Spelt English muffins

I've been meaning to try my hand at making English muffins for ages. My family loves them, but I choose to avoid the supermarket variety here in Hong Kong, because they are made from all white flour. . . and I just don't do white! When in Australia, I do enjoy wholegrain English muffins, but I'm not sure I'll bother ever again, as you would expect, they just don't compare to a version made in the thermomix :)

The following recipe is based on this one from The Opies Family Food blog, with a couple of changes. My version uses wholemeal spelt flour and added mixed seeds for better nutrition, plus I have sprinkled the muffins with ground millet instead of cornmeal. You can make your muffins ahead of time, and pop them in a ziplock bag ready to toast for breakfast the next day. Or you can go as far as making up the mixture, allow it to prove overnight, and cook your muffins fresh the next morning. They also freeze very well, just split and pack into a ziplock bag ready to enjoy another day.

Spelt English muffins

ingredients
30g whole millet
240g full-cream milk
50g butter
25g raw caster sugar
2 tsp yeast
240 filtered water
375g white spelt flour (or plain flour)
375g wholemeal spelt flour
1/4 cup mixed seeds/ wholegrains (e.g. chia, flaxseeds, millet, steel cut oats) optional
1 tsp Himalayan salt

method
1. Add millet to the TM bowl and grind for 10-15 seconds on speed 9. Decant into bowl and set aside.

2. Add the milk and butter to the TM bowl and heat for 3-4 minutes at 90°C on speed 1 until the butter is melted. Add the sugar and mix to combine for 5 seconds on speed 3. Decant into a small jug or bowl and allow to cool.

3. Place the water in the TM bowl and heat to 50°C for 1 minute 30 seconds on speed 1. Sprinkle yeast over the water (take care to avoid the blade) and allow to stand for 10 minutes or until frothy.

4. Add the milk and butter mixture to the yeast mixture in the TM bowl together with 375g of the flour. Mix for 15 seconds at speed 6 until smooth with the MC cup in place. Add the salt and the remaining flour. Mix for 10 seconds on speed 4. Set the dial to closed lid and knead for 3 minutes. Leave in the bowl with the lid on, until doubled in size. The dough will expand to fill the TM bowl - it will overflow through the hole in the lid if you leave it too long :)

5. Use your fist to punch down the dough and remove onto a thermomat. Roll out to approximately half an inch thick. Cut rounds with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass. Sprinkle a sheet of baking paper (or the thermomat) with the millet meal and set the rounds on this to rise. Dust tops with more millet meal, cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

6. Grease a large non-stick frypan with a little butter and preheat on low.  Cook muffins for 5 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and turn over, cook for a further 5 minutes or until cooked through. I have a gas cooktop and used the lowest setting possible. Allow to cool on a cooling rack.

7. To serve: use a sharp knife to score the muffin around it's middle and carefully split open by hand. Toast and top with your favourite spread, such as butter, honey or jam. They are gorgeous with lemon butter. Or serve with your favourite egg breakfast.

toasted muffins waiting to be topped!

I'll be trying my hand at a spiced fruit version next yum! I'll keep you posted :)

For more breakfast ideas see Thermomix does breakfast


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