Thomas' English Muffins

[Toliver]

Is nothing sacred?

"This New Thomas' English Muffin Flavor Is Certifiably Bonkers"

Quote

Apparently English Muffin Day exists, and in honor of its imminent arrival on April 23, Thomas’ has just released its latest limited-time-only creation. It’s a bacon buttermilk pancake English muffin, and it’s about as bonkers as it sounds.

We had the opportunity to sample the new product, which will only be available for six weeks, and aside from the odd concept, it’s actually pretty enjoyable...

They lost me at soy-based bacon. 

On the bright side, there's a link at the end of the article mentioning sandwich-sized English muffins which sound good. Now to locate them...

[Paul Fink]

Not a fan of Thomas. I prefer  Wolferman's original. 

[JAZ]

2 hours ago, Toliver said:

On the bright side, there's a link at the end of the article mentioning sandwich-sized English muffins which sound good. Now to locate them...

 

I haven't heard of these before, but I'm also going to look for them. I'm not convinced that English muffins are the right choice for burgers, but I like the idea of a larger size for breakfast sandwiches. 

Sandwich-size English muffins

[ElainaA]

The "sandwich size" muffins have been available here for a few years - 4 to a package rather than 6. I do like English muffins for hamburgers and the larger size really works.  I only but Thomas' muffins for hamburgers - otherwise i make my own using my mother's recipe. I was converted to hamburgers on English muffins in the early 1970's by a friend who knew MUCh more about cooking than I did - she went to cooking school in Paris !!! The !!! are my reaction at age 20 fresh from rural central NY.  Anything she said was gospel. I still do a baked chicken/baked apples/baked squash dinner that she taught me. And I put hamburgers on English muffins. 

[robirdstx]

2 hours ago, ElainaA said:

The "sandwich size" muffins have been available here for a few years - 4 to a package rather than 6. I do like English muffins for hamburgers and the larger size really works.  I only but Thomas' muffins for hamburgers - otherwise i make my own using my mother's recipe. I was converted to hamburgers on English muffins in the early 1970's by a friend who knew MUCh more about cooking than I did - she went to cooking school in Paris !!! The !!! are my reaction at age 20 fresh from rural central NY.  Anything she said was gospel. I still do a baked chicken/baked apples/baked squash dinner that she taught me. And I put hamburgers on English muffins. 

 

Can you share your mother's recipe, please?

[liuzhou]

12 hours ago, Toliver said:

They lost me at soy-based bacon

 

They lost me at English!

[lindag]

Haven't had a Thomas' muffin in many years, as I recall I didn't like them very much.  I've been buying mine at Costco; love their cheese and their onion varieties.

Theirs are far better than any of the grocery store brands I've ever found.

Oh geez!  I just realized I was having one of those moments when I read 'English muffins' but I was thinking I was seeing 'bagels'.  Duh! 

Edited April 14, 2017 by lindag (log)

[ElainaA]

@robirdstx  Here it is. 

These are NOT like commercial English muffins - no "nooks and crannies" here. These are very dense.

 

I've typed the recipe as my mother (Polly) gave it to me. I always double it. Since I always have bulk yeast in the fridge I use about a  tablespoon of yeast for the doubled recipe which makes about 10 - 12 muffins depending on how big you cut them. This is an issue in dispute within my family (everybody makes these). My mother made them quite small - about 2 1/2" in diameter. My brothers both insist that the is the ONLY correct way. I like them larger - I just measured my cutter and it is     3 1/2". I ought to check with my sisters - I'm not sure what they do.

Knowing that these are available for breakfast can be the incentive I need to get out of bed on a chilly, rainy morning. 

 

Polly’s English Muffins

 

1/2 cup milk            2T sugar

1/4 cup butter         2 t. salt

1 pkg yeast             3 cups flour

1 t. sugar                cornmeal

1/2 cup warm water

 

1. Scald milk. Add butter and let cool in large bowl.
2.  Dissolve yeast and 1 t. sugar in warm water - let sit until yeast is foamy.
3. Add yeast to milk and butter. Add sugar, salt and 2 cups flour. Mix well, gradually mixing in remaining cup of flour.
4. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead well.
5. Flatten and cut in circles. Place on sheet pan dusted with cornmeal. Dust tops of muffins with more cornmeal. Let rise 1 hour. 
6.  Cook on griddle over low heat turning once. (I actually end up turning them several times as I check how done they are.)

