Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins

By Foodiewife

I will never need to buy commercially made English muffins again. I can't believe how easy they are to make! The directions are similar to making pancakes on the griddle. I used English muffin forms, but you don't necessarily need to have them. The dough rose in 45 minutes, and took just a few minutes to cook. Love these! (Recipe very slightly adapted from Baking Bites.)

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup water, warm (110F)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 cup milk, slightly warm (100-110F) (I used 1% milk)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup raisins

Preparation

Step 1

In a large bowl, whisk together water, sugar and yeast and let mixture stand for 10 minutes, until slightly foamy.

Using a wooden spoon, (or a Danish Dough Whisk), which is my favorite tool) stir in remaining ingredients except the raisins and mix until smooth.

Once the batter comes together, stir in the raisins.
Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 45 minutes to relax and rise. The dough will have a soft and sticky texture.

NOTE: I like to use my oven as a dough "incubator". I simply turn the oven on to WARM for a few minutes, then shut it off. This speeds up the proofing of the dough.

Heat a griddle/nonstick frying pan over medium/medium-high heat (water dropped on the griddle evaporates very quickly). Lightly grease with cooking spray if not using a nonstick pan.
NOTE: Each stove/griddle is different. I found that I had to use a medium heat, to avoid burning of the muffins. Better to start at a medium heat, and you can always turn it up.

Drop dough by 1/2 cupfuls into a muffin form, or 1/4 cupfuls onto a greased surface and cook until medium brown on the bottom.

NOTE: Once I put the batter on my grill, I turned down the heat. (Think of this as being similar to making pancakes.) My first two muffins burned a bit, so once I adjusted the heat down, they turned out beautifully golden.

The exact time depends on the temperature of your griddle and the size of your muffins, but expect this to take several minutes. Flip over and cook 2nd side until brown.
Cool on wire rack for at least 15 minutes or until completely cool.
When ready to serve, split muffins with a fork and toast.

Makes about 5 muffins (if using 1/2 cup measures) and 6-8 if using 1/4 cup measures.

These are amazing! If these aren't eaten within a day or two, I recommend freezing them. There aren't any preservatives, so they have the potential to mold, otherwise.