Making English muffins

Our older daughter is particularly fond of English muffins, largely because she enjoys making mini-pizzas with them. Yesterday she asked if I could make a batch.

I use the recipe found in this cookbook under the "bread" section (and no, I won't type it in - it would take too long).



After the first rising, it's time to shape the muffins. This is our production line. In the back, Younger Daughter is cutting the dough into circles using an old tuna can. In the middle are the fresh-cut muffins. In the front are the muffins that have been brushed with water and dipped in cornmeal. I doubled the batch, which gave us almost four dozen.


Now the muffins must rise a second time. I tucked them near the woodstove (where it's warm), behind a fire screen to keep the dogs away.


English muffins aren't baked, they're pan-cooked. Here I have one dozen just starting to cook on the griddle. Keep the heat low and flip them every five minutes. It takes about twenty-five to thirty minutes to cook a batch.


Almost ready. You'll notice there are a lot fewer muffins. That's because the kids can't resist snitching hot muffins off the griddle and eating them right away.


The finished batch. They freeze very well.