Edited April 12, 2017 by ElainaA (log)

[robirdstx]

39 minutes ago, ElainaA said:

@robirdstx  Here it is. 

These are NOT like commercial English muffins - no "nooks and crannies" here. These are very dense.

 

I've typed the recipe as my mother (Polly) gave it to me. I always double it. Since I always have bulk yeast in the fridge I use about a  tablespoon of yeast for the doubled recipe which makes about 10 - 12 muffins depending on how big you cut them. This is an issue in dispute within my family (everybody makes these). My mother made them quite small - about 2 1/2" in diameter. My brothers both insist that the is the ONLY correct way. I like them larger - I just measured my cutter and it is     3 1/2". I ought to check with my sisters - I'm not sure what they do.

Knowing that these are available for breakfast can be the incentive I need to get out of bed on a chilly, rainy morning. 

 

Polly’s English Muffins

 

1/2 cup milk            2T sugar

1/4 cup butter         2 t. salt

1 pkg yeast             3 cups flour

1 t. sugar                cornmeal

1/2 cup warm water

 

1. Scald milk. Add butter and let cool in large bowl.
2.  Dissolve yeast and 1 t. sugar in warm water - let sit until yeast is foamy.
3. Add yeast to milk and butter. Add sugar, salt and 2 cups flour. Mix well, gradually mixing in remaining cup of flour.
4. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead well.
5. Flatten and cut in circles. Place on sheet pan dusted with cornmeal. Dust tops of muffins with more cornmeal. Let rise 1 hour. 
6.  Cook on griddle over low heat turning once. (I actually end up turning them several times as I check how done they are.)

 

 

Thank you!

[Lisa Shock]

You can make them in flan rings to guide the rise upward a bit.

[suzilightning]

can get them on a regular basis around here... I also have my mom's English muffin loaf I have made for some.................yearsm since she gifted me with the recipe and loaf.

[suzilightning]

On ‎4‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 4:41 PM, Lisa Shock said:

You can make them in flan rings to guide the rise upward a bit.

Uhh.... washed and sprayed tuna cans work I hear (was talking about this with a baking buddy).

[Lisa Shock]

3 hours ago, suzilightning said:

Uhh.... washed and sprayed tuna cans work I hear (was talking about this with a baking buddy).

 

Well, that depends on how you feel about additives in your baked goods. Back in the day, cans were lined with compound which contained pork lard to prevent rusting through. Then, in the 1980s, there was a worldwide push to make cans suitable for everyone to eat from. (lard being a no-no for vegetarians, and pork being off limits for several religions) Nowadays, cans have a plastic lining, components of which can leach out and affect foods -most notably BPA leaching into acidic foods. Cans vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but, almost all nowadays use some sort of plastic on the insides. I don't think anyone has done extensive tests on what happens to these linings if the cans are used as baking pans.

[JAZ]

19 hours ago, suzilightning said:

Uhh.... washed and sprayed tuna cans work I hear (was talking about this with a baking buddy).

 

The other thing about tuna cans is that very few cans these days are constructed with bottoms that can be removed -- they no longer have a seam on the bottom edge.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

On 4/12/2017 at 12:57 AM, liuzhou said:

 

They lost me at English!

 

According to @nathanm Samuel Bath Thomas was an English baker who emigrated to the colonies and in 1880 opened a bakery in New York City selling griddle cooked bread of the sort sold by itinerant muffin men in his benighted home country.

 

[liuzhou]

33 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

benighted

 

??

[JoNorvelleWalker]

26 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

??

 

Sorry, my term, not @nathanm's. 

 

Don't get me started on the deep fried American hamburger I was served in Stornoway in the 1960's.