In the bowl of your KitchenAid add the water and yeast. Allow this to bloom for 10-15 minutes, until foamy.
Warm the buttermilk on the stove on low heat. You only want it warm (around 105°). Dissolve the sugar in the buttermilk. Set this aside to cool.
In the KitchenAid, with your dough hook attached, to your yeast mixture add 3 cups flour, salt, lard, egg and buttermilk mixture. Beat on low speed until smooth. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. Once the ingredients come together, and a soft dough forms, knead for an additional 5 minutes in your stand mixer.
Place the dough in a greased bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel, place it in a warm spot and allow it to rise until doubled in size (1-2 hours).
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Dust the parchment with cornmeal.
Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 18 equal pieces. Roll the pieces into a ball. Place your hand over the dough ball and pull it towards you, the tension will create a perfect circular ball. Gently press and flatten the dough ball down until it's around 3" wide. Place each piece of dough on the parchment paper and dust the tops with cornmeal. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
Warm a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Melt a small pat of butter or lard in the pan. You only want enough grease to just coat the bottom of the pan and prevent sticking.
Working in batches, transfer a few of the muffins to the skillet. Allow an inch or so of space between muffins and do not crowd the pan. Cook until the bottoms of the muffins are golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip the muffins and cook the other side until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer cooked muffins to a cooling rack.
These split very easy with a fork, are great toasted or untoasted and will keep for several days in an air tight container.