English Muffins

I had a whole day to bake (as opposed to an hour or two) which meant I could make something which took a little longer and required proving. I'd never made English Muffins and was a little nervous since the recipe was in the same section as crumpets, a recipe I struggled with due to the sticky dough.

I'm getting the hang of using yeast - a pinch of sugar and gently warmed milk seems to be the best environment to get to the frothy stage.

My favourite location to allow dough to rise is our cupboard with the hot water tank in (also, our hoover and mop). I have to take out some boxes that store clothes, but it's only for a couple hours.

For once, this recipe was clear about the thickness to roll the dough to (FINALLY!) and I followed instructions as you can see!

After a second prove, it was time to cook, and English Muffins get fried gently. I used goose fat, and fried 3 at a time in our skillet lid. They take almost 10 minutes, and you have to keep an eye to make sure they don't burn.

The final product was spot on - exactly like store bought english muffins. The texture was fluffy. I served mine with peanut butter and raspberry jam. Yum!!

English Muffins

400g Strong White Flour

1 tsp salt

25g butter or margarine

225ml milk

2 tsp dried yeast

1 egg

fat for frying

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Rub in the butter or margarine. Place the milk in a saucepan and warm gently. It should be just hand-hot. Pour the milk into a small bowl, sprinkle the dried yeast on top and leave for 10-15 minutes until frothy. Beat in the egg.

Add the yeast liquid to the flour to make a very soft dough. Beat the dough by hand or with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes until smooth and shiny. Cover the bowl with a large lightly oiled polythene bag and leave in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Beat again lightly.

Roll out onto a well floured surface to a thickness of about 1cm. Using a plain 7.5cm/3in cutter, cut the dough into rounds. Place the rounds on a floured baking sheet, cover with polythene and leave for about 45min or until light and puffy.

Heat a griddle or heavy bottomed frying pan, then grease it. Cook the muffins on both sides for about 8 minutes. Makes twenty.