whole wheat english muffins

It's the last week of classes.  "Summer" officially starts in just over a week.  It's weird that this semester is so quickly coming to an end....especially since there was a threat of snow yesterday.  I'll stop complaining about the crazy Ohio weather soon, promise.  I'm still just a little bitter adjusting...these things take time.

Speaking evaluations are done, quizzes and compositions are graded, and now I wait.  It's the calm before the storm.  Fellow educators know exactly what I'm talking about...the impending pile of final exams (henceforth simply referred to as The Stack) that is looming over this otherwise pretty relaxed week.



The Stack will sit in the furthermost corner of my desk until it needs to be acknowledged.  It will need to be broken into smaller piles to avoid a breakdown.  Small stacks convince me that there's an end in sight.  The Stack makes me cry.

I'm the genius one who thought I'd make it easy on myself this semester by teaching only one level.  Sounds good in theory, right?  I wasn't totally crazy, was I?

But, because I'm only teaching one level, I have the same exact questions to grade for every single student I have.  Many will have the same exact mistakes.  I will be writing the same exact red comments, larger and more illegible as I go, on too many of the finals.  Needless to say, I will be ripping my hair out by the time I get through a quarter of The Stack.

Luckily, prior to The Stack's arrival, I have plenty of free time to enjoy things like whole wheat English muffins.  They're one of my favorite things to make from one of my favorite blogs.  If nothing else, they'll keep my mind off The Stack for a little while longer.   Yeast and flour can do that, you know.


Whole Wheat English Muffins
Recipe from Baking Serendipity
Makes 12

Ingredients:

• 1 c milk
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 c warm water
• 2 1/2 tsp yeast (1 packet)
• 1/4 c melted butter
• 5 c whole wheat flour
• 1 c white flour

Warm milk to about 110 degrees (warm but not hot) and pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer with the honey.  In another small bowl, add the warm water and yeast.  Stir until the yeast is dissolved.  Pour yeast mixture into the milk/honey mixture.  Add the melted butter and 3 c whole wheat flour.  Mix on low speed until incorporated.  Add the rest of the flour (both whole wheat and white) to the batch 1/2 cup at a time.  Continue to mix until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Place dough in a large greased bowl, cover it with a clean towel and let it rise for 1 hour.  Keep it in a warm place or an oven that is turned off.

After rising, place dough on a lightly floured surface and divide it into 12 equal balls.  Place the dough balls on a baking sheet that has been lined with waxed paper.  Press down on each ball to flatten it slightly (so it looks like an English Muffin).  Cover the dough balls and let them rise again for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a griddle, grill, or skillet and set it to medium heat.  Cook English muffins for 5-7 minutes per side.  Place the grilled muffins back on the baking sheet (that no longer has the waxed paper and is ungreased).  Bake the English muffins for about 5 minutes.  Cool them on a wire rack before storing or serving.

If you don't plan on eating them within a couple days, freeze some.  They freeze well in a Ziplock bag and easily are revived individually in the microwave or toaster.