Place flour in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast on one side of flour and salt on other side. Add milk, sugar, butter, and egg; stir to make a soft dough.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead until soft, smooth, and stretchy, about 10 minutes.
Place dough into a large oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Deflate dough; divide into 16 pieces. Press each dough piece into English muffin rings; sprinkle both sides with semolina. Let rest 30 minutes.
Preheat a griddle to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), or a heavy skillet over low heat. Cook muffins on the preheated griddle or skillet until an instant-read thermometer inserted into centers reaches 200 F (93 degrees C), 7 to 10 minutes per side.
