Ingredients:

• 245g milk
• 90g water
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• 125g starter
• 20g honey, sugar, or maple syrup
• 500g AP flour
• 9g salt
• Cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting

Measure your milk and water together. Melt your butter in the microwave (30-35 seconds) and then add it to the milk and water, mixing them all together.

In a large mixing bowl, add your starter, honey (or sugar or maple syrup), and the milk/water/butter mixture and stir until milky. Then add your flour and salt and mix with a spoon or dough whisk until a shaggy dough forms. Continue mixing with your hands until all flour is wet and incorporated. Cover and rest for 45-60 minutes.

After resting, knead dough for a few minutes and work into a smooth ball. Cover again and bulk ferment until doubled in size. My kitchen is about 74F and it took about 4 hours. If your dough may outgrow your bowl while it is doubling, add cooking oil/spray to plastic wrap so your bowl cover doesn’t stick to the dough.

Once doubled, you can either refrigerate overnight to increase the tangy, sour flavor, or you can move on to the next step.

Lightly flour a clean surface and dump out your dough. Let rest for 10 minutes. While the dough is resting, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and generously spread cornmeal over it.

Then, using floured hands, press the dough into a wide rectangle or circle about 1/2 inch thick. Use a 3″ round english muffin ring, biscuit cutter, or glass to cut out 12-14 dough circles.

Transfer them to your baking sheet, and sprinkle more cornmeal on top. Cover with a warm, damp tea towel and rest for another 45-60 minutes until they are puffy. If your kitchen is warmer or cooler you may need to adjust the timing.

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook one muffin first as a test. Cover the skillet and cook for 5-8 minutes on each side. Check for some browning on the bottom before flipping. Once you’ve got the timing and temp figured out with your test english muffin, you can cook 3-4 at a time, or however many fit on your skillet without them touching each other.

Transfer to a cooling rack, or eat them while still warm.

Notes:

• Use a fork around the edges to open them up. Much easier than using a knife.
• These can be frozen by wrapping the individual muffins in plastic wrap once completely cooled, or by freezing them on a pan and then putting them together in an airtight container or bag.