English Muffins

Homemade English Muffins are surprisingly easy to make, and they are definitely well worth it. They make an excellent breakfast or lunch with peanut butter, jam, cream cheese, fruit, yogurt, egg, cheese, tomato, ham, - almost anything. They make great sandwiches and are good served alongside soup too. I got this recipe from Company's Coming "Breads". I made mine whole wheat, and I also added some ground flax seed for added nutrition. 

English Muffins
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1 package (8 grams) active dry yeast
1 cup milk
3 Tablespoons butter or hard margarine, softened
1 large egg, beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2-3 cups all-purpose flour
cornmeal, sprinkle

1. In a medium bowl, stir together sugar and water. Sprinkle yeast over top. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast.
2. In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter until lukewarm. Add to yeast mixture. Stir in egg.
3. In a large bowl, stir together 2 cups of flour, the salt, and the ginger. Add the yeast mixture and stir.
4. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft, smooth dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead 3 to 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
5. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with tea towel. Let stand in oven with light on and door closed for about one hour, or until doubled in bulk.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough a scant 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 3 1/2 inch rounds. Press each round into cornmeal lightly on both sides.
7. Heat a heavy frying pan with oil to medium heat. Brown circles slowly on both sides, about 8 minutes per side. 

Browning the english muffins in a frying pan gives them a nice flavor and crisp crust, but watch them carefully and keep the heat low, as they get dark quickly. I found the outsides cooked but the middle didn't cook through, so after frying I put them in the oven at 350◦F for ten minutes. I also found that the cornmeal didn't stick to the muffins easily, but it wasn't really necessary. 

Paré, Jean. "English Muffins." Recipe. Breads, Edmonton Alberta: Company's Coming Publishing Limited, 1996. 77.