English muffins are beloved for their soft, doughy texture and perfectly rounded shape. While bread of all kinds can seem tricky to bake at home, this recipe by Jamie Oliver makes it easy to whip up a batch of traditional English muffins in under an hour.
Ingredients:
* 300 ml milk, plus extra
* One 7g sachet of dried yeast
* 25g white caster sugar
* 50g shortening or lard
* 425g plain flour, plus extra
* 20 g polenta (optional)
* Unsalted butter to serve
Method:
1. Gently warm the milk in a pan until lukewarm, around 37C.
2. Add the yeast and sugar and stir until dissolved. Set aside for a few minutes until the mixture is creamy and starting to froth.
3. Melt the shortening or lard in a separate pan or microwave.
4. In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture, flour, and a pinch of sea salt to form a soft dough. Add a little extra milk or flour, if needed.
5. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic.
6. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover it with clingfilm, and set aside in a warm place to rise for one hour, or until doubled in size.
7. Knock back the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 2cm thick.
8. Using a round cutter or a thin drinking glass, cut out circles of 5cm to 8cm.
9. Lightly sprinkle a piece of baking parchment with a little flour or polenta (if using). Transfer the muffins to the paper and sprinkle over a little more flour or polenta.
10. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes to one hour to rise.
11. Preheat the oven to 170C/gas 3 and heat a heavy non-stick pan over medium heat.
12. Brown the muffins in the pan, in batches, cooking them for a few minutes on each side. Turn the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.
13. Transfer the browned muffins to a baking tray and finish with five minutes in the oven, or until cooked through.
14. Cool the cooked muffins slightly on a wire rack then split each one open and spread with melted butter, or keep in an airtight container for later.
