Maple Bacon English Muffins!

Seems silly for a bread blogger to post, but I've been so hungry for bread! Things have been so busy that baking seems to have taken a back seat to the rest of life. I am a little stubborn in that I rarely break down and buy a loaf of bread at the grocery store.....I keep reminding myself how easy it is to make at home and how much better that bread is for me! So at times like this, I end up with no bread in the house. 

I finally decided that this was ridiculous. It was time to make some bread! I chose something quick and easy.....English muffins! Then, I decided to switch my regular recipe up a bit and added maple syrup and some chopped bacon bits to the batter. This all turned out to be a very tasty decision! These simple English muffins are satisfying and full of flavor....and nice to make for a summer breakfast, since you don't have to heat up the kitchen! Try serving these toasted and buttered, with a drizzle of maple syrup - oh my! Enjoy! 

Maple Bacon English Muffins

1/3 Warm water

1 Tbsp./ packet Red Star Platinum yeast

½ Cup instant dry milk

1 Cup hot water

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. shortening

½ Cup cooked bacon bits

2 Cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

(3" metal rings are nice to have for this recipe - I found them at our local cooking store for $.89/ring)

In EZ DOH bucket, dissolve yeast in the 1/3 cup warm water. Let sit for 1-2 minutes to activate yeast. In a separate bowl, dissolve powdered milk in remaining 1 cup warm water. Add maple syrup, salt and shortening - stir to dissolve all. Add 1 cup of flour and powdered milk mixture, to the yeast mixture in the EZ DOH bucket, along with the bacon pieces. EZ DOH-it until well mixed – mixture will be batter-like. Cover and let rise for ½ hour or until doubled.

Preheat an electric griddle on low (300 degrees) or heat a skillet on the stove. Place English muffin rings (3” metal rings) on griddle and spray lightly with cooking spray. Fill each ring halfway full with dough mixture. Cover (use a a pot lid or a metal baking bowl) and let cook 5-6 minutes. Remove the lid, flip the muffins and replace the lid, cooking for another 5-6 minutes, until golden. Carefully remove muffins from the griddle with tongs and place on a cooling rack. Remove rings, if you have not already done so. Repeat with remaining batter. Cool on a wire rack. To serve, pierce sides of the muffins with a fork and gently pull apart, then toast. You might try serving with butter and a drizzle of maple syrup - YUM!!  Makes 8-10. 

See more delicious breads at yeastspotting.com

Maple Bacon English Muffins!