Soft 3-Hour English Muffins on the Stovetop

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 2 hours 36 minutes

Ingredients

360 grams all-purpose flour

15 grams sugar

12 grams diamond crystal kosher salt

8 grams baking powder

6 grams instant yeast

210 grams warm water (90°F)

42 grams unsalted butter (melted)

2-4 tablespoons semolina flour (for dusting)

2-4 tablespoons canola oil, vegetable oil, or other neutral oil (for the pan)

Directions

Mix. Whisk together the dry ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer. Make a well in the center and add the warm water and melted butter. Use the dough hook on a low speed to mix the dough, pausing to scrape down the sides as needed, until the dough combines into a shaggy, messy mass on the dough hook. This can take a few minutes, be patient.

Knead. Increase the speed of the mixer just slightly to medium-low and knead until smooth, soft, and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. The dough will pull clear of the walls of the bowl as it kneads, but may cling a bit as you pull it out, though it should pull away cleanly.

Rise. Tuck the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and place in a warm spot to rise until just about doubled in size, about 1 hour. If you poke a finger into the dough, the indentation should fill back in partially, but not completely.

Shape. Divide the dough into eight equal pieces. Shape each piece into a tight ball, with a smooth top and a neat, almost invisible seam underneath. Arrange the dough balls on a semolina-dusted sheet pan, pressing down briefly on the top of each one to flatten them slightly. Dust the top of each English muffin generously with more semolina flour. NOTE: Step-by-step shaping photos are in the blog post above, or video is below!

Rise again. Cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap, then place another sheet pan on top to weigh the English muffins down as they rise, about 1-1½ hours. They will just about double in size and should look quite puffy and airy, especially around the edges.

Cook. Toward the end of the rise time, heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until water droplets flicked on the surface sizzle and evaporate on contact. Add 1-2 tablespoons oil, and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Lower the temperature to medium and place four English muffins in the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes, rotating the muffins in place and around the pan every minute or so to help them brown evenly. Flip the English muffins over, pressing down gently on top to flatten them out, and cook for another 4-5 minutes until an internal temperature of 190°-200°F is reached. You may need to flip them one more time and give them another minute or so to reach temp. Repeat until all the English muffins are cooked. NOTE: Adjust the temp of the pan to prevent burning, especially if you see the pan starting to smoke, and add more oil to the pan if needed — the semolina soaks up a lot of oil!

Cool. Remove the English muffins to a wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.