English Muffin Recipe

300g strong white (bread) flour

7g sachet of yeast (or 2 tsp)

6g or a bit less than 2 tsp salt

15g sugar

15g soft butter or marge

1 egg

15g semolina

15g sugar

170ml milk (warmed a little if you want a quick rise, otherwise from fridge is fine)

Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir around a bit.

Add the butter and egg and stir in a little. Add the milk and mix to a dough. It should be like bread doughsoft but not runny, add a little more milk if it is too hard or won't come together.

Kneed the dough for 10 mins until it is smooth and shiny. Shape in to a ball and leave in a covered bowl to rise until it is doubled in size. About an hour in a warm kitchen or longer if cooler.

Sprinkle semolina on to a work surface and tip the risen dough on to it. Roll out until it is big enough to cut out eight 9cm circles (or more or less depending on the size of your cutter). The dough should be about 1 to 1.5 cm thick. Cut out the circles with a round pastry cutter. Reroll the remaining dough and cut two or three more 9cm circles.

Spread a bit more semolina and make sure both sides have of the muffins have some on then leave to rise for about 30 mins standing in the semolina to stop them sticking.

Heat a flat griddle or heavy frying pan or any frying pan really) at a low heat and put as many muffins in the pan as will fit without them touching. They should cook slowly and take about 6-8 mins per side. Turn them occasionally to check how they are doing. The semolina should stop them sticking, so no need for oil. If they are browning too fast then turn the heat down as they will not be cooked through. 

Top and bottom should be a nice mid brown colour and the muffins feel lighter and the sides less squishy when they are cooked. They should rise as they cook and then will squish down a bit when you turn them.