Steamed English Muffins

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Steamed English Muffins

Usually English muffins need to be cooked with a griddle or frypan. This method allows you to perfectly cook a dozen in one hit. Steamed, then briefly browned, they're every bit as good as their pan-cooked equivalent and easier to make.

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time20

Proofing time14

Total Time15 50

Course: Afternoon Tea, Breakfast, Morning Tea

Cuisine: English

Keyword: english muffins, steam oven muffins, steamed muffins

Servings: muffins

Calories: 188kcal

Ingredients

For the starter

3/4 cup bread flour or all-purpose flour 100g
1/2 cup water lukewarm
1/2 tsp active dry yeast or instant

For the muffin dough

1 cup milk whole/full-fat
1 tsp active dry yeast or instant
3 1/4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour 400g
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
1 tsp salt
Semolina or cornmeal for dusting a few tablespoons

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the starter

Mix the flour, water, and yeast for the starter in a small mixing bowl, until it's smooth. Set aside for anywhere between 1-12 hours to become active. It'll become more and more bubbly and puffed up; you can use it after an hour or two, but the longer it sits the better your finished muffin structure will be.
3/4 cup bread flour, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Make the dough

Combine the milk and yeast for the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if you're working by hand). Scrape the starter into the bowl and use a whisk to break it up and dissolve it. It should become quite frothy.
1 cup milk, 1 tsp active dry yeast
Add most of the flour, the sugar, melted butter, and salt to the bowl and use the paddle attachment to mix on low speed (or hand mix with a stiff spatula) until you get a shaggy dough.
3 1/4 cups bread flour, 2 Tbsp granulated sugar, 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, 1 tsp salt
With the dough hook on your stand mixer, knead the dough on low speed until it comes together in a smooth ball, 5 to 8 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, add extra flour as needed, but use caution. It will be quite a soft dough and may not completely pull away from the sides of your bowl like a regular bread dough. If you're kneading by hand, knead well on a floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. The dough is ready when it forms a smooth ball; it will feel a bit tacky to touch, but shouldn't stick to your hands.

First proof

For the best flavor and structure, cover the dough bowl and place in the fridge overnight (at least 8 and up to 24 hours). For quicker English muffins, you can proof in your steam oven and then make the muffins immediately. To do this, use the dough proving setting or steam setting at 86°F/30°C until the dough doubles in size (about 45 minutes).

Divide and shape the muffins

Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a pastry scraper to divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. If you're like me and want them all to be exactly the same size, each piece of dough should weigh around 75 grams. Roll each piece gently to shape into smooth, round balls.
Sprinkle your counter with semolina or cornmeal and press the top and bottom of each dough ball into it, for a light coating.
Semolina or cornmeal for dusting
Put the muffins, spaced a couple of inches apart, onto a lightly greased or lined rimmed baking tray. I use one that's got a rim about an inch (2.5cm) deep, which is perfect for the height of an English muffin. Put a second, flat baking sheet or tray on top of the muffins. Turn it 90 degrees so it's supported by the rim of the lower baking tray but leaves a small gap either side of the lower tray - this will allow the steam to circulate around the muffins when you cook them. As they rise, the muffins will flatten out against the top baking sheet, giving them their characteristic flat-on-both-sides shape.
Let the muffins proof until puffy, using the dough proving setting or steam setting at 86°F/30°C. For dough that was refrigerated, this will take about 45 minutes; for room temperature dough, it will take about 25-30 minutes.

Steam the muffins

Set your oven to Steam, 212°F/100°C (100% humidity). Cook the muffins for 15-18 minutes, until they're firm and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven and take the top baking sheet away. Switch your oven to broil/grill, and briefly brown the muffins on top until they're colored to your liking. Flip them over and repeat on the underside.
Serve the muffins warm and fresh, or split and toast. They'll keep for a couple of days at room temperature but I like to freeze them after the first day, pre-split and ready to drop into the toaster for breakfast.

Nutrition