| 1 | (note: over here, and in england, these are just called "muffins", and are the ones in the song about the muffin man who lives in drury lane. |
| 2 | They did actually sell them door-to-door every morning in london until the turn of the century or thereabouts). |
| 3 | . |
| 4 | Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and leave in a warm place. |
| 5 | Dissolve the yeast and sugar in ?pt of the warm milk and water. |
| 6 | Leave to froth, then mix in the fat. |
| 7 | Stir all the liquid into the warm flour and beat well until smooth and elastic. |
| 8 | Cover and prove in a warm place for 50 minutes or until doubled in bulk. |
| 9 | Turn onto a well-floured board and knead, working a little more flour if necessary to make the dough easier to shape. |
| 10 | Round up the dough, roll into a thick sausage shape and (using the sharpest knife you have) slice into 8 to 10 portions, each about 1 ?~ 1 ?inch thick. |
| 11 | Shape each one into a round with straight sides. |
| 12 | Put onto a greased baking sheet. |
| 13 | Cover (i use greased plastic wrap) and put in a warm place to prove for 30-40 minutes or until springy to the touch. |
| 14 | Leave room for expansion and be careful not to over-prove, as the muffins will get flabby and lose their shape. |
| 15 | Warm and grease the bakestone lightly. |
| 16 | Lift the muffins carefully onto the bakestone and cook over very moderate heat for 8-10 minutes until pale gold underneath. |
| 17 | Turn and cook the other side. |
| 18 | Wrap in a cloth and keep warm if cooking in batches. |
| 19 | To serve, insert a knife in the side, pull the top and bottom slightly apart, and insert slivers of butter. |
| 20 | . |
| 21 | These are strongly recommended. |
| 22 | The taste of them hot off the bakestone, griddle or frying pan makes thomas"s look very poor indeed by comparison |
