English Muffins

Homemade English Muffins are easy, cheaper than store-bought, and taste WAY better! They are fun to make with kids. To make them you'll need:

English Muffins

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups milk 2 tablespoons white sugar 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast 1/4 cup melted shortening or butter

5 1/2 - 6 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt cornmeal for dusting

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Let cool until lukewarm. Whisk in yeast. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2.	In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour and the yeast; set aside. In medium saucepan, heat and stir milk, shortening, salt and sugar. Heat just until the shortening begins to melt. Add milk mixture to dry mixture. Beat with mixer on high speed for 3 minutes. Add rest of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled (about an hour).
3.	Punch down. Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut rounds with biscuit cutter, drinking glass, or empty tuna can. Sprinkle waxed paper with cornmeal and set the rounds on this to rise. Dust tops of muffins with cornmeal also (if necessary, lightly brush tops with water to help cornmeal adhere). Cover and let rise 1/2 hour.
4.	Heat lightly greased griddle or electric skillet to medium heat. Cook muffins on griddle about 15 -20 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes, until lightly golden brown. DO NOT CROWD MUFFINS! Cool on wire rack. Place in plastic bags or airtight container for storage. To use, split horizontally and toast. To create the most "nooks and crannies", split with a fork rather than a knive. Makes 12