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!
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!
Oh dear, you are very brace to attempt these Debs! They look lovely at least!
ReplyDeleteI tasted them hot off the griddle and they seemed doughy. Once cooled they improved A LOT! Hubby has eaten three already! : )
DeleteOh no :( But they look perfect. We would never have known if you hadn't told us !
ReplyDeleteI 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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