English Bread Muffins

Ingredients

500g Strong bread flour

7g Dried Yeast

10g Salt

325ml water

3 tbsp Polenta or ground semolina

Here’s How:

Pour the flour, yeast and salt into a mixing bowl. Using your hand blend the ingredients together.

Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the water.

Using your hand in a claw shape roll it around the bowl to mix together until it forms a soft ball of dough.

Transfer the mixture into a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and stretchy.

Return the dough back to the mixing bowl, cover and leave to prove for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.

You can also place the dough in the fridge overnight to prove as the cold temperate of the fridge will slow to proving process down and develop the flavour.

Scoop the dough back out of the mixing bowl on to a lightly floured work surface, dust with a little flour on top and knock all the air out with your hands.

Roll the dough out to approximate 3cm thick and use a 9cm cutter to cut out approx 9 muffins.

Scatter the polenta out onto a tray and sit the muffin on top, this will stop them sticking while they prove.

Leave the muffins to prove and double in size.

Pre heat a heavy bottomed pan on a medium heat.

Place three of the muffins into the hot pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden.

When they are cooked on each side place on a baking tray and repeat the process until you have cooked tall 9 muffins.

Then, bake in a pre heated oven for 15 minutes at 160c to bake the centre.

Recipe by Peter Sidwell