Homemade English Muffins

Through necessity, I've been learning how to make my own bread since living
here.  The recipe for these homemade English muffins make a great change
from toast bread on the weekend and tastes like the real thing!  Not a bad
base to an eggs benedict if we are in the mood for that undertaking too...


ENGLISH MUFFINS

Makes 8

¾ cup hot water

½ cup milk

1 Tbsp granulated yeast

2 tsp sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp melted butter or oil

About ¼ cup cornmeal (optional)

In a large bowl, mix the hot water and milk together to make a liquid slightly warmer than body 
temperature.  Stir in the yeast and sugar until yeast dissolves and leave to stand in a warm place for 
5-10 minutes, until the surface bubbles.  Measure the flour and salt into a microwaveable bowl and 
heat it on High in 10 second bursts, until it feels warm (2 cups of flour takes 20-30 seconds). Add 
the butter or oil to bubbly yeast mixture, then beat in the warmed flour, mixing thoroughly.  Leave 
to stand in a warm place until mixture doubles in size about 30 minutes.

Stir the mixture back to original size and add enough extra flour to be able to turn the mixture onto 
a board without it sticking.  Keep dough very soft, adding as little flour as possible.  Cut into eight 
pieces and roll into balls using well-floured hands.  Roll the balls in cornmeal (to stop them 
sticking), then place each one on a 10 cm square of sprayed on oiled lunch paper or plastic wrap 
and leave to rise in a warm place for 15-20 minutes, until light and puffy.

Carefully place muffins, paper side up and top side down, into an electric frypan or griddle which 
has been preheated to 150 C, then lift off the plastic of paper. Cook muffins for about 2 minutes, 
then carefully turn. Cook second side for 5-7 minutes, turn again and cook for a further 5 minutes.  
(This produces muffins with even sized cooked surfaces.) Turn onto a rack to cool and store 
in the refrigerator.

We split ours then toast them and load them up with butter and jam!

They freeze well too.

Looks just like the recipe! (top picture)

This recipe comes from a 1994 edition of a cookbook by Alison Holst called
Breakfast & Brunches. Because we can't go out and buy a bag of
muffins, etc, it's one of our lifesaver cookbooks...