Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.
Heat the milk in a saucepan until it is warm, then stir in the sugar and the yeast.
Allow to stand for 5 minutes until the mixture is frothy. If using fast-acting yeast, there is no need to let the mixture stand.
Pour most of the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix to a soft but not wet dough.
Knead for 5 minutes by hand.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave for 1 hour.
Knock back the risen dough and knead again for 3 minutes. Cover and leave for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, dust a baking tray with ground rice.
Roll it on a work surface dusted with ground rice into a log about 8in long.
Cut the log into 10 slices, each three-quarters of an inch thick and place on the prepared baking tray.
Dust the top with ground rice then flatten them slightly. Cover again and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
Place a heavy cast-iron grill pan or frying pan over a medium heat to heat up. Reduce the heat to very low and cook the muffins for 10 minutes on each side.