Do You Know the Muffin Man Mamas?

I was so inspired by SJ's creation of the muffins of english toastiness, that I decided to filch her idea take advantage of the (first in six months) rain and (very slight) temperature drop to dive again into the baking and cooking of warm things. I almost consider it a season unto itself.
I have never made english muffins before, but I love to eat them, and I love to make bread, so...what was wrong with me that I had never even thought about making english muffins before? I used this recipe, and I used my kitchenaid (insert love symbol) with the dough hook attachment and it was oh-so-easy.
That part.
The cooking was slightly laborious, as you must pan 'bake' them for ten minutes on each side, but not too bad if you are already in the kitchen making something else. Which I was. I was making crab bisque. Yum. Butter and heavy cream and sherry and ooooooooholynight.......that's all I will say about that right now. Because this is about the english. Muffins, that is.
Did you know that the first english muffins were made from kitchen scraps for the servants? Once the damn elitists upstairs found out about the deliciousness, they insisted on co-opting them into their damn elitist diet and the servants were back to eating livestock eyeballs and family barn kittens.

Another, slightly more civilized description of the regal muffin is possible to find if one looks:

"The English muffin is round and made from a soft yeast-leavened dough enriched with milk and butter. It is usually cooked on a griddle, which gives it a flat, golden-brown top and bottom, and a white band around the waste and a light, spongy interior...This method appears as early as 1747 and was recommended by Hannah Glasse."
---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999

At any rate, they are yummy. And easy. Problem was, after they were all made and mmmmm waiting to be slathered with butter and jam, I searched my fridge and freezer and ACK! We are indeed, out of jam. A dire situation, but a good time to prompt me back to the strawberry farm as soon as tomorrow to fill our freezer full of jammy goodness. And yours too, because I love to share.
Turns out it wasn't that big of a problem, though. They are still yummy. Hopefully I can make some last until we make the jam, but I seriously doubt it. I already gave away one bag to a friend. Because hey - yum. Share the love. I am considering going to my favorite not-so-secret kitchen outlet buy myself a big old two burner griddle though, and make it even easier to do this again.

I do not have a biscuit cutter. I am a culinary suck.

But I do have Nana's 100 year old rolling pin and a handy blue lowball, the largest diameter glass I could find.

And it turns out that works just fine.
Don't forget the cornmeal.











Rising nicely in my dirty old oven.









I made at least 21 from the recipe,
but some of them got gobbled up right away.










My friends were very happy to receive a bag.
Hmmm... you know what a perfect gift would be? A bag of these and a jar of the homemade jam. Get the child labor going and get the kiddies to make some homemade butter and you will put even Martha to shame.