ENGLISH MUFFINS
Ingredients: English muffins:
■ 350g strong white flour
■25g softened butter
■ 7g fast acting yeast
■ 1tbsp caster sugar
■ 1tsp salt
■ 1 large egg, beaten
■ 175ml milk
■ A little butter for greasing
Scrambled eggs:
■ 2 large free range eggs
■ 6tbsp single cream
■ Pinch of salt
■ Knob of butter
Method:
English muffins:
1. You will need a 6cm pastry cutter.
2. Measure the flour and butter into a mixing bowl in a free-standing mixer and whizz until it resembles breadcrumbs – you can do this by hand but it takes a lot more effort!
3. Place the yeast in one side of the bowl and the sugar and salt on the other – it is really important to keep them apart, they do not get on together!
4. Add the egg and the milk to the mixture and with a dough hook knead for seven minutes, or by hand for 10 minutes.
5. Grease a large bowl, place the dough into it and cover with cling film. Leave for two hours until doubled in size.
6. Flour a worktop, tip the dough onto it and knead again for a minute, then roll out into a rectangle.
7. Stamp out as many rounds as you can with the pastry cutter – you should get around a dozen rounds.
8. Place on a floured baking tray (you will probably need two trays).
9. Again cover with cling film and leave for around 30 minutes to enable them to prove and become fluffy.
10. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees/160 degrees fan.
11. Heat a large frying pan and place over a low heat.
12. Add the muffins and cook for around eight minutes on either side until golden.
13. Return to the baking sheet and place in the oven for a further eight minutes until they are firm and no longer doughy.
14. Finally, place on a wire rack to cool and serve either cold or warm with butter. Equally you can make into a brunch by adding some scrambled eggs.
Scrambled eggs:
1. Lightly whisk the eggs with the single cream and a pinch of salt.
2. Heat a small non-stick frying pan and add a knob of butter – be careful to not let it burn.
3. Pour in the egg mixture and let it settle for 30 seconds, then fold with a wooden spoon from the bottom of the pan.
4. Let it settle again for 30 seconds before folding again.
5. Repeat until the eggs are softly set and still runny in places before removing from the heat. Leave in the pan for a further 30 seconds before serving.