Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins

These wonderful English muffins were made by my husband, who surprised me with them at breakfast the other morning! We both like to bake: I tend to make the cookies and he likes to make steamed puddings. Although both of us like to bake with yeast, we usually don’t have the time that that takes. We’d watched a show the other day where the restaurant’s chef made his own English muffins and my husband was inspired to give it a try.

This recipe was very easy to put together, and he made these after he got up and was waiting for me to start the day. My husband is a very early riser, so don’t think that I sleep in that much! I asked him if he changed the recipe at all, and he hadn’t. The only thing that he said he would do differently is use a little less batter/dough for the muffins since they were a bit too thick and that made it more difficult to get them cooked through all the way.

These were such a nice surprise and they taste 100% better than what you can buy at the store. The raisins in these were so plump and good. I’d love to try these with dried cranberries and maybe some orange zest. That would be so good! Thanks, dear, for making these. I love you!

1/3 cup water, warm (110 F)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup nonfat milk, slightly warm (100-110 F)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups flour
1/3 cup raisins

In a large bowl, whisk together water, sugar and yeast and let mixture stand for 10 minutes, until slightly foamy. By hand stir in the milk, salt, cinnamon, and flour; mix until smooth. Stir in the raisins. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 45 minutes to rise.

Heat a griddle over medium/medium-high heat. Lightly grease the griddle.

Drop dough by 1/4 cup onto griddle. (If you’d like, use a muffin ring to help shape the muffins.) Cook until medium brown on the bottom, the top will look set and the sides will appear somewhat dry. This should take several minutes, but timing depends on the temperature of your griddle and the size of your muffins. Turn the muffins and cook the second side until browned.

Cool on wire rack for at least 15 minutes or until completely cool. To serve, split and toast the muffins.

Recipe from Baking Bites