English muffin
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An English muffin is a round, yeast-leavened bread enriched with butter and milk, often served at breakfast in the United States and Canada. An English muffin is cooked on a griddle, so that the first side cooked tends to be flatter and firmer. Cooking on the griddle causes a spongy interior with many air bubbles. English muffins usually have a white floury band around the circumference and have a bit of grain meal loose on the outside. They differ from the crumpet somewhat, in that the dough is usually drier to start with, so that a muffin ring is not required to hold the batter's shape, although one is often used, particularly in home cooking. In recent decades English muffins have been introduced into England, and are now available from most major supermarket chains.
Muffins can be split with a fork, which preserves the uneven texture better than does cutting with a knife. The two halves are usually reheated and browned in a toaster or toaster oven and are often served with butter or jam. Many people feel that a more satisfactorily cooked muffin is obtained by grilling the split side under a hot gas or electric broiler. It is also common to toast the muffin with cheese and other items between the two halves.
The origin is somewhat unclear. Instructions for cooking a similar flat bread have existed since at least 1747, although credit for the phrase "English muffin" is often given to Samuel Bath Thomas, an English baker who emigrated to New York and began producing his "muffins" around 1880. The Merriam-Webster dictionary, however, gives the phrase's origin as 1902.
Until the recent arrival of U.S. style "raised" muffins, the word muffin was used in England without modification. When Bertie Wooster eats muffins, he is eating English muffins. The situation has become more complex now that raised muffins have entered the scene, and the word muffin might be used in either context.
Most English muffins are mass-produced. The most popular brand of English muffins in the U.S. is Thomas' English Muffins, who have trademarked the phrase "Nooks and Crannies of Thomas' English Muffins."
English muffins are usually available in regular flavor (usually unsweetened white flour), sourdough, whole wheat, and raisin, and occasionally in gourmet flavors such as blueberry, orange spice, and so on. Most English muffins are 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) across and less than an inch (2.5 cm) high, although gourmet varieties are somewhat larger.
English muffins are a primary ingredient in eggs Benedict.
See also
- Muffin
- Crumpet
- Thomas' - a popular brand of English muffin in North America.
External links
- [Breakfast Muffin Recipe]
- [Discussion of English muffin versus crumpet]
- [A little more history]
- [Recipe for Thomas English Muffins]
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