The Best English Muffins in the World
These are hands down the most insanely delicious english muffins you will ever have in your life. Quote me. Needlepoint it onto a pillow. Carve it onto a tree. Etch it into stone. Because no matter what happens from henceforth, there is absolutely nothing that can be done to improve upon the flavor, texture, appearance or enticing aroma of these puffy little muffins. It may seem like a lot of steps, but they’re all easy steps, and much of it is hands-off. Regardless, it’s totally worth it. And as with anything, the more you do it, the easier it gets. Just make sure you account for all the hands-off rising time.
Servings
12muffins
Servings
12muffins
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. To make the biga:
  2. At least 1 day before cooking the muffins, combine the flour, water and yeast in a small bowl to make a sticky dough. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, or up to 24 hours. It will rise slightly.
  3. To make the dough:
  4. Combine the biga, water, yeast, olive oil and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture looks creamy, about a minute. Mix in 3 cups of the all-purpose flour to make a soft, sticky dough. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
  5. On low speed, mix in the remaining 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour to make a soft dough that barely cleans the sides of the mixer bowl. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook, and knead on medium-low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
  6. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface (I use a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with flour) to check its texture. It should feel slightly tacky, but not stick to the work surface. Shape into a big ball and put it into a large oiled bowl (To oil the bowl, I drizzle a bit of olive oil into it, then use a paper towel or my clean hand to wipe the oil around the whole interior). Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest in a warm spot (I use the warmed microwave) until doubled in volume, about 2 hours or so.
  7. Scrape the dough out of the bowl back onto the floured work surface, then cut into 12 equal pieces (I use a pastry cutter, but a chef’s knife or pizza wheel work well too). Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, then sprinkle with an even layer of cornmeal. Shape each dough piece into a 4-inch round and place on the baking sheet, turning to coat both sides in cornmeal. Loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest in a warm spot until the rounds have puffed up (do the finger test: a finger pressed into a round should leave an impression for only a few seconds before puffing back up again), about an hour.
  8. Melt 2 tbsp ghee in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. In batches, add the dough rounds to the skillet, cooking until each side is light golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet or cooling rack lined with paper towels and let cool for at least 20 minutes (they’ll finish cooking through carry-over heat during this time period, so as tempting as they are, let ’em chill for a few before digging in). Repeat with the remaining rounds, wiping the cornmeal out of the skillet with bunched-up paper towels and adding more ghee as needed.
  9. Prepare yourself for a tastebud explosion of the highest caliber. Bask in the muffin glory. Then make sure you have enough kleenex for the flood of tears that will wash over you the second you realize there are only a dozen of these little guys.