So Dave and my original life partner, Kelsey, have eaten enough of my baked goods over the years to no longer be impressed. I mean they always compliment things, but it takes something truly amazing to impress them these days. And for some reason, it was something as simple as an English muffin that got their attention recently. I think it comes down to the fact that these actually looked just like an English muffin should, as in what the Thomas brand ones look like. I’ve loved having these around. I immediately froze them, and have just been randomly defrosting them and toasting them when I feel like a little something extra in the morning.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups warm milk
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg, beaten
4 1/2 cups flour
1 packet instant or rapid rise yeast
Semolina flour for dusting (can’t be regular flour)

1. In the bowl of your electric mixer, combine the milk, butter, sugar, egg, flour, and yeast. With the paddle attachment, mix the ingredients until they form a ball that pulls away from the bowl. Continue mixing for another minute until the dough is soft and smooth.

2. Cover the bowl and let it rise for 2-3 hours until it is nice and puffy.

3. When the dough is almost done rising, get your griddles ready. I just used two frying pans. Place both pans on the stove and spray each with cooking spray. Then dust them generously with semolina.

4. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 16 pieces, shaping each into a ball and then flattening them so they are about 3 inches wide. Place these directly into the frying pans to rise (they can be pretty close together). If you can’t fit them all, leave the rest on a cutting board dusted with semolina. Dust the top side of each muffin with semolina as well.

5. Cover the pans with parchment paper and let the dough rise for an additional 20-30 minutes. They won’t rise much, but should puff a little.

6. Turn the heat to low, and cook the muffins for 7-15 minutes on each side (it will be closer to 15 in the beginning as the pan warms up). Flip the muffins once the bottom has turned a nice golden brown. To ensure they are cooked all the way through, you can insert a thermometer in the middle of one of the muffins, making sure it’s reached 175-200 degrees. If you’re having trouble reaching that temperature, you can place the muffins on a baking sheet once both sides have browned and finish cooking them in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes.

7. Once the muffins are done, let them cool. To open them when serving, use a fork and not a knife to preserve all of the little holes.