English Muffins

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour and salt. In another bowl, combine the powdered milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, shortening, and hot water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the shortening is melted. Mix thoroughly into the flour. Cover and let rest for about 30 minutes. (The pre-rise hydration time gives the batter a little more stretchiness so that the muffins have a less biscuit-like texture.)

In a small measuring cup, dissolve ¼ teaspoon sugar in ¼ cup warm (not hot) water, and stir in the yeast. Once the yeast starts to foam, mix thoroughly into the batter.

Cover the bowl and let batter rise in a warm spot. After about 25 minutes, the batter should have inflated some. Stir it down, and let it rise again until nearly tripled in volume, about 40 minutes.

Preheat a griddle to to 250° F. Grease the interior of eight 3½‑inch muffin rings. When hot, place rings on the griddle and sprinkle a little corn meal in the center of each. Working quickly with a spoon or ice cream scoop, divide the batter evenly between the rings (about 2 dollops each). Cover with a baking sheet and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until batter is set. Remove the lid, and sprinkle a little more corn meal on tops of muffins. Remove the rings and flip the muffins. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes until golden brown.

To serve, rather than slicing with a knife, maximize the nooks and crannies by piercing the perimeter of a muffin with a fork, then split, and toast.

Note: If you don’t have muffin rings, make them out of aluminum foil. Tear off eight sheets 4 to 5 inches high. Fold each sheet in half length-wise twice, making a strip about an inch high. Form each strip into a ring. (Wrapping the strip around a 24‑ounce jar of spaghetti sauce or a tuna can creates a ring about the right size.) Secure with a paper clip.