ENGLISH MUFFINS Makes Approximately 20
FORGET YOUR PRECONCEPTIONS--THESE ARE WONDERFUL!!
1 c. milk-2 T. sugar-1 t. salt-1/4 c. butter-1 c. warm water-1 pkg. yeast-5 ½ c. flour (about)-cornmeal to sprinkle on board or pan
Scald milk; stir in sugar, salt & butter; cool to lukewarm.
Sprinkle yeast into warm water in large warm bowl; stir till dissolved. Stir in lukewarm milk mixture.
Add 3 c. flour; beat till smooth. (If adding raisins, blueberries, orange or lemon peel, now's the time to do it--these are options. I advise you to make them plain, this first time, to get their full flavor. You can always play later! :-).
Add enough more flour to make a soft dough.
Turn out onto lightly floured board; knead till smooth & elastic.
Place in oiled bowl, flip so that the oiled side is on top. Cover; let rise in warm place (I place mine in the oven & turn the light on, rather than cover the bowl) free from draft, till doubled in bulk (about 1 hr).
Punch down, divide in half. On board, heavily sprinkled with flour, roll each piece to ½" thick. Cut into circles with a biscuit cutter (trust me on this one--I once used a larger cutter & they were HUGE!).
Place on board, pan, or counter top that's been sprinkled with cornmeal; turn so that both sides have a cornmeal coating.
Cover. Let rest on board 30 minutes.
Place a large skillet on low heat. Add 2 T. shortening, & heat till shortening has melted & is hot.
Place as many muffins as skillet will hold. Cover & let cook till golden brown.
Turn. Repeat.
Continue till all muffins have been cooked.
Cool.
Place in tightly closed plastic bags.
May be frozen at this point for later use. DO NOT place them in the freezer till they are completely COLD. Double bag them. NOW, you MUST eat at least one of these hot, with butter, right out of the skillet!
These put the commercial varieties to shame. I made them in The Market Fare, & we always sold them as fast as we could make them!
Enjoy!
Wishing you a pleasant Lord's Day!!
W.
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