Those nooks, those crannies… there’s just nothing like a toasty English muffin slathered in butter and your favorite jam; and trust us—you haven’t lived until you’ve had a fresh one made from scratch. A great weekend cooking project (especially during the holidays when you’ll visitors to share with), these classic English muffins are surprisingly easy to make, even for an inexperienced baker. An ice cream scoop is a great tool to use for scooping out your batter when it’s time to cook. Note, using ghee—a clarified butter that you can find on the international aisle of most supermarkets—is essential in this recipe as the milk solids present in regular butter will burn before the muffins are cooked through.
How to Make It
Combine flour, water, dry milk, butter, egg whites, sugar, salt, and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook on low speed. Increase speed to medium, and beat until dough is smooth and very sticky, about 6 minutes. Cover and chill overnight.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and heavily dust with cornmeal. Using a 2 1/4-inch scoop, drop scoops of dough onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle dough lightly with cornmeal, and gently flatten into 1/2-inch thick (about 3 1/2-inch diameter) circles, turning to coat both sides in cornmeal.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the ghee in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-low. Cook 4 of the muffins until browned, 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Wipe skillet clean. Repeat with remaining ghee and muffins. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Split muffins with a fork; toast and serve.