One of the ways I’m able to stretch our grocery budget is by focusing on keeping quality ingredients in our home. We choose ingredients that can be used in many different ways.
When you’re watching your grocery budget closely, those versatile ingredients become really important. That is where recipes like this come in. It is a quick and simple bread that uses pantry staples. It also doesn’t require you to be an expert baker to have them turn out well. Instead of buying English Muffins at the store, I have what I need at home to make them if we want to enjoy them.
Stocking Ingredients
Keeping a well stocked pantry is one way to save money on groceries. By having what you need on hand at all times, it gives you flexibility when it comes to cooking at home. You don’t have to run to the grocery store for items. I have a list of pantry items to keep on hand in this blog. I have a video about keeping flour fresh on my YouTube Channel. It talks about how I buy flour in bulk and the steps to keeping it fresh.
Freezer Breakfast Items
I am not a morning person so having breakfast items in the freezer is common for us. I prefer to batch cook, or make a double/triple batch or something to put the extras in the freezer. This is something that I do this with pancakes, waffles, egg bites, and muffins. You can learn more about that in this blog. By adding protein powder to greek yogurt to the recipes I can increase the protein content for them as well. I freeze the items in large glass containers or silicone storage bags, but you can use any freezer safe bag.
English Muffins
Ingredients
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ cup water
- 2 T granulated sugar
- 1 packet dry yeast
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 T butter, melted
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- Cornmeal for dusting
Instructions
- Combine the milk, water, and sugar in a bowl or glass measuring cup.
- Stir together and warm in the microwave to 110°F
- Add the yeast and stir once more
- Set aside for 5-7 minutes or until a foamy head develops
- In the mixer bowl, combine the flour and salt.
- Mix the egg and melted butter into the milk mixture then slowly pour the liquid into the flour mixture on low.
- Increase the speed to medium-high and mix for about 7 minutes or until the dough is elastic, smooth, and pulls away from the bowl
- Transfer to a large, oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap
- Allow to double in size in a warm spot (about an hour). You can also refrigerate the dough overnight, in which case you’ll let it warm for an hour when ready to use.
- Transfer the dough to a floured counter, lightly flour the top, then gently spread out and pat down until it’s just under an inch thick.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal or semolina
- Use a 2½-inch round cutter to cut your muffins, then gently transfer them to the prepared baking sheets using a spatula or your hands
- Gently knead together then re-roll the scraps and continue cutting until the dough is used up.
- Cover the pans loosely with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise until visibly puffed for about 30 minutes.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat. Once you can feel the heat when placing your hand a few inches over the surface, sprinkle the surface with cornmeal or semolina, then carefully place 3-4 muffins on the pan
- Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low, then cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until each piece is browned on the bottom and appears dry on top.
- Clear the old cornmeal off the pan, then add a fresh sprinkle and cook the remaining muffins.
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