Homemade English Muffins#BreadBakers

I am big fan of English Muffins, can have these for breakfast, lunch and dinner. During my stay in UK, enjoyed these muffins, toasted and buttered, in sandwiches, French toast, eggs benedict, sometimes just slathered with jam, these became my favorite. These were on my to do list for a long time. They turned out so beautiful that my hubby felt that these are bought from the bakery. 

To make these muffins have used sprouted whole wheat flour , bread flour and all purpose flour. You can make these with only all purpose flour or bread flour. It's just that I, like experimenting with different flours, but the result was excellent, these we so..oo.. good, enjoyed making these muffins and eating it too.

Makes 6
Ingredients
100 Grams All Purpose Flour
190 Grams Bread Flour
10 Grams Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour
8 Grams Granulated Sugar
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
7 Grams Instant Yeast
1 Egg
155 Grams Milk
15 Grams Salted Butter - softened
Cornmeal as required

Method
In bowl sieve all the flours and keep aside.

In a another large bowl, add, the yeast, sugar, butter, salt, milk and egg, mix these well and keep it aside for 5 to 7 minutes till the yeast starts to froth. Tip in the flour and knead to form a soft smooth dough. Take this dough on work surface and knead it for 10 minutes stretching and folding the dough till turns super soft, elastic and passes the window pane test (If you can stretch the dough spread between your fingers and thumbs apart, stretching the dough into a thin translucent membrane (i.e. a windowpane), without it breaking, that means the gluten is well-developed and your dough is ready to rise. From the dough into smooth ball. Grease the bowl with little oil and lightly oil the dough ball. 

Cling wrap the bowl and keep to rise till it doubles in volume.

Once it rises double in volume, deflate the dough, lightly press it into round circle and divide it into 6 equal parts. 

Roll each part into a smooth ball and again cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, dust the work surface with corn meal and take one ball, place it on the cornmeal and lightly flatten it into circle, sprinkle little cornmeal on top by lightly pressing it on to the surface top.

Place these on a tray sprinkled with a little cornmeal. Cover and let it rise for 30 minutes or more the depending on the room temperature, until they puff up or nearly double in size.

Heat a non stick pan on low flame, oil the pan with 2 drops of oil and then wipe it clean with a paper towel. Place one or two muffins on it( depending on the size of the pan) and let it cook on one side for 7 - 8 minutes.

Then flip it with a spatula and let it cook the other side for another 8 minutes or till they are golden brown on both sides.

Remove them on to basket lined with parchment paper and let them cool.

To slice them use a fork, by piercing it all around they get sliced excellently without tearing.

Slathered it with butter and then toasted it on a non stick pan and made sandwiches for us for dinner.

My Notes

You can bake these English Muffins in large quantity since they freeze very well. 

Labels: Bread, Bread Bakers, United Kingdom, Breakfast, Homemade, Healthy

Welcome to Bread Bakers! This month, our theme is BBQ Breads.

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

And don’t forget to check out all the amazing breads baked by our talented bakers ~  

• Food Lust People Love: Cheesy Skillet Cornbread 
• Passion Kneaded: Hamburger Potato Buns
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Homemade Ciabatta Garlic Bread
• Sneha’s Recipe: Homemade English Muffins
• A Messy Kitchen: Sweet Corn Muffins 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Texas Toast starting with Homemade English Muffin Bread 
• Palatable Pastime: Traeger Bacon Cornbread  

Snowdon Pudding#EatTheWorld

A traditional steamed pudding recipe with a citrus sponge and topped with raisins – a comforting dessert from the Snowdon region - North Wales. Snowdon pudding, as it’s called, is flavored with lemon marmalade, since I couldn't get hold of lemon marmalade, used orange marmalade made out of palm sugar.

I have also made it with vegetarian suet - clarified butter. This is served lemon sauce traditionally, but, I preferred drizzling a little honey over the top when it was still warm.
This is a delicious pudding, made two bowls of the same, one my hubby took for a brunch party with friends.

Ingredients
65 Grams Suet/Clarified Butter - melted
15 Grams Corn flour
75 Grams Brown Sugar
120 Grams Fresh Bread Crumbs
50 Grams Golden Raisins
3 Large Eggs
75 Grams Lemon or Orange Marmalade
1 Teaspoon Lemon or Orange Zest
2 Tablespoons Honey - to drizzle on top

Method

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, keeping a half of the raisins a side.
Beat the eggs and marmalade, sugar together, then stir in the melted clarified butter, give it a mix. Add this into the dry ingredients mix it well.
Grease a pudding mold and sprinkle the leftover raisins over the bottom.
Pour in the batter, cover the mouth with of greaseproof paper or a double foil, creating a two pleat across the center should the pudding expand over the top of the pudding mold.
Place the mold into a pan of boiling water, cover the pan with a lid and steam till done ( since I used two bowls to make these it took just 35 minutes ), ensuring that the water in the pan never gets lower than ¼ of the way up the level of the mold. 

