•You really don’t need to let a “light” dough (such as the one in Bettina’s recipe) have multiple risings.
•If you use more whole-grain flour or groats or whole kernels, then you would knead it and let it rise a second time before putting it in the pan.
•If you add groats or oats, soak them before you use them. Bring water or milk to a boil, pour it over the grains so that they’re just covered, and let them stand for at least thirty minutes. These grains add liquid to the flour-yeast mixture, so you likely won’t need additional liquid.
English Muffins
English muffins are very easy to make, and they don’t even require an oven. A griddle is good for consistent heating, but they can be done on the stovetop in a pan if you keep a close eye on the heat. Poke the prongs of a fork around the edges of the finished muffins for a “fork-split” texture. This recipe makes ten to twelve English muffins.
Ingredients:
• ¾ cup warm water (approximately 110 degrees Fahrenheit)
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp yeast
• 3 cups white flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp malt vinegar (no substitutes—malt gives the correct flavor)
• Cornmeal to dust baking pan
Step 1: Dissolve the sugar in the warm water. When the sugar is dissolved, add the yeast and stir to mix.
Step 2: In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. When the yeast mixture is foamy, add it to the flour mixture along with the egg and vinegar. Mix well.
Step 3: Put the dough on a floured countertop and knead it several times. When it is smooth, return it to an oiled bowl, cover it with a cloth, and set in a warm place to rise for forty-five minutes.
Step 4: When the dough has risen, roll it out on a floured countertop with a rolling pin to about a ½-inch thickness.
Step 5: Cut out circles with a round cutter or tuna can. Reroll the scraps to get as many circles as possible.
Step 6: Put the circles on cornmeal-coated baking sheets. Turn them over to coat both sides with cornmeal.
Step 7: Cover the baking sheet(s) with a cloth and let the dough rise for about another thirty to forty-five minutes, until the circles have doubled in size.
Step 8: Heat an ungreased griddle (or pan) to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 9: When the griddle is hot, gently place (they can sink if dropped) the muffins on the griddle and “dry fry” them for about fifteen minutes.
Step 10: Gently flip them over (they’re less likely to sink now) and dry fry the other side for ten to fifteen minutes or until light brown. Griddle and pan cooking times may vary.
Step 11: Cool the fried muffins on a wire rack.
Serve the English muffins warm with butter or jam—the fork-split texture makes pockets for toppings to settle into. If you don’t eat them right away, you can freeze them in a plastic bag (ours don’t usually last!).
“Dry fry” the cornmeal-coated muffins on the stovetop.
Bagels
I got tired of buying expensive four-packs of bagels at the grocery store and realized that I must be able to be make them by hand. They’re not quite New York perfection, but they’re very tasty fresh from the oven (once they’re cool enough!). The price is right, and it’s a fun process to learn.
Ingredients:
• 2 tsp yeast
• 3 tsp brown sugar
• 1½ cups warm water (110 degrees Fahrenheit)
• 4 cups white flour
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• Cornmeal to dust baking pan
Step 1: Dissolve the sugar in the warm water. When dissolved, add the yeast and stir to mix.
Step 2: Mix the flour and salt. When the yeast mixture is foamy, pour it into the flour mixture.
Step 3: Stir to combine and then knead the dough on a well-floured countertop for five minutes or until it is smooth.
Step 4: Roll the dough into an approximately 12-inch-long tube, lay it on a baking pan, cover it with a cloth, and let it rise for two hours.
Step 5: Place the risen tube on a flour-dusted countertop. With a serrated knife, cut the dough into equal portions of approximately 4 ounces each (I weigh the first one and eyeball the rest). Allow each piece to sit for five minutes.
Step 6: Here’s the fun part! Working with each portion, poke your index finger into the middle of the dough piece while it is still on the counter and then spin it around your finger until you create a hole of the desired size.
Step 7: Set each completed piece on a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet, cover the pieces with a light cloth or a piece of plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
Step 8: The next day, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Dust another baking sheet with cornmeal and flour.
Step 9: Fill a large wide-mouthed pot or pan with water, add the baking soda, and bring it to a boil. The pot should be large enough so that the bagels won’t touch the bottom or each other when floating in the water.
Step 10: Drop the bagels in small batches into the boiling water—but don’t let the bagels touch, or they’ll stick together.
The bagels will float on top of the boiling water.
Step 11: Boil for two minutes and then turn the bagels over (kitchen tongs are good for this step) to boil on the other side for one minute. They should puff up and feel slightly firm.
Step 12: Remove the bagels with a slotted spoon and place them on a rack until they look dry.
Step 13: Put the boiled dry bagels on the prepared baking sheet and bake them in the oven for ten minutes.
Step 14: Turn the sheet 180 degrees and bake for another five to ten minutes or until the bagels are golden brown.
Step 15: Remove immediately and let the bagels cool on a rack—they’ll be hot!— before cutting them.
For cinnamon-raisin bagels:
•Reduce the salt to 1 teaspoon and add 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
•Before making your dough, bring ¾ cup raisins and ½ cup water to a boil. Remove from the heat, drain, and set the raisins aside to cool. Incorporate the raisins in the initial kneading (Step 3).
•Use flour instead of cornmeal to dust the baking trays.
Grinding Whole Grains into Flour
Store-bought flour is a highly processed food that has been ground, filtered, and often bleached. The best parts of the grain kernel are removed (and sold separately as bran and germ for much higher prices), and less expensive vitamins are added before it is bagged for our use. Why not buy the whole grains, grind them yourself, and get a healthier result from it?
I became a grain-grinding devotee when a German coworker of my husband moved his family nearby. The first time we had dinner at the coworker’s house, I noticed containers of whole grains and an interesting kitchen device, which turned out to be an all-in-one unit with various attachments, including a grain grinder. I asked his wife, Bettina, about the grains, and she looked at me as if I were from Mars.