How To Make: Homemade English Muffins with Asparagus & Hollandaise

A perfect vehicle for your verdant spears of asparagus, as we celebrate the start of the British season, English muffins are both delicious and simple enough to make at home. They’ll also last for a few days at room temperature, or can be frozen for up to three months. Serve on their own, toasted with a spread of butter, or with quickly blanched asparagus and a drizzle of thick hollandaise sauce.

How to make English muffins: Cooking tips

For this recipe, I’d highly recommend using a stand mixer with both a paddle and dough hook attachment. If you don’t have a stand mixer, however, the English muffins can be kneaded by hand. Mix all of the dry ingredients and butter until evenly distributed, then add the milk and water and knead by hand until entirely homogenous. Beware, this will take a fair amount of time.

Fermenting the dough overnight isn’t strictly necessary, but will give the English muffins a far better texture. Make sure the bowl is large, however, and the lid is air-tight as the dough will continue to rise in the fridge.  

When making English muffins, a heavy-based pan is essential. In this instance, I’d recommend using either a cast iron skillet or a griddle. Heat until smoking hot, then instantly reduce the heat to the lowest possible. When cooking English muffins, the key is to avoid rushing or constantly turning the muffins as this will knock air out, making them flat.

When putting the English muffins in the pan, it’s important to be careful as being heavy-handed will also knock air out of the muffins, making them flat.

English muffins can be stored in an airtight bag or container at room temperature for 3-4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.

When separating the English muffins, using a fork will yield far greater results that a knife. Sure, it takes a little longer, but the halves will be more even, with a far better crumb structure.

If serving the English muffins with asparagus and hollandaise, I’d recommend using a good quality store-bought hollandaise sauce, warmed up in a bowl set over simmering water. If the sauce splits, you can add an extra egg yolk and whisk vigorously over low heat, or add an ice cube and whisk vigorously.

English muffins are also delicious as the base for breakfast sandwiches, as has been proven by fast food outlets such as McDonald’s. Load with sausage patties, cheese slices, hash browns and eggs of your choice. They’re also delicious when simply toasted and spread with good quality salted butter.

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Homemade English Muffins with Asparagus & Hollandaise

English muffins are fairly simple to make at home, delicious with new season asparagus and hollandaise sauce.

Course Bread

Cuisine Global

Keyword Asparagus, Baking, English Muffins

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 10 English muffins (approx.)

Author Jon Hatchman

Equipment

• Stand mixer, recommended but not essential
• Heavy-based pan, such as cast iron skillet

Ingredients

For the English muffins

• 625 g strong white bread flour
• 40 g softened butter
• 10 g instant dry yeast
• 1 tbsp salt
• 20 g white sugar
• 300 ml whole milk
• 135 ml water
• Neutral oil
• Coarse semolina flour/cornmeal

For the English muffins with asparagus and hollandaise

• 2 English muffins
• 8 spears asparagus
• Hollandaise sauce to taste
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

To make the English muffins

• Ideally using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the flour, softened butter, yeast, salt and sugar to a large bowl and mix on low speed for a couple of minutes until the butter is evenly distributed.
• Add the milk and water to the bowl and mix using a dough hook until the dough is relatively smooth and clears the sides of the bowl. This can take up to 7 or 8 minutes.
• If you don’t have a stand mixer, knead by hand until the dough is entirely homogenous. This will take a while, however.
• Transfer the dough to a greased container with an air-tight lid and place in the fridge to ferment overnight. This step isn’t strictly necessary, but will make the overall texture far greater.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and coat the base of two shallow baking trays with around 3-5mm semolina flour.
• Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface and divide into 8-10 equally sized pieces. Roll each into a tight ball and place on the baking trays at least 2 inches apart. Toss in the semolina flour and press down with the palm of your hand, until the muffins are approx. ½ inch thick.
• Preheat a very heavy-based pan such as a cast iron skillet or griddle until smoking hot. Reduce the heat to low, then gently place the muffins in the pan, in batches if need be. Cook over low heat for 7 minutes until golden, then gently flip and cook over low heat for a further 7 minutes. If cooking too quickly, turn the muffins again and remove from the heat.
• Once cooked, transfer the English muffins to a wire rack to cool.
• English muffins can be stored in an airtight bag or container at room temperature for 3-4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.

For the English muffins with asparagus and hollandaise

• Divide the muffins into halves using a fork, spread with a little butter and toast under a grill until lightly golden. Remove and set aside.
• To prepare the asparagus, remove the hard, woody ends and heat a pan of water until boiling. Season with salt then throw in the asparagus spears. Boil for 60-90 seconds, then remove from the pan.
• In a glass bowl set over a pan of simmering water, add the hollandaise sauce and slowly warm, whisking constantly.
• Place the asparagus spears on the toasted muffins, then spoon over a drizzle of the hollandaise sauce.
• Season with salt and cracked black pepper, then serve immediately.

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