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Before the Momofuku cookbook I had only tried to make English muffins once, using a sourdough starter that I had been feeding for a few weeks. My luck with sourdough was always hit or miss, the bread sometimes rising, and sometimes not. I remember the sourdough English muffins ended up mealy with undercooked spots, and unremarkable nooks-and-crannies. Not so with Momofuku! These muffins, along with their accompanying bay leaf butter lard spread are wonderful, and well worth the time spent to make.

These English muffins require only about an afternoon’s work, mostly waiting for risings. The only tricky part was setting my flat-top griddle to the right temperature during the initial cooking. The muffins “bake” and get their nooks-and-crannies on a very slow griddle, and patience is required while you monitor them during the multiple flips that are required. My griddle was probably set too low so I spent a lot of time waiting and poking and peeking.

Once the initial grilling is complete, the muffins are finished in a low oven. While the finished results are great on their own, or with one of the slow-cooked eggs featured in the book, they are made even better with a spread made of butter and lard flavored by steeping fresh bay leaves. Even if you never make the English muffins, make the bay leaf butter—it’s good on everything!