Whole Wheat English Muffins

I was looking for whole wheat bread to serve with a crustless quiche. This english muffin recipe was very tasty and not too difficult to prepare. The recipe yields 12 english muffins. About 212 calories per muffin as prepared.

Whole Wheat English Muffins

1 cup milk warmed until barely bubbling
2 TBS. honey
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water, just warm to the touch
1/4 cup vegetable oil
About 5 cups whole wheat flour
Use up to 1 cup all purpose flour for a lighter muffin. I used only a sprinkle as I prefer to stick with whole wheat flour.
1 tsp. salt

Combine the warm milk and honey in a stand mixer and stir until dissolved. In a seperate bowl dissolve the yeast in warm water. Let stand for about 10 minutes until creamy.

Add yeast mixture, oil, and three cups of the flour to the milk. Attach the dough hook to your stand mixer and beat at low speed until mostly smooth. You can successfully hand mix the dough if necessary. Add the flour in 1/2 cup increments until a soft dough is formed. The dough has the right amount of flour once it forms into a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl. It will take a few minutes for the flour to successfully combine and be incorporated in the dough.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about an hour until it has doubled in size.

Sprinkle your work surface with flour. Sprinkle waxed paper with cornmeal. Punch down the dough and move to the floured surface. Cut the dough into 12 pieces and roll the pieces into a ball and place on the waxed paper with cornmeal. Space each ball about 3 inches apart. Slightly flatten the dough balls and sprinkle with cornmeal. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a lightly greased griddle to the medium heat setting. Dust excess cornmeal off of the muffins and place on the griddle. Cook until a deep brown color is reached on each side. Approximately 5-7 minutes on each side. Place the muffins on a baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes or until the edges are firm.

Cool and toast before serving.