess English Muffin Recipe
Recipe originally posted April 2009 by Karina Allrich.
Those of you using dairy and eggs, this GFCF recipe would translate into a more traditional recipe using milk and organic free-range eggs. You might start with one beaten egg, and slightly less milk to start out- especially if you like a dense and chewy English muffin (eggs will make them lighter and fluffier). The dough is akin to a thick, sticky cake batter.
First:
Turn your oven on for minute to warm it, then turn it off. Grease 8 English muffin rings
and place them on a lined baking sheet. Sprinkle a little cornmeal inside the rings if you like.
Ingredients:
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup potato starch
(not potato flour) or tapioca starch
1/2 cup organic millet flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 cup water at 110 to 115ºF.
1/2 cup plain hemp or soy or almond milk
at 110 to 115ºF.
1 pinch of raw sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
4 tablespoons light olive oil
2 tablespoons honey or raw organic agave nectar
2 large organic free-range eggs or Egg Replacer
(1/4 cup liquid)
Instructions:
Whisk together the flours, xanthan gum and sea salt.
Mix the warm water and milk; add the sugar and the yeast; stir. Set aside until the yeast begins to get poofy.
Add the proofed yeast to the dry ingredients. Add the oil, honey and egg.
Mix thoroughly. It should be more like a thick muffin batter than a bread dough. A wee bit sticky. If you need to thin a little, add a tablespoon of warm water and mix.
Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes.
Note: You can also create this dough in your bread machine. Use the mix/dough cycle. Let it rest a bit in the machine; then spoon it into the muffin rings for rising.
Spoon the dough into the eight English muffin rings. Using wet fingers press and smooth out the tops of the dough.
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| English muffin rings and dough, rising. |
Next:
Place the baking sheet into the warm oven and allow the dough to rise. Check after 15 minutes. The dough needs to double in height.
Bake in the center of a 350ºF oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, until firm and slightly golden (gluten-free dough doesn't brown very much; go by touch to see if they're done).
Remove and cool on a wire rack.
Fork split in half, and toast for maximum crispy edged tender goodness.
Makes 8 English muffins.
Tip:
Wrap leftover muffins in foil, bag, and freeze for the freshest muffin experience.
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Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com
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