When I was just starting Weight Watchers, I was searching high and low for bread products that weren’t chocked full of points, and that didn’t taste like card board.
Sadly… that doesn’t REALLY exist.
This was long before I really got into making my own bread stuffs. And now that we’re a household that solely makes it’s own bread, or buys bread products from local bakeries in the event that this DIY’er is pooped out, reaching for a Thomas Whole Wheat Cardboard English Muffin just…. doesn’t sound appetizing. And hardly worth my calories!
This recipe can use either white or whole-wheat flour—-the points remain the same though. I made 2 batches of mini English muffins (63 total) and they are 2-pts apiece. And they’re homemade! Yum! (One batch will make roughly 32 of these bad boys. But if you double the size..and make only 16, then they’re 4 pts and much larger than the 4 pt’ers in the store!).
English Muffins (Single Batch)
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (105 degrees)
1 packet yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)
3 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup fat-free milk
5 cups flour, plus additional cup for kneading and counter
Optional: 1 cup blueberries. Or 1 cup cranberries. Or 1 tsp vanilla. Or a few pieces of chopped up bacon. Or 1 cup of finely chopped spinach. Or 2 tbsp honey. Etc. Etc. Anything can really be added to this dough!
(Tip: For lower WW points: Use Whole-Wheat flour, with margarine, splenda and soymilk. It won’t be QUITE the same… but still tasty and roughly 1 pt. ea. for the small ones!)
Step 1:
In mixing bowl, combine 1 cup warm (105 degrees) water and 1 packet (2-1/4 teaspoon) yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes until frothy.
In separate small bowl, melt 3 tablespoons butter, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 cup milk until 110-115 degrees.
STEP 2:
Combine butter mixture with frothy yeast mixture, and slowly add 1 cup of flour at a time until mixture shapes into a dough. For me, this was roughly 5 cups.
STEP 2.5:
If you want to make it blueberry, or any other flavor, while you are mixing the dough together is the best place. I put about a cup (all I had on hand!) of frozen blueberries in the food processor, blended until fine, and then added them to the second dough I was working with.
STEP 4:
Lightly grease a bowl for the dough to rise in. I just used the same one I mixed them in. Let sit in warm spot for about an hour. Go clean your house now 😉
STEP 5:
Once the bread has raised (risen? raised? gotten big?), flour your work surface with part of the 1 cup of flour you reserved. Get a big rolling pin and turn out the dough onto the flour.
(Sorry for the picture. I was in a different part of the kitchen that doesn’t have as much natural light!)
STEP 6:
Roll out dough to 1/2-3/4″ thickness. Use biscuit or cookie cutter to cut circles. With leftover dough? Do the best you can and free-form a patty. It doesn’t have to be perfect to make someone happy 😉 (A beautiful thought that I will definitely take from The Frugal Girl!)
STEP 7:
Transfer to ungreased cookie sheet and let sit (to relax the dough some!) for about 30 minutes. Cover with towel.
STEP 8:
On Medium heat (3 was the number of choice on my stove!), in a greased pan on your stovetop, place a few dough balls lightly in the pan. Be warned: Once you put them down, you can’t *immediately* move them. Once they cook you can. So if you mis-place one (like DH did…ahem), you just need to wait 😉 Cook for 7-8 minutes each side–you’ll know doneness when they turn a warm honey-brown in spots.
STEP 9:
Flip. Wait another 7-8 minutes.
(I had 3 pans of these bad boys going because I had *SO MANY*)
STEP 10:
Put on plate/mesh cookie cooler. Cut open (if you make the larger ones you can “fork” them open. The smaller ones need a knife for prettier presentation!). Serve 🙂