Homemade English Muffins (who knew they would be so easy!)

Okay, watch this awesome Culinary Institute of America teacher make these before you think its too hard for you...I promise...its easy and you don't even turn on the oven!



I ordered the breakfast book from them online.  I have several of the CIA cookbooks, they are all amazing! I posted links below if you want to check them out.

English Muffins
(makes 12)

1½ tsp active dry yeast
1 c warm water
2 c all purpose flour
1 T butter, softened
1 t sugar
1 t salt
cornmeal
oil of choice for your pan

Place the yeast and water in your mixing bowl and allow to proof for about 5 minutes.  Then add the flour, salt, sugar, and butter to the yeast water and mix on low (speed one) with a dough hook, about 2 minutes.  (you can use a hand mixer, but a stand mixer is effortless..invest in one if you like to cook)

Increase the speed to 2 and let it knead for you for about 5 minutes...check out the consistency..it will not be quite as smooth as pizza dough but you don't want it real liquidy either. You may need to add a bit more flour here.

Pull the hook out of the dough and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm spot for 1½ hours.

Sprinkle counter with flour and take dough out of the bowl and cut into 12 pieces (cut in four and each piece in three)  Roll each piece into a ball, rolling under and flatten slightly and dip both sides in cornmeal.  You can proof them here another 20-30 minutes or you don't have to.

The first two times I made it I didn't proof them. They were delicious but when I proofed them the third time I made them they were even fluffier and more delicious.

Cook on a hot and lightly oiled griddle for about 5-6 minutes per side.

Fork Split and toast them in a toaster.

Wasn't that easy?  And they are the best tasting english muffins I ever had.

Aprons. A little History Lesson.

I posted a post many years back into thousand eight I believe apron evangelism. 

I love aprons. I have three hanging in my kitchen I have been well used. 

Here is a cute ditty I can across on fb. 

I don't think our kids know what an apron is. The principle use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material. But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. 

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. 

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids..

And when the weather was cold, Grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. 

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. 

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. 

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. 

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes. 

Send this to those who would know (and love) the story about Grandma's aprons.

REMEMBER: 

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron - but love.

If you enjoyed this, perhaps you'd enjoy a previously posted Apron Evangelism post. 

http://margaritastewart.blogspot.com/2008/11/apron-evangelism.html?m=1

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I saw this post on fb  and there was not a source listed.

I wanted to share it on my blog so that I would never to lose it. If anyone knows the actual source of this please let me know so I can give them credit.