Homemade English Muffins

This is a classic recipe from Julia Child. It's great for when it's too hot to crank up the oven as this recipe uses a griddle or frying pan to cook. You will need cookie cutter rings or tuna cans with the lids and bottom removed, 3 inches (8 cm) in diameter to shape the muffins.

• Ready In: 4 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 10-12
• Yields: 10-12 muffins

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1⁄4 potato, grated raw and simmered until tender
• 1⁄2 cup  cold milk (dairy, soy, rice, any will do)
• 2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3  tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt

Directions

1. THE DOUGH:
2. Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup tepid water, while the yeast is dissolving, place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Beat the cold milk into the potatoes and then add to the flour. After the flour mixture has warmed to tepid, add the dissolved yeast and beat vigorously for a minute or so until it has become a thick, smooth batter. Thicker than regular pancake batter, but not at all like conventional dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 1/2 hours, preferably at 80°F (27°C) until batter has risen and large bubbles have appeared on the surface (the surface must be bubbly, however long it takes).
3. Dissolve the salt in 3 tablespoons tepid water and beat the batter down. Then add the salt and beat vigorously for a minute.
4. Once again cover for an hour or more until the surface of the batter has become bubbly.
5. The batter is now ready to become English muffins.
6. COOKING THE MUFFINS:
7. When you are ready to cook the muffins, brush the insides of the tins or rings generously with the butter; butter the surface of the griddle or frying pan as well. Place the tins on the griddle/frying pan and set on medium heat.
8. With a ladle are large spoon scoop the batter up and dislodge the batter from
9. the spoon with rubber spatula into the tins. Batter should be about 3/8 inch (1 cm) thick to make a muffin twice that. (Batter should be heavy, sticky, sluggish but not runny, having just enough looseness to be spread out into the ring).
10. The muffins are to cook slowly on one side until it bubbles, which form near the bottom of the muffin. When the top of the muffin's color changes from a wet ivory white to a dry gray color; this will take 6 to 8 minutes or more depending on the heat (regulate heat so that bottoms of muffins do not color more than a light to medium brown).
11. Now the muffins are ready to be turned over for a brief cooking on the other side. At this point you can probably lift the tins off them (if getting the tins off is difficult then gently cut around the edge with a knife).
12. Less than a minute is generally enough for cooking the other side, which needs a token brown color.
13. Cool muffins on a rack.
14. Wrap in air-tight plastic bags or wrap and store in the fridge.
15. Cut in half and/or re-heat in the toaster and spread whatever you fancy on them!