English Muffins

English Muffins

cooked on the hob, overnight preferment

Ingredients

Makes 6

Preferment (night before)
plain flour      190g
whole milk       152g
water            102g
instant yeast    3g

Dough
plain flour      120g
salt             6g
sugar            4g
unsalted butter  18g

For cooking
semolina         25g

Milk and water should be warm (around 38°C).
Always split with a fork, never a knife. Cutting destroys the nooks and crannies.

Recipe

Night before:

1. Mix the preferment flour, yeast, milk and water in a large bowl until you get a thick batter. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight.

Day of:

2. Melt the butter and leave to cool. Add the remaining flour, salt, sugar and melted butter to the preferment and mix by hand until it comes together into a soft, sticky dough.

3. With wet hands, stretch the dough up from the bottom and fold it over itself several times around the bowl. Shape into a rough ball. Cover and rest for 1 hour.

4. Repeat the stretch and fold. Cover and rest for another hour until the dough is very puffy.

5. Dust the worktop generously with semolina. Turn the dough out and pat to about 1.5cm thick. Cut out 6 rounds with a 9cm cutter. Dust the tops with semolina and leave to prove on a lined tray for 20-30 minutes.

6. Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle over medium-low for at least 5 minutes. No oil needed. Cook the muffins in batches for 10-15 minutes on the first side until deep golden brown on the bottom and the sides look matte.

7. Flip and cook for another 10-15 minutes. They should feel firm when gently squeezed.

8. Cool completely on a wire rack before splitting. Pierce all the way around the equator with a fork and pull apart.