English Muffins

In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, add flour, sugar, yeast, salt and egg (do not stir).

Combine milk and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; stir and heat until an instant read thermometer reads between 110 and 115ºF. Remove from heat.

Pour milk mixture into bowl; stir just until a dough forms. Use dough hook attachment to knead dough in stand mixer 5 minutes until dough is smooth, soft, elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You can also just turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand 10 minutes until dough is smooth, soft and elastic.

Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled large bowl; turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place 1 hour until doubled.

Meanwhile, lightly spray a griddle or large pan (or two) with cooking spray, then sprinkle generously with semolina or farina. Heat oven to 350ºF.

Punch down risen dough; divide into 16 equal pieces. Gently shape each piece into a ball; press down to a 3 to 3½-inch diameter. Place dough pieces on prepared griddle or pan about 1 inch apart. Depending on the size of your griddle/pan, they will not all fit. Place the extras on a baking sheet sprinkled with semolina or farina, and cover with a sheet of parchment paper.

Turn on griddle to low heat (about 275ºF) or place pan over low heat on stovetop. Cook muffins 7 to 15 minutes each side until deep golden brown. If muffins puff up too much during cooking (and they probably will), cover them with a sheet of parchment paper and place a baking sheet on top to act as a weight. The muffins are cooked through when an instant read thermometer inserted in the center reads about 200ºF.

If the muffins are sufficiently browned on both sides but are still not fully cooked in the center, place them on a clean baking sheet and transfer to the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.

Repeat the whole cooking/baking process with remaining dough.

Cool muffins completely. Use a fork to gently pry muffins open, so you get all the nooks and crannies.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.