Eight recipes in to Yorkshire Grub and I’ve used the word ‘simple’ approximately 1,082 times. But, honestly, these cheese muffins from Keighley are about as simple a bake as you could humanly expect to exist.
These little pillows of joy (via Joan Poulson’s Old Yorkshire Recipes, 1974) take about 20 minutes from getting out your mixing bowl to slathering them with butter, which makes Keighley Cheese Muffins perfect for breakfast. And what better way is there to let someone know you think they’re alright than giving them fresh home-baked goods for breakfast? I’ve put them here with poached eggs, but they’re also delicious simply served fresh out of the oven with a thick spread of butter.
(Housekeeping note for non Yorkshire-based readers: flying in the face of all the conventions of spelling, it’s pronounced ‘Keithley’, not ‘Keeley’.)
It’s also worth noting that after trying numerous different ways to poach an egg, I’ve finally come to the conclusion that the one below is about perfect. It involves cooking your eggs (along with a little olive oil) in a pouch of clingfilm and produces the most perfectly-shaped globs of goodness I’ve ever had the pleasure of serving.
I resisted using clingfilm for ages because it sounded a bit chef-y and I couldn’t imagine the clingfilm not melting. Having tried it a few times, however, I still wouldn’t recommend using cheap film but it does work brilliantly. They look great, you get none of the egg white tentacles, your eggs don’t come out wet and you can cook several of them at once.
I’ve included sausage in the recipe below, but if you don’t eat meat you could easily replace them with spinach, sweet potato, fish, slices of tomato or fried mushrooms. Cheese muffins, topped with whatever you decide on, go great with Blackberry Ketchup, if you have some.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
people (with leftover muffins
|
- 1 1/2 cups plain flour
- 4 tsp baking powder (level)
- 1/2 cup grated cheese
- 1 egg
- Three quarters3/4 cup milk
- Pinch salt
- 8 eggs
- 4 tomato sausages (optional)
- A little olive oil
- 1 red chilli thinly sliced
- Small handful fresh parsley or coriander roughly chopped
- butter
Ingredients
Muffins
To top your muffins
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- Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees celsius.
- Mix the flour, cheese, baking powder and salt together.
- Beat the egg and combine with the milk, then mix slowly into the dry ingredients. Give the dough a quick, light knead (if the mixture is too wet for this, add a little more flour).
- Roll out the dough to around 1cm thick and cut into rounds using a pastry cutter. You should get around 12 muffins, depending on the size of the cutter you use.
- Put in the oven on a greased baking sheet for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.
- While your muffins are in the oven, slice your raw sausages using a sharp knife (this will make them cook more quickly) then fry them in a little oil for a few minutes.
- For the eggs, set a medium-sized pan of water on the hob to a soft boil. Take some clingfilm and place it over a cup with a small hollow inside. Drizzle with some olive oil and crack an egg into the film. Twist the film loosely around the egg and repeat until all your eggs are done.
- Place the eggs around the edge of the pan and cook for four to six minutes, depending on the size of the eggs.
- Once your muffins are done, slice and butter them. Put two or three slices of sausage on each muffin half, top with a poached egg and sprinkle with the chilli and chopped herbs.