The Great British Bake Off English Muffin Challenge

Have you ever watched The Great British Bake Off and thought,  I  could do that.  No, neither have I.  But for some reason, this week's English Muffin Challenge intrigued me.  Against all reason and good judgement I am attempting to make Paul Hollywood's English Muffin Recipe .   As I type this sentence, the dough is proving.... I hope!



I am pretty sure I would be evicted from the Bake Off tent almost immediately.  I don't have a set of scales which measure individual grams. I don't have a griddle and I don't have the right size pastry cutters. So far, not so good!



I have 'guesstimated' the following quantities:

6 grams yeast = 2 teaspoons
6 grams salt = 1 teaspoon
15 grams sugar = 1 Tablespoon
15 grams butter = 1 Tablespoon

My large iron skillet will have to take the place of a griddle.  Other than that, we are good to go.  I am off to make English Muffins, back in a bit.

Approximately an hour later.....



As I cut the dough I had the feeling things weren't going as they should.  But it was too late to turn back.  I let the English muffins rest for 30 minutes more and placed the iron skillet over a low flame to heat up.  To check the temperature, I sprinkled a few drops of water into the skillet and they skittered across the bottom of  the pan and evaporated.  It was the moment of truth.



In went the muffins and I waited... and waited... and waited.  After five minutes I turned them over and my fingers squished into the raw dough.   They will be fine, I lied to myself.  I turned the heat up a bit... the semolina scorched.  I turned the heat down and the dough refused to bake.  



To make a long, sad story short... my English Muffins are terrible.  I will be leaving the Great British Bake Off tent now.  On the way home, I'll stop at the shops and purchase a packet of proper English Muffins.  

English Muffin Update:  Something strange has happened.  As the muffins cooled they firmed up and became more muffin-like.  Andy has eaten three without butter or jam!  Maybe I won't be kicked out of the tent after all!

Comments

  1. Oh dear, you are very brace to attempt these Debs! They look lovely at least!

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    1. I tasted them hot off the griddle and they seemed doughy. Once cooled they improved A LOT! Hubby has eaten three already! : )

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  2. Oh no :( But they look perfect. We would never have known if you hadn't told us !

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    Replies
    1. I broke a baking rule. You should never eat hot bread! Once cooled the texture improved and they became proper English Muffins. Phew! : )

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