Corn is in peak season now and the markets are stocked with beautiful fresh ears of corn. I don’t always have a plan for what I’m going to do with the corn I buy but I make sure to use it within a day to ensure it is fresh and sweet. Here is a great recipe to make when you have fresh corn on hand and aren’t quite sure how you want to use it. I adapted this recipe from Cook’s Country magazine to make a lactose-free version. Feel free to use standard dairy ingredients when you make these.
You can whip up a cardamom-brown sugar butter that pairs well with the fresh corn flavor of these muffins. The sweet and salty butter with a hint of cardamom takes these muffins over the top.
Bob’s Red Mill is known for quality products and their cornmeal is no exception. The medium grain cornmeal is just the right texture for these muffins.
Beautiful cornmeal such as Bob’s Red Mill can be found at Safeway on Maui.
Hydrating a portion of the cornmeal with milk in the microwave before adding it to the rest of the ingredients produces a muffin with a tender crumb and a boost of fresh corn flavor.
You might think there is too much batter for 12 muffin cups. I read a few comments from others who made 16-24 muffins. If you have a muffin pan that has a smaller than usual cup capacity, you may need to bake more than 12 muffins. However, for this recipe I found the batter to be perfect for my 12-cup muffin pan. The batter should fill the entire cup and even be a bit higher than level.
Beautifully high domed muffins show off the fresh corn beneath. One of my favorite ways to eat these corn muffins is to split them, toast them until the edges are browned and crispy, then serve with a pat of butter and homemade jam.
1 teaspoon fine sea salt (if using unsalted butter increase to 1 1/4 teaspoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (227g, 8 oz.) lactose free whole milk or regular whole milk
1/2 cup (113g, 4 oz.) lactose free or regular sour cream
1/2 cup (1 stick, 113g, 4 oz.) Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or unsalted butter (see adjustment for salt if using unsalted butter)
2 large eggs
2 cups (304g, 10.7 oz.) fresh corn kernels, about 2 large ears of corn
Cardamom Butter
Mash together until well combined: 1 stick Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or unsalted butter (softened), 1/8 cup + 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (add 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt if using unsalted butter).
Directions
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously spray 12-cup muffin tin, including top, with vegetable oil spray.
Whisk flour, 1 cup cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl; set aside.
Whisk milk and remaining 1/2 cup cornmeal together in a medium bowl. Microwave until mixture begins to thicken to a paste-like consistency, about 1 1/2 minutes, whisking every 30 seconds to combine. Whisk sour cream and melted butter into cornmeal paste. Whisk in eggs. Stir cornmeal mixture and corn kernels into flour mixture until just combined.
Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups; evenly distribute any remaining batter among cups (cups will be full or slightly over the top level).
Bake until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 20 – 24 minutes. Let muffins cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Gently remove muffins and let cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Serve warm with cardamom butter or split muffins and toast in toaster oven until edges are browned and crispy.
Homemade English muffins have been something we have wanted to make for years. Recently John came upon a recipe in Cook’s Country magazine that inspired him to give it a try. After the first batch and a few adjustments to the recipe, we were hooked. We always keep our freezer stocked with these beauties. We enjoy eating them toasted with butter and jam as well as with our favorite eggs Benedict with avocado hollandaise. The nice thing about these English muffins is that they don’t take very long to make and the finished product is far superior to any commercial product.
If your cornmeal is on the coarse side, you may want to sift out the large, gritty pieces which can become very hard upon toasting the muffins.
Dough rings help to ensure perfectly tall, well-shaped muffins. We had purchased a dozen rings for another recipe so we were thrilled to be able to make use of them for this recipe. Sprinkle cornmeal into each muffin ring before placing dough inside.
After the dough rounds go into the rings, sprinkle more cornmeal over the top and press lightly into the dough.
The dough will rise for 1 hour before being fried in butter for a quick 30 seconds or so on each side. If you don’t mind a chewier and darker crust, they can be fried longer (up to 2 minutes per side).
Once all of the dough has been fried they go into the oven to bake.
Beautiful English muffins cooling on a wire rack.
