I have always liked English Muffins but I have come to the conclusion that  the Thomas brand or any other facsimile are tasteless and not worth the toasting.

That was one reason I decided to make my own. Another was that I needed to replace my scone project.  I was having great success  and especially liked the maple pecan oatmeal scones. But I needed to turn my energy to something more complicated, something that took longer to produce,  something with less sugar and fat. I turned to Bob, my sourdough starter, and to King Arthur, my favorite flour and baking site.

King Arthur taught me how to make a sourdough starter and provided me with a foolproof recipe for sourdough English Muffins. It is different than other bread recipes. For those who don’t know, English muffins are not baked. They are cooked on a griddle. I used the dough hook on my mixer for the kneading. It works well and saves my mangled RA hands. My plastic cookie cutter did not cut through the dough as cleanly as I would have liked.  I thought my first batch was better than any store- bought muffins I have had. Success.

My Texas son had given me a gift certificate for King Arthur on my birthday. I decided to go ahead and buy their English Muffin rings. At that point I considered the rings a luxury and not really necessary.  They look like 4-inch cookie cutters and there are twelve of them. They cut through the dough cleanly

I made my first batch with the rings and  I am amazed. My English Muffins  taste better plus they look professional. I have one more refinement and then I will take pictures.

Not long ago I was in severe pain with my rheumatoid arthritis compounded by degenerative joint disease of my spine.  I was close to being bedridden. What changed? I started seeing a pain specialist. I continued on with my weekly injections of Orencia, gabapentin, and a daily low dose of Medrol (8 mg).

She made a simple change.  She changed my tramadol from three times a day to four times a day. Plus, I am on a regular schedule. They are little tweaks but they have made a big difference for me.

I function much better with pain relief. I am able to be much more active. I am able to carry on with the projects that make life worth living like feeding Bob and making English Muffins.