English Muffins

In December of 2010 I started making my own English muffins. My initial efforts were based on the recipe English muffins and crumpets: an (almost) shared recipe. I've since made some modifications and am getting increasingly better results. Here is the modified recipe I used for my last and thus far best, batch. Each step only takes a few minutes. The wait time between steps in absurdly flexible making this a surprisingly convenient recipe despite the multiple stages.

Mix:
Warm water, 1 1/2 cups
Yeast, 2 tsp

Sugar, 1 tsp
Let yeast "proof" for a few minutes. Once you see bubbles mix in:
Bread flour, 2 cups.


Cover and set aside for 2 to 24 hours or longer. The longer you let it rest the more of a sourdough flavor you'll get. You can use an active sourdough starter instead of the mix above, but you may need to increase the flour by a few tablespoons in the next step.

Add:
Flour, 1 cup
Salt, 2 tsp (The original recipe called 2.5 tsp salt, but my wife and I found that too salty.)
1/4 to 1/2 Cup grated cheese. (Optional, I prefer extra sharp cheddar)

Knead well and set aside for 30 minutes or more. You may need to add a tablespoon or two of water to get the new flour and salt to incorporate. I've found a three to five minute knead works better than mixing with a spoon. You can use a dough hook and a mixer.

Roll out the dough and cut into rounds. A water cup or clean tuna can works nicely. You can let the rounds rise for 10 to 20 minutes, but this is optional.

Heat a pan, griddle or cast iron skillet to medium-low heat. Add a bit of oil or butter if not using non-stick or cast iron cookware. Cover and cook the muffins for 8-10 minutes per side until lightly browned. You can reduce the cook time by increasing the heat, but anything above medium to medium-high heat risks blackening the muffins. The rule of thumb from the original recipe was to cook the muffins a bit cooler than you would cook pancakes with the same cookware.

Let the muffins cool on a wire rack. If you eat them while still hot, the cheese will still be a bit gooey inside, almost as if the muffins had already been buttered. Refrigerate or freeze any muffins you don't plan to eat within the next 4 to 5 days. They freeze very well.

Oh my stomach

I can't imagine this is good for you in any real way.

The prospect of cooked bacon being kept at room temperature in a candy bin is, by itself, a bit nauseating to start.

Motor City Books, no book, no contact, I want a refund

I've recently taken up brewing beer. Being the geek that I am, research was part of the process. Sometimes I wonder if I take up a new hobby for the sake of the hobby or as an excuse to research something in absurd detail.

Anyway, I, like many before me, quickly became a fan of Charlie Papazian and "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing Third Edition. I learned that he'd written a sequel of sorts entitled "The Homebrewer's Companion." Having enjoyed the first book so much, I bought my own copy, I thought I'd order the second book.

I went to Amazon.com and found a used copy for one cent, plus $3.99 Shipping and Handling from Motor City Books. I placed the order on July 6, 2008, and got an estimated delivery window of July 15, 2008 - July 29, 2008. Given the price, I found this reasonable.

The evening of July 29 I sent the following to Motor City books using Amazon.com's "Contact Seller" feature. Amazon.com supposedly includes the order number with the message.

When will the book arrive? Has it even shipped yet?

As I write this on the 31st, I have not yet received a reply. I have, however, left the following feedback on amazon.com:

"Item did not arrive even though I waited for almost a month. I tried to contact the seller for information and received no response. I am filing a reimbursement claim through Amazon.com on this order. I would advise against ordering from this seller."

Since Amazon.com won't let you leave a zero star rating, I had to give them one star out of five.

The point of all this, is to advise others to not order from Motor City Books through Amazon.com. Based on my experience, they don't ship your order, don't respond to efforts to contact them and you're going to end up trying to get a refund.

Mongolian Yak Tea, for Americans

Mongolian Yak herders brew a pungent, buttery tea to keep them warm during the long, cold Winter months. Mongolian Tea has more in common with broth or soup than a proper British cup of tea. Despite the absence of sugar the cream adds a surprising amount of sweetness. The original uses raw yak milk, making it thick and a bit gamy. Since the key ingredient is just about impossible to find in the United States, it's also impractical. The following is an adaptation for American palates.

It's important to use a decent black tea. This means no instant, flavored or store brand tea. If you need to heavily sweeten the tea before drinking it, it's the wrong brand to use here.

You need to replace the unprocessed Yak milk. Raw milk straight from the cow is ideal, if you can find it. We're going to make a substitute using skim milk, heavy cream and a little butter. (It's good, but no one claimed it was low calorie.)

2 Cups Raw Milk OR:
1 cup milk (Skim, 1% or 2%)
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups water
4 black tea bags (Don't use Lipton or Salada.)
Salt to taste, about 1/4 tsp (1/8 tsp if you used salted butter)
1/8 tsp Marjoram
1/8 tsp grated Ginger

1. Bring the water and milk to a low boil.
2. Add the tea bags and reduce to a low simmer.
3. Steep for 10 minutes
4. Remove and squeeze the tea bags
5. Add Heavy Cream, butter and spices.
6. Stir until butter and spices are incorporated.
7. Serve while hot.