PORTLAND, Maine — I had been hearing a lot about this place called Ugly Duckling in Portland.
The name alone intrigued me, but then I heard that they made their own English muffins, and I knew I had to learn how that was done. I've never heard of anyone making them fresh before!
I was fortunate enough to learn from Ugly Duckling and Chaval owner Ilma Lopez. Lopez said she enjoys making these for her children, so making them for the business was a natural next step.
The first step: Making the dough.
We poured flour, water, buttermilk, butter, and yeast into a mixer with a dough hook and let it go for about 20 minutes.
After the dough was finished and had risen, she had a great machine that perfectly portioned the dough into circles for us. It saved us a ton of time.
Then we ensured they were the perfect size and shape before they got another rise.
Here is where this recipe differs from other types of bread—you griddle them! We took the risen dough and tossed it right onto the griddle to get that nice flat shape. Then, they're tossed in the oven for a quick bake.
Tasting it alone, a homemade English muffin is significantly different than a store-bought one. It was so much fluffier and softer than one from the store. I guess that isn't surprising to anyone, though.
They're known for their made-to-order breakfast sandwiches at Ugly Duckling, so I had to try one. I'm not a huge breakfast sandwich person, but I loved this one, so it was great to test one out.
Thanks again to Ilma and the rest of the crew at Ugly Duckling for having me!