English Muffin Recipe like Bays

use a very wet dough, or even a batter and muffin rings to hold shape during cooking in a skillet or griddle. A conventional bread dough, baked in the oven will give smaller, more uniform holes, like white bread.

Here are the ingredients from their website (for the regular English muffins):

Bleached Wheat Flour, Water, Contains 2% or less of the following: Potato Flour, Dry Whole Milk, Butter, Sugar, Yeast, Salt, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Folic Acid, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Baking Powder, Yeast Nutrients (Calcium Sulfate, Ammonium Chloride), Enzymes, Corn Starch, White Corn Meal, Farina, Sodium Propionate and Propionic Acid added to retain freshness, Sulfites

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Bleached white flour. By being bleached it has weaker gluten, making a softer crumb. Corn starch also cuts the protein/gluten, adding to a softer crumb (try using maybe 1 Tbsp of cornstarch per cup of flour). I would use an all purpose flour like Gold Medal in the home recipe. The potato flour contributes flavor and helps to retain moisture. If you don't have potato flour you could substitute potato flakes, maybe a couple of tablespoons. Add a little cornmeal and farina for texture (a Tbsp of each). Baking powder contributes to some of the flavor difference and of course to the rise (add 1 Tbsp for 3 cups of flour). Adding a very small amount of baking soda would contribute to browning and flavor (1/8 to 1/4 tsp), it may be included in the type of baking powder that Bays uses. Malted barley flour can be a yeast food or flavoring, depending on the type used. You could try adding a little malted milk powder as a flavoring (up to 1 Tbsp). Try Carnation/Nestles Malted Milk Powder (don't use chocolate flavor) available at Walmart.

Another thing that will add to flavor and texture, mix up the batter, cover it and let it sit overnight in the fridge. This will make a smoother, higher rising batter and the yeast will develop some flavor overnight. If you do this, make sure the baking powder says "double acting" on the label.

Hi, I grew up in Chicago so I know the allure of Bay's.  Oh yes, indeed!!   The closest I got to reproducing them was with this recipe from Gourmet over 30 years ago, but it was still lacking.  One variation calls for potatoes, so that's a start at least.

Incidentally, I have a yellowed clipping from a paper (Trib?) which quoted James Bay.  He said the original recipe is an heirloom, but they replaced the mashed potatoes of the original with potato flour.  He listed yeast, butter, water, sugar, wheat flour, and whole milk powder as ingredients, with white cornmeal used on the baking sheets to prevent sticking.  He said the dough is fermented to enhance the flavor -- does that mean sourdough?  This recipe uses vinegar, which could be replaced with a levain, perhaps.  I also have a note that the Bay's label at that time listed bleached flour and malted barley.  I gave up after a few tries, but maybe you'll have more patience.  Good luck.


English Muffins, Gourmet, January, 1980

1 Tbl dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 Tbl. sugar
14 Tbl. scalded milk
2 Tbl butter
2 Tbl. white vinegar
2 Tbl light corn syrup
1+1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup barley flour*
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3 Tbl farina
2 tsp salt
1 cup, or so, more flour, to form dough

*can substitute 2/3 cup each potato flakes and boiling water, or 1 cup mashed potatoes

Proof first 3 ingreds until foamy.  Combine milk, butter, and vinegar and stir until lukewarm.  Add yeast mixture and remaining ingreds.  Knead until smooth and elastic.  Let rise in warm place til double, about 1 hour.  Punch down and turn out onto surface sprinkled with 1/2 cup cornmeal.  Roll dough 1/4" thick and cut into 3" rounds.  Invert onto baking sheet sprinkled with 1/4 cup cornmeal, and let rise, covered in warm place for 1 hour, or until almost double in height.

Cook on 375˚ electric frypan/griddle about 7 mins each side, until browned.  Cool on rack.

I used to buy Bay's exclusively before I started making my own.  I now use a recipe from the Model Bakery. This recipe starts with a biga that is fermented under refrigeration for at least 12 and up to 24 hours. This adds tremendous flavor to the finished muffins. These do not have the large holes like the Bay's but the flavor is so much better. I got lazy a few months ago and bought a package of Bay's because I didn't want to wait for the biga and was surprised at how bland they tasted. I used to love that brand!! Good luck with your muffins.