English Muffins Start to Finish

Step 1

Whisk the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the egg but DON'T stir in yet.

Step 2

Heat the milk and coconut oil in a saucepan until a thermometer reads 110F. If the milk is too hot when you add it to the flour mixture, it will kill the yeast.

Step 3

Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Avoid pouring directly on the egg -- you don't want the hot milk to cook it.

Step 4

Using the dough hook, mix on medium speed until the dough comes together and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, if needed. The dough will look a little irregular in texture.

Step 5

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, soft and elastic, 3 to 4 minutes. Shape into a ball and place in a large bowl lightly oiled with coconut oil; rub the top of the dough with a little more coconut oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double in size, 1 to 2 hours.

Step 6

Sprinkle 2 baking sheets with cornmeal and set aside. After the dough rises, punch it down and divide into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten into a 3-inch disk. Place the disks on the baking sheets.

Step 7

Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Coat the skillet with cooking spray and liberally sprinkle with cornmeal. Working in batches, cook the muffins until they are deep golden brown, 5 to 9 minutes per side. If they start to rise in a domed fashion, flatten with a spatula. To check for doneness, the internal temperature of a muffin - take a thermometer and go into the side of the muffin. The temperature should be at least 200F. If it is not, finish in a 350F oven for about 10 minutes. Let the English muffins cool completely, then split open with a fork, toast and serve with whatever topping you like.