The Pajama Chef

Happy Monday!

I’m especially excited about today because it’s my first time participating in The Secret Recipe Club. I first heard about The Secret Recipe Club from Lindsay’s blog and I was instantly hooked on the idea. The premise is this: you’re assigned a different member’s blog every month. You visit their blog, choose any recipe you want, then make it and share it on your blog. It’s a fun way to find new blogs and be stretched to try new recipes, cooking styles, etc. Then, everyone posts about their assigned blog on the same day.

For November, I was assigned Anne’s blog–Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy. The premise of her blog is simple and straightforward, and I quote directly from her homepage:

* QUICK – because who has time for anything more?
* EASY – because I’m no gourmet.
* CHEAP – because who has money for anything more?
* HEALTHY – because you are what you eat.

Sounds good to me! After checking out many of the amazing looking recipes and tasty treats that Anne regularly posts [frequently part of fun series like Better than the Box or Twelve Treats of Christmas], I decided to tackle a food that I love but have never been daring enough to make on my own: English Muffins. Or, to be more specific: Honey Whole Wheat English? Muffins. The question mark after the “English” is indicative of the fact that there isn’t complete certainty over the geographic heritage of these doughy, crisp breakfast treats. Nevertheless, I can say with complete certainty that these are delicious. Unlike some whole wheat breads, these are not at all dense, but just the right balance of doughy and substantive. I love the touch of sweetness that the honey adds too.

So when grading by Anne’s four point scale, I must say that these English muffins are definitely quick [thanks to my dear pal Mr. Breadmaker], easy [can you say everyday ingredients + minimal appliances/tools?], cheap [again: read, everyday ingredients + minimal appliances/tools… just like any ‘ole bread] and healthy [I can pronounce everything… no mystery ingredients or fillers here]. These will definitely be making more appearances on our breakfast table in the future. Thanks, Anne!

Honey Whole Wheat English Muffins [from Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy]
printable version

Ingredients:

• 1 cup skim milk
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons yeast [I used breadmaker yeast]
• cornmeal

Directions:

Place all the ingredients [minus the cornmeal] in the pan of your breadmaker in the order shown above, or as correlates to your breadmaker’s instructions. For mine, it is liquids and salt, dry ingredients, and then make a well for the yeast. Basically, the game plan is to just keep your yeast from mixing with the liquids too soon. Set for the “dough” cycle and when it’s ready, remove dough and place on countertop or work surface that has been covered with cornmeal. Covered! Press into a large rectangle, about 1/2-1 inch thick, then use a glass or biscuit cutter to cut out large circles of dough. Place on cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to rise for 30-60 minutes. Cook the muffins on an ungreased griddle set over low-medium heat for about 8-9 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Split with a fork and serve with butter and jam. Or as we did for dinner, eggs, bacon, Cheddar, and avocado. Store in an airtight container.

Note:

I recommend making sure your griddle is piping hot before you start cooking them. Also, if your kitchen is on the cold side, allow to rise longer than 30 minutes for best results.

Check out more of today’s recipes below!

Time: 45 minutes active [plus the time your breadmaker takes and an additional 30 minutes rising time].

Yield: 12-14 muffins.