Do not steam them too long or they will turn hard and loose it softness. Switch off the flame and let it cool in pan. When still hot remove the mold from the pan and let cool a little before tipping it out onto a serving plate.

Drizzle with the honey whilst still warm. Slice and enjoy hot or cold.

Labels: Dessert, British, Steamed, Pudding, Marmalade, Dessert, Eat The World, Wales

Each month Evelyne of CulturEatz invites us to visit a country and explore their foods. This month it's Wales. 

Check out all the wonderful Welsh dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us! 

 Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Cawl Cennin (Welsh-Style Leek & Potato Soup) 

Pandemonium Noshery: Welsh Onion Cake 

Sneha’s Recipe: Snowdon Pudding 

Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Ŵyau Ynys Môn, Welsh Anglesey Eggs 

Sugarlovespices: Welsh Anglesey egg and mashed potato casserole 

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Teison Nionod 

Kitchen Frau: Welsh Cakes (Skillet-Baked Currant Cookies) 

Shortbread Cookies - Scottish#EattheWorld

A quick delicious Scottish Shortbread cookies. Shortbread is one of the most famous Scottish biscuits and eaten around Christmas time and is an essential part of a traditional Scottish New Year.
Ingredients
170 g Butter
85 Grams Caster Sugar
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
250 Grams All Purpose Flour
½ Tablespoon Milk Powder
A Pinch Baking powder

Method

Take a bowl add butter, caster sugar, cream it well. Add vanilla essence, all purpose flour, milk powder, baking powder, mix it lightly bring the flour together like a soft dough. 

Cling wrap the dough and lightly make it into a smooth round ball. Refrigerate the dough for at least 20 minutes. 

Using the rolling pin roll the dough like a slightly thin sheet and cut them with a fluted cookie cutter 

or a round one and transfer into baking tray and baking them into 180°C for 12 - 15 minutes. 

Let them cool dust them with icing sugar ( this is optional).

Labels: Scotland, International Cuisine, Biscuits & Cookies ,United Kingdom, Eat the World, Shortbread, Eggless 

Check out all the wonderful Scottish dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us! 

 A Day in the Life on the Farm: Scottish Smoked Salmon Pate 

Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Toad-in-the-Hole, Shortbread with Candied Ginger, and some Scottish Chocolates 

Sneha’s Recipe: Shortbread Cookies - Scottish 

Magical Ingredients: Scottish Tattie Scones 

Kitchen Frau: Cranachan (Raspberry, Whisky & Oat Cream Parfaits) 

Palatable Pastime: Scottish Tattie and Spent Grain Soup 

Sugarlovespices: Easy Traditional Scottish Crumpets with baking powder

Vegan & Gluten Free Watermelon Jelly#FoodieExtravangaza

This is an exquisite and refreshing Vegan & Gluten Free Watermelon Jelly which is so very easy to prepare. It's a perfect cool dessert which can be served at any time of the day or for parties, especially on a hot summer day. The cinnamon stick in this dessert renders a beautiful taste and aroma to it, would suggest not to add any other extra flavoring. 

I have made this jelly twice in one week, because my hubby loved it. This jelly is also apt to make especially when  you get some tasteless or bland watermelon. 

Serves 2

Ingredients 
300 ml Watermelon juice
3 Tablespoons Level Corn Flour
1/3 Cup Level Granulated Sugar
1 Small Stick Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Level Agar Agar powder 

A Drop of Red color - optional
Mango pieces for garnish

Method

Let’s make watermelon juice first. Cut the watermelon, remove the seeds and put it into a mixer. Mix well until blended. Sieve, measure it and keep aside. 

In a tablespoon of water soak the agar agar powder, keep it aside.

In a sauce pan add the corn flour to  the watermelon juice and mix well until dissolved fully and no lumps remain.  Now add cinnamon stick, sugar, mix well.  Place the sauce pan on medium high flame and bring this mixture to a boil. 

Simmer on a low fire for about 5 to 7  minutes, stirring continuously. Once it starts to thicken,  add the soaked agar agar and stir  it till well,  mix and continue to stir for another  2 minutes. Fish out the  cinnamon stick.

Rinse the moulds and leave them wet (this will help you to un mould the jelly easily). 

Pour the prepared jelly mixture into the moulds and let it cool down. Cling wrap them and keep it in the refrigerator  overnight.

Next day take a wet kitchen napkin and micro it for 30 seconds and wrap it around jelly moulds. 

This way un moulding of jelly becomes much easier. Place it on serving plate upside down and tap a bit.  Ta da they are out.  Now garnish it with mango pieces and a stalk of mint leaf and serve.. yum.. yum.

My hubby and our guest just relished this fabulous dessert.