Fork-splitting the muffins rather than slicing them with a knife will ensure little nooks and crannies that not only produce beautiful crispy edges when toasted, but also allow the toppings such as butter and jam to sink in to all the crevices. Yum.
1 cup + 6 tablespoons of warm whole lactose free milk or regular whole milk,110 degrees (312 grams/11 oz.)
2 tablespoons honey (40 grams)
2¾ cups bread flour (428 grams/15⅛ oz.)
1 tablespoon instant or rapid rise yeast (11 grams)
1¼ teaspoons table salt (7 grams)
⅓ cup cornmeal (sifted if very coarse)
2 tablespoons + butter (we use Miyoko's vegan butter)
Preparation
Special equipment: 10 muffin rings 3½-inch size (recommended for perfectly shaped, tall muffins), 2 half-sheet pans, 2 silicone baking mats or parchment paper
Combine milk with honey in a large bowl. Heat in microwave to 110 degrees but no more (about 20 - 30 seconds). A digital thermometer is useful here. We like the Thermapen. Whisk warm milk and honey together.
In a separate smaller bowl, whisk dry ingredients (flour, yeast and salt) together. Combine wet and dry ingredients together in first bowl. Mix thoroughly (we like to use a Danish dough whisk). Cover the bowl and proof for 1 hour. Do one set of stretches and folds after 30 minutes of proofing.
Line a half sheet pan with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Place 10 muffin rings on pan. Spray thoroughly with cooking spray making sure the ring interiors are well coated. Sprinkle corn meal inside the rings.
Once dough has proofed, divide into 10 equal pieces (about 79 grams each). Round each piece slightly on a floured surface then flatten the dough pieces until approximately the diameter of the rings. Press the dough gently into the rings. Sprinkle corn meal over the top and press into the dough with your fingers. Cover the pan with a second sheet pan. Proof for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees once dough has proofed for 50 minutes.
Once dough has proofed for 1 hour, heat a 12" non-stick skillet on medium to medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon of butter. In batches of up to four, add dough (in rings) to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds on each side, or until lightly browned. Add more butter to the pan for each batch. Transfer fried muffins to second silicone baking mat or parchment lined half sheet pan. Continue frying until all 10 are done. Transfer pan to oven and bake for 12-13 minutes, or until centers register 205-210 degrees.
Remove rings and let muffins cool completely on a wire rack. Fork-split muffins before toasting. Muffins freeze well.
Now that the weather has turned a bit cooler, we have been enjoying Manoa and butter lettuce from the garden. During the summer it is impossible to grow lettuce in Kihei, it’s just too hot. We also planted radishes that turned out to be a tasty addition to our salads.
Our new lilikoi (the most fragrant of tropical fruits) are doing well. Their vigorous vines quickly claimed the fence as their home with their tendrils grabbing on to anything within reach. We even caught one reaching up to the sky and fastening itself to a mango branch. Our first season of growing lilikoi yielded a small, healthy, crop of fruit that we quickly used to make the best jelly ever. Lilikoi vinaigrette came to mind when I was picking those tender lettuce leaves from the garden. So with the few fruits left on the vines, the juice was frozen in small containers and will be enjoyed throughout the next few months.
Lilikoi makes everything better.
Press the pulp to extract the precious juice.
Manoa and butter lettuce with cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, avocado and feta.
I live in Kihei on the island of Maui where the weather is always warm and sunny. The very idea of rain excites us because it’s a rare occasion when it comes our way, however, the sunny days are good for the garden where we grow tomatoes, cucumbers, assorted peppers, papayas, mangoes, avocados and lots of herbs.
Though it’s very beautiful here on Maui, everyone needs a vacation, right? My husband I visit San Francisco once a year where the food is superb and the farmer’s markets sell gorgeous produce, fresh tamales, handmade pasta, and of course, outstanding bread. These trips inspire me to cook delicious meals for family and friends back home in Hawaii.
I love to cook all types of food. Some of my favorites are Italian, Mexican, Japanese, and Korean. One of our favorite things to make is pizza. We recently received an Ooni pizza oven from our children, and now we are able to make Neapolitan pizzas as beautiful as the ones we have had in San Francisco.
Thank you for visiting with me. Let’s start cooking!
