Oh so Easy English Muffins

Vegan MoFo Theme: Healthy Vegan Brunch from A to Z

Today's post is again a little bit attached to nostalgia. Although it really is just a coincidence, I feel like a subconscious bug was planted from Amey's Noshtalgia theme. 

When I was a kid, one of my favorite breakfast foods was English Muffins. Actually, who am I kidding? It's STILL one of my favorites. However, it wasn't just one of my favorite breakfast foods, but also a favorite for lunch as well.

If you've been reading for a while, you may have caught on that my dad was the cook; he is the inspiration for how I came to love cooking, and my very first teacher. My mom, on the other hand, was more of a baker and never much into the cooking. I would say her meals were more assembly style, on a very simple scale. Well, there was one assembly that really just knocked it out of the park for me and my brother.

English Muffin Pizza. 

You toast the English Muffin, then spread it with tomato sauce, then top it with cheese - we usually had cheddar or American singles. Since we didn't have a toaster oven back then, it would get placed face up in a covered frying pan. This would allow the cheese to melt and the muffin to get crispy on the bottom. There was just something about the way the sauce and cheese would fill into those nooks and crannies, and the crunch at the bottom, that just made this simple preparation almost out of this world. 

I didn't think about the nostalgia that comes with English Muffins until I sat down to write this post, so unfortunately did not have the ingredients on hand to prepare a veganized version of that old family classic to show off. 

However, what I am sharing is my favorite recipe for homemade, gluten free English Muffins. Although they do contain yeast, the rise time is very quick and they are so ridiculously easy to make. Once I started making my own English Muffins, I started to question why I ever spent money on overpriced packaged ones that don't even taste half as good as these do!  Thanks goes to Tessa The Domestic Diva for posting this recipe, which I have adapted slightly and come to adore. 

Easy English Muffins 

Ingredients 

1 1/3 cups rice milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1 tablespoon coconut sugar (or preferred sugar for feeding your yeast)
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (or 1 envelope)
2 tablespoons chia meal
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup chickpea flour

1/2 cup brown rice

(Feel free to experiment with the flours, using different kinds, especially if you don't have the ones mentioned available. Tessa recommends that you do not use all one flour, and I agree with her on this!) 

1/2 cup teff flour - or buckwheat if you can't find teff
1/2 cup tapioca flour (potato flour or arrowroot can be substituted)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum

Directions

1. Heat your milk to warm, about 110 degrees, or easily place your finger in it. Any hotter than a temperature you can comfortably touch and you will kill the yeast!

2. Mix in the sugar and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Set aside for about 10 minutes to proof the yeast. It should have a creamy, puffy head on top of the liquid. If not, your yeast is dead and will not work.
While yeast proofs, whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl, and set aside. 

3. Prepare muffin rings, or circular or fun shaped cookie cutters by greasing them well and setting them on a greased cookie sheet. I usually use an ungreased silicon tart pan and make muffins that are on the smaller side. 

4. When the yeast is proofed, stir in the chia meal and vinegar.  Pour wet into the dry and mix until you have a soft, muffin-like batter.  Pour the batter into the prepared muffin rings, or tart pan. Only fill about 2/3 full.

5. Set aside to rise in a warm place until they just start reaching the top edge. This only takes about 10-20 minutes, depending on temperature. Do not let the batter rise too high, or the muffins will overflow when they bake.

6. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 18-20 minutes, until just golden. Set aside and allow to cool. They are easier to remove once cooled and may break apart while still warm. Use a knife to cut in half and toast to get the insides crisp, if desired. Top with your favorite spread and enjoy! 

Store in refrigerator until ready to eat. You may also make ahead to freeze. Split in half before freezing and allow to thaw before popping in the toaster. 

Makes 12 Muffins that are 3 inches in diameter.