Summer Bake Camp: Homemade English Muffins - No. 223

All you need is a little time

I ONCE HAD THE MOST PROLIFIC cucumber harvest on record. It was hot and wet all summer, so thus, happy plants. They were cranking out flowers and cucumbers so quickly, but there were only so many cucumber sandwiches I could eat, only so much raita I needed, and only so many cucumbers to pass off to friends. I needed to make pickles.

But pickles weren’t my strong suit. So I researched what it takes to make a crispy pickle, the science behind it, and I found an old recipe for a seven-day pickle that looked like easy-pay, making an arduous process doable and fun!

Truthfully, those pickles weren’t as enjoyable to eat as the process of making them.

So I wondered if I was just one of those people who loved a good project. And if I could tackle seemingly complicated recipes, then maybe I should attempt something more delicious, like homemade English muffins.

Could breaking down a recipe for English muffins into steps allow me to develop a skill I could pass down to my children and grandchildren?

Just thinking of the flavor once toasted and spread with butter or peanut butter, and summer peach preserves, I nodded emphatically, YES!

You don’t have to be a trained chef to take on complicated recipes. You just need to read the instructions carefully, set a date to begin, and be confident. What I’m proposing today is a small summer baking project—English muffins.

It’s not sourdough, and you’re not grinding your own flour. But it still has some important steps you should plan for, and if you do, then you’ll be pretty happy with the results.

And did I say that homemade English muffins are so much better than store-bought?