Marmite or yeast extract is the ingredient you either love to hate, or hate to love. Slightly bitter and salty, but with a curiously moreish umami hit, it brings that certain something something to loads of foods.
Stir it into stews and casseroles, use it in savoury baking, smear it on buttered toast – there’s so much you can do with it.
But its absolute favourite partner in crime is cheese. Together, the two riff off one another in an unbeatable combination.
Here, we’ve used the dynamic duo in soft English muffins – a kind of risen griddle cake loved on breakfast tables around the UK. We like ‘em buttered or topped with even more cheese, but you could use them to make a cheeky takeaway favourite, filled with fried sausage patty and egg. Just saying.
Ingredients (makes 8-10)
300g strong white bread flour
1 sachet (7g) dried yeast
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
150-200ml milk, gently warmed
2 tbsp yeast extract
150g strong Cheddar, grated
1/2 tsp cracked black peppercorns
Polenta for dusting
Method
1. In a large bowl, combine the yeast, flour, sugar and butter. Add the salt, egg, yeast extract and 150ml milk and use a knife to bring the dough together. Pour in a little more milk if it’s dry. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Knead on a floured surface for around 10 minutes until smooth.
2. Grease a bowl, add the dough, cover and leave to double in size (it’ll take about an hour). Knock back and add the Cheddar and crushed pepper.
3. Dust a surface with polenta and roll the dough to around 2.5cm thick. Cut out using an 8-9cm round cutter and lay on a couple of lined baking trays, dusting the tops with more polenta.
4. Leave to rise for another 30 minutes to an hour.
5. Heat a heavy-based griddle or frying pan on a low heat and griddle the muffins for 5 minutes each side.
6. Serve warm and buttered.
