Pour boiling water over the raisins and let them plump for about 5 minutes, then drain and set aside.
Add yeast to 1/3 cup (80ml) warm water in a small bowl and let dissolve for 5 minutes.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Melt 2 (half) tablespoons of butter in a jug, add yogurt, milk and honey and mix. Heat it slightly in the microwave.
Add the raisin, milk and yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well using a spatula. The batter is rather loose and sticky.
Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1.5 to 2.5 hours to ferment. It should approximately double in size.
Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
Heat a large skillet or electric skillet with a lid over medium heat. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet.
Scoop out the batter and drop the heaped batter into the pan. It is better to scoop a little less than half a glass (about 100 ml). It doesn’t have to be perfectly round. Use a spring ice cream scoop or a half-cup measuring cup.
Cover and cook muffins until golden brown on one side, about 3 minutes.
Repeat with remaining muffins. You should get 6-8 from a batch.
Sprinkle a baking tray with semolina or polenta and place each muffin on top. Bake for about 8-12 minutes (depending on size) until puffed up and completely cooked.
Slice and toast before serving.
English muffins can be pre-sliced and stored in the freezer for later use—just take them out in the toaster and pop.
