I get it. Making any type of bread product can be intimidating. Bet let me tell you, these Homemade English Muffins are so much easier than you think! The bread flour makes the texture perfect and the corneal makes them very easy to handle. You’ll get a crispy crust on the outside and a soft, chewy inside that make breakfast time just delightful. The first time I ever made English muffins was a few years ago at a food blogging retreat in Oregon where we had a professional chef come do a cooking demonstration where we made brunch complete with lemon blueberry scones, eggs benedict, and candied bacon. Honestly, up until then I had never even thought about making homemade English muffins! But they were so much fun to make on the griddle that I put them on my bucket list of must-try baking projects. I know everybody always going wild for the famous nooks and crannies that you get when you split apart the English muffin, but can we just take a second to appreciate the perfection of the slightly gritty (but in the best way!) outside? You get that by sprinkling cornmeal on your surface when shaping the muffins. It helps the sticky dough not stick too bad, but it also adds a wonderful textural element and flavor that I love. And yes, there are plenty of nooks and crevices, which occur because of the slightly more hydrated dough combined with splitting the English muffins open with a fork rather than slicing through them with a knife. This creates more of a jagged edge that reveals air bubbles trapped inside the dough, which then toast up really well and are just begging to be slathered in butter and honey! You can fry an egg and slather on some mouth-watering Bacon Jam to make a delicious egg sandwich out of these Homemade English Muffins or spread on some soft butter and fruit jam or honey after toasting. Be sure to check out some of our other breakfast ideas to whip up while you’re in the kitchen and satisfy the whole family!
What you’ll need to make this English Muffin Recipe
Active Yeast: I like to use active yeast in this recipe. However, the same amount of instant yeast will work just fine. Water: You’ll want to make sure your water is warm (between 100-110°F). Too cold of water won’t activate the yeast and too hot of water can kill the yeast. Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is all you need here. Milk: Whole milk works great for this recipe! Egg: This is going to help with the texture of the dough. Butter: I always like to use salted butter. Salt: Salt gives everything good flavor! Bread Flour: I like to use bread flour as it gives an additional chewiness that English muffins tend to have. Cornmeal: For dusting and make them easy to handle.
How to Make Homemade English Muffins
- Allow rising. Scrape the dough into a large, greased bowl and cover with a piece of plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. Set in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size. This process usually takes about 1 hour.
- Punch down the dough: If you have ever wondered what this means, you literally just make a fist and stick it right into the center of your bowl of dough to intentionally deflate it a bit. Then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Divide into 16 even pieces. Basically cut in half, and cut in half, and cut in half until you have your 16 even pieces of dough. I like to do this with a bench scraper. My pieces aren’t always the exact same size, but I can usually get them pretty close this way. Other people like to weigh each ball of dough to be exact, but I just don’t ever have time for that.
- Shape into balls (you may need to dust your hands with a little flour so they don’t stick), then pat into discs and arrange on two baking sheