Comfort Food

Comfort Food.  Just those two words bring up so many different images don't they?  Perhaps yours is mac & cheese.  Your mother's peanut butter cookies.  Coke and saltine crackers.  Grilled cheese and tomato soup.  And those are just the southern states.  Every region, every ethnicity, every person has their own version of comfort food.  Most of us have several (Haagen-Daas, anyone?).  It's what we crave when we are sick, or sad, or lonely, or frustrated.  It's what we take to a friend in need. 

I was asked to share some comfort food recipes so I thought I would take a day or two each month to add something here.  

It is important to note that there is as much comfort in the making of the food as there is in the sharing and the eating of the food.  And food that is prepared intentionally with love and concern for someone somehow seems to taste better, doesn't it?

This recipe is known as Nana's English Muffins.  This is the easiest bread to make and Nana and I always suggested this as the best recipe to start learning bread making.  It takes over an hour, and it does contain gluten, but wow, once you have had home-made you will never be content with store-bought!  The best liquid for this is whey from making your own ricotta or mozzarella cheese (surprisingly simple and quick) but Nana's recipe called for milk so here it is.

 

Nana's English Muffins with a few notes

2 cups milk (or water)

1 t. salt

4 cups bread flour all-purpose works just fine if you don't have bread flour

1 T yeast

Yellow corn meal (do NOT use self-rising!)

Set milk and salt in small bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes (depending on your microwave).  Set out to cool.

Set yeast in large bowl.  Add ¼ cup warm water and allow yeast to dissolve completely.  When milk is warm (not hot), add it to the yeast and stir. If the water and the milk are too hot it will kill the yeast.  You want it to be no more than 110 degrees for active dry yeast.  Baby-bottle temperature is perfect.

Add flour and stir in to make a firm dough.   You may need more or less than 4 cups.  Start adding and stirring and when it is firm and no longer gluey you have arrived.  Turn out on floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. BY HAND!  It is impossible to over-knead bread when you are doing it by hand but if you are using your mixer you  can ruin the dough by kneading it for too long.  Kneading by hand can be very therapeutic.  Trust me. 

Rinse, and thoroughly dry the mixing bowl.  Set dough in bowl and let rise til doubled in bulk.  In the winter this takes just over an hour in my home.  Summer time it will get there in about 45 minutes.  It just depends on the temperature of your house.  Cooler = longer  The dough may stick to the edges just a bit.  Just scoop it out and move on.

Preheat skillets or electric griddle.  They should be dry and lightly sprinkled with corn meal and moderately hot. I turn my electric griddle to 350.  If I am using skillets ~ cast iron, of course ~ I turn the stove to medium

Turn dough out on a surface sprinkled with corn meal, roll it out to about an inch (plus or minus), and cut into rounds (a large tomato can opened at both ends makes a perfect sized cutter).  You can either take the bits and pieces left over from cutting out and shape them into more muffins or just cook those as-is and have them for snacks.

Lay muffins in skillet and bake 10 minutes on one side and 5 minutes on the other side. 

You will have to check them for browning as you go and turn the heat up or down as needed.  

Lay on wire rack to cool and split with a fork to toast.

Please pass the butter and the strawberry jam!