Here are some of the other Watermelon recipes

Watermelon Paratha

Sparkling Apple And Watermelon Lemonade Spritzers 

Watermelon Agua Fresca

Apple and Watermelon Crush

Watermelon Granita  

Labels :  Watermelon, Jelly, Mango, Agar Agar powder, Cinnamon, Foodie Extravaganza Party, No Bake Desserts, Sweets & Desserts,United Kingdom 

Try these other tasty recipes with watermelon being shared for today's Foodie Extravaganza:
Beef and Watermelon Stir Fry from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Disneyland Watermelon Mint Julep from Simply Inspired Meals
Iced Watermelon Matcha from Tara’s Multicultural Table
Russian Pickled Watermelon from Pandemonium Noshery
Vegan & Gluten Free Watermelon Jelly by Sneha’s Recipe
Watermelon Cucumber Bites from Cookaholic Wife
Watermelon Mint Granita from Our Good Life
Watermelon Salad with Mint and Lime from Karen’s Kitchen Stories

Chicken Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd's Pie is traditionally made with lamb, beef, I,  have used chicken mince since my friends eat only chicken. This is real comfort food.  Try and you will love it.Took this Chicken Shepherd’s Pie  and for dessert  a Magic Crust Custard Pie  for a potluck at my friend's place.  When her son tasted this he said that this was exactly like what he had in Singapore and was delighted. He loved it and made my day! 😄😄 This was a hit dish.

This was served as a starter, you can serve this as a main course too.
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients  
500 Grams Chicken mince
3 Tablespoons Oil
4 Big Cloves Garlic - finely chopped
1 Large Onion - finely chopped
3 Green chilies - finely chopped
¼ Teaspoon Turmeric powder
1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt or to taste
2 Teaspoon Red chili powder
2 Medium Tomatoes - chopperized
2 Tablespoons Coriander leaves - chopped
1 Teaspoon Level Garam masala powder
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
2 Tablespoons Cream
3 Medium Potatoes, boiled and mashed

Method
For the Chicken base

Heat oil in a pan, add garlic, chopped onion and sauté for a minute. Add chopped green chilies, chicken mince and sauté.
Then add turmeric powder, salt, red chili powder and mix it well, now add  tomatoes, garam masala powder and mix and let is cook.  When cooked, add chopped coriander leaves,mix well . When it chicken mixture is dry. Pour this into a Pyrex dish and even it out.
For the Potato topping

Add salt, butter, cream to mashed potatoes and mix well. Place  spoon full the mixture on the top of the chicken mixture  and then  with a fork spread it as evenly as possible.  Sprinkle a little grated cheddar cheese and bake  till the potatoes and cheese turns a golden.  

See the golden layers.. feeling hungry na..
When slightly cooled, cut slices and serve. 

Keep checking for this  easy and delicious dessert Magic Crust Custard Pie recipe which will be posted soon.
Labels :  Shepherd's Pie, Baked, United Kingdom, Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Starters, Main course, Tart/Pie/Quiche

Madeira Cake

Madeira cake is a simple English cake.   Made this cake for my hubby's office party and it was a hit, they all enjoyed it.  

Ingredients

175 Grams Butter
125 Grams Caster sugar 
1 Teaspoon  Lemon zest 

3/4  Cup Self Raising Flour 

3/4  Cup All Purpose Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking powder

3 Eggs

1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds

4 Tablespoon Milk

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence

Method

Sieve both the flours  and baking powder together. 

Beat butter and sugar till light and creamy. Add lemon rind. Start adding eggs once at a time and continue beating till the all the eggs are incorporated .Add essence  and whisk again, then add  flour and a tablespoon of milk and continue beating till the flour and milk is incorporated, add half the sliced almonds and lightly mix it.  Pour this mixture into a greased and lined baking tray bake on 180 degrees for 40 to 45 mins.

Cool and slice... enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee.  

My Notes

Made a small round cake from this batter to for us to have for tea.

Labels : Cakes, United Kingdom, Almond

English Breakfast - United Kingdom

English breakfast is a breakfast which comes with toast, eggs, mushrooms, sometimes baked beans, bacon, sausage, grilled tomato, and hash browns. 

Through out Europe which ever hotel you stay this is breakfast is always present at the breakfast buffet. This is a filling as well as satisfying breakfast. The breakfast looks simple but it real fuel that keeps you going till late noon.

We are in the fourth week of our Mega marathon and this week the  theme is Breakfast from Countries. For the first day of this week I, have made the all time breakfast of United Kingdom called the English Breakfast. It's simple yet filling.

Single serving

Ingredients
2 Slices of Toasted Bread
2 Chicken Salami
3 -4 Chicken Sausage
1 Fried Egg
Jam and Butter as required

Method
Lightly butter a pan and stir fry the sausage and chicken salami lightly. Remove and keep aside.

In the same pan add a little butter and break an egg add salt and pepper to taste. Fry the egg as per your taste, full fry or half fried. My daughter like half fried, when the whites is full fried just sprinkle some butter from the pan on the yolks till it get a light white coating. Remove and serve, with toasted bread slice, chicken sausage and salami. With jam and butter and not forgetting a glass of fresh fruit juice. Have a sumptuous breakfast.

Labels :  Breakfast, United Kingdom, Continental Cuisine, Egg, Blogging Marathon

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 56

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