Olympic Chocolate Muffins
Pillowy, yeast-risen English muffins with a deep cocoa twist — griddle-baked to a golden crust and best pulled apart warm with butter.
Ingredients
- 2 cupswhole milk
- ¼ ozinstant dry yeast(one standard sachet)
- 1 tspgranulated sugar
- 1 tspfine salt
- ¼ cupDutch-process cocoa powder(sifted)
- 4 cupsbread flour(plus extra for dusting)
- 2 tbspunsalted butter(softened, for finishing)
Method
- 01
Warm the 2 cups whole milk in a small saucepan over low heat until it reaches about 38 °C (100 °F) — comfortably warm to the wrist, not hot.
- 02
Whisk the ¼ oz instant dry yeast and 1 tsp granulated sugar into the warm milk. Let stand 5 minutes until slightly foamy.
- 03
In a large bowl, whisk together the 4 cups bread flour, ¼ cup cocoa powder, and 1 tsp fine salt.
- 04
Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms — it should be looser than bread dough but hold its shape.
- 05
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5–6 minutes until smooth and elastic. The cocoa will deepen in color as you work it.
- 06
Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set in a warm spot (e.g. an oven with just the light on) for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- 07
Punch down the risen dough and turn it out onto a surface dusted generously with bread flour — about a 1 cm layer. Divide into 12 equal pieces and shape each into a smooth round ball.
- 08
Place the rounds onto flour-dusted baking trays, spacing them well apart. Dust the tops with a little extra flour, cover loosely, and let rise again for 30–40 minutes until puffed and semi-domed.
- 09
Heat a cast-iron skillet or flat griddle over medium-low heat. Do not grease it — the flour coating on the muffins provides the characteristic dry crust.
- 10
Carefully transfer 3–4 muffins at a time to the dry skillet. Cook for 8–10 minutes per side, turning once, until each side is lightly browned and the muffins sound hollow when tapped on the base.
- 11
Transfer cooked muffins to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining muffins, adjusting heat as needed to prevent scorching.
- 12
To serve, pull each muffin apart around its equator with your fingers rather than cutting — this preserves the nooks that hold butter. Toast the open halves cut-side down in the skillet or under a broiler until golden.
- 13
Spread the 2 tbsp unsalted butter across both halves while hot, press back together briefly, then pull apart and serve immediately on a warmed plate.
Adapted from public domain & community sources