English muffins are flat out delicious. It's impossible to toast one, slather it with butter and not want to eat another one immediately. The Joy of Cooking is a tome sitting on the shelves of many kitchens - I didn't have my own copy until I found it for a darling $3.99 sitting by itself at a second hand shop. It was in pristine order! The red marking ribbons were in a state of flattened perfection. Having come from a copy growing up that was so fallen apart one extracted the relevant pages to refer to when making something, this one is somewhat of a treat.
This is its English muffin recipe that was braved last weekend.
This is its English muffin recipe that was braved last weekend.
"Combine in a mixing bowl:
1 cup water
1/2 cup scalded milk
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Dissolve 3 to 5 minutes in:
2 tbsp 105-115 water
1 package active dry yeast (1 tablespoon)
Combine the two mixtures. Measure and sift:
4 cups all-purpose flour
Beat 2 cups flour gradually into the milk mixture. Cover the bowl with a cloth. Let the sponge rise in a warm place for about 1.5 hours or until it collapses back into the bowl. Beat in:
3 tablespoons softened butter.
Beat or knead in the remaining flour.
Place dough on a board lightly floured or sprinkled with cornmeal. Pat or press the dough to a thickness of about 1/2 and inch, and cut it into rounds about 3 inches in diameter. Let them stand on a lightly greased cookie sheet until the dough has doubled in bulk (note: this doesn't take terribly long). Carefully slip a pancake turner under the rounds and transfer them to a fairly hot, well buttered griddle. Cook until light brown ( 3 minutes per side seemed to work out well ) turn once while cooking. Cool on rack."
Becker Rombauer, Marion; Irma S. Rombauer. Joy of Cooking. New York: Bobbs-Merrill Company Inc., 1975
1 cup water
1/2 cup scalded milk
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Dissolve 3 to 5 minutes in:
2 tbsp 105-115 water
1 package active dry yeast (1 tablespoon)
Combine the two mixtures. Measure and sift:
4 cups all-purpose flour
Beat 2 cups flour gradually into the milk mixture. Cover the bowl with a cloth. Let the sponge rise in a warm place for about 1.5 hours or until it collapses back into the bowl. Beat in:
3 tablespoons softened butter.
Beat or knead in the remaining flour.
Place dough on a board lightly floured or sprinkled with cornmeal. Pat or press the dough to a thickness of about 1/2 and inch, and cut it into rounds about 3 inches in diameter. Let them stand on a lightly greased cookie sheet until the dough has doubled in bulk (note: this doesn't take terribly long). Carefully slip a pancake turner under the rounds and transfer them to a fairly hot, well buttered griddle. Cook until light brown ( 3 minutes per side seemed to work out well ) turn once while cooking. Cool on rack."
Becker Rombauer, Marion; Irma S. Rombauer. Joy of Cooking. New York: Bobbs-Merrill Company Inc., 1975
I was very sceptical that frying this dough would result in actually being cooked through, it didn't seem possible. However, magically, they turned out to be a resounding success and many future weekends will be spent perfecting and enjoying fresh batches of highly munchable muffins.