Eggs benedict with homemade English muffins and hollandaise

Whisk the bread flour, sugar, kosher salt and instant dry yeast together in a large bowl until homogenous.

Crumble the room temperature butter into the flour until it takes on a mealy texture.

Add the whole milk and the water at around 100F and bring everything together by hand until a shaggy dough becomes a firmer, tighter dough with all the flour hydrated.

At this point there is dough but no gluten; it fails the windowpane test.

Clean and generously oil the bowl, return the dough and toss to coat, cover with a clean damp dish towel and rest 15 minutes.

Pull and stretch the dough from the outside in towards the centre five to seven or eight times, working around it, tuck it underneath and rest another 15 minutes.

Repeat the lift and fold three more times. After four rounds the dough passes the windowpane test.

Roll and stretch into a taut smooth ball. Rise covered one hour before dividing, or put it in an airtight container overnight in the fridge to maximise flavour and strengthen the gluten.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment, secure it with nonstick spray and coat generously with semolina flour or cornmeal.

Weigh the risen dough and divide by 12; his came to 1105 grams, so 92 grams a piece.

Roll each piece ugly side down into a taut ball, then press out flat like a mini pizza; add flour if it sticks too much.

Drop each into a bowl of cornmeal, coat both sides, shake off the excess and arrange on the prepared sheet.

Cover with plastic wrap and rise one to one and a half hours until puffed and nearly doubled.

Fry on a solid medium, holding the pan between 300 and 350F: four to six minutes on the first side, shifting muffin and pan frequently for even heat.

Flip and cook another five to seven minutes until evenly browned, to an internal 200 to 210F. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Cover the cooled muffins with a clean dry kitchen towel and rest overnight or at least a few hours, or they tear unevenly and go gummy when split.

Fry the pancetta or speck until crisp.

Crack eggs on a flat surface with enough force to break the membrane -- the force of an egg dropped from about three feet.

Separate four eggs and put the yolks in a blender jar with the Dijon mustard, cayenne and hot sauce. Set aside.

Crack each poaching egg into a fine mesh sieve and swirl to shed the excess white.

Poach in 190F water four to five minutes for runny yolks.

Bring the butter to a boil, swirling frequently, then run the blender and pour the hot butter slowly into the feed hole, cranking up the speed, until it emulsifies into a creamy base. Adjust seasoning and keep warm.

Lift the eggs into a bowl and cover; if they cool too much, dip them back in the hot water for 30 seconds.

Toast the English muffins, arrange with the crispy pancetta, shuffle an egg on top, smother in hollandaise and garnish with fresh herbs.