English Muffins

It's funny to me that English muffins are English... for some reason that always perplexed me when eating them as a child in America. Regardless of my feelings about their British origin, Harry and Ron do enjoy them over their Christmas holidays at Hogwarts (in Britain, of course!):

"They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork-- bread, English muffins, marshmallows-- and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work" (Sorcerer's Stone 199).

There is a fairly simple recipe for this breakfast bread in The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook, so that is the recipe we shall use today.

You Will Need:

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 stick (4 Tbs) butter

1 cup warm water

1 Tbs (1 packet) active dry yeast

1 Tbs granulated sugar

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1. Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter is melted. Set it aside to cool.

2. Combine the water, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl and let it stand until the yeast dissolves and the mixture puffs up.

3. Mix together the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the milk and yeast mixtures and stir to combine.

4. Knead the dough until it cleans the sides of the bowl and is smooth and elastic (5-10 minutes)

5. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, turning to coat the dough on all sides with the oil. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1.5-2 hours, until doubled in size.

if by 'doubled' you mean tripled...

6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/2" thick.
7. Stamp out circles with a 3" cookie cutter (I use a glass and a knife).

8. Lightly spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Cook the muffins over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes on each side, or until light brown on each side.

9. Serve immediately while hot or allow them to cool and then split open and toast before eating.

Slather these with some butter or jam and enjoy! They are quite a delicious breakfast! (Even if you're not lucky enough to be eating them by a fire in the common room of your wizarding boarding school in Britain at Christmastime :)