Recipe - English Muffins (Bakestone Recipes)

1 pound Allpurpose or bread flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 One half tablespoon Dry yeast
1 teaspoon Sugar
8 fl Warm milk and water
2 ounce Butter, melted

(Note: Over here, and in England, these are just called "muffins", and are
the ones in the song about the Muffin Man who lives in Drury Lane. They did
actually sell them doortodoor every morning in London until the turn of
the century or thereabouts.) . Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and
leave in a warm place. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in One fourth pt of the warm
milk and water. Leave to froth, then mix in the fat. Stir all the liquid
into the warm flour and beat well until smooth and elastic. Cover and prove
in a warm place for 50 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Turn onto a
wellfloured board and knead, working a little more flour if necessary to
make the dough easier to shape. Round up the dough, roll into a thick
sausage shape and (using the sharpest knife you have) slice into 8 to 10
portions, each about 1 One half ~ 1 Three fourths inch thick. Shape each one into a round
with straight sides. Put onto a greased baking sheet. Cover (I use greased
plastic wrap) and put in a warm place to prove for 3040 minutes or until
springy to the touch. Leave room for expansion and be careful not to
overprove, as the muffins will get flabby and lose their shape. Warm and
grease the bakestone lightly. Lift the muffins carefully onto the bakestone
and cook over very moderate heat for 810 minutes until pale gold
underneath. Turn and cook the other side. Wrap in a cloth and keep warm
if cooking in batches. To serve, insert a knife in the side, pull the top
and bottom slightly apart, and insert slivers of butter. . These are
strongly recommended. The taste of them hot off the bakestone, griddle or
frying pan makes Thomas's look very poor indeed by comparison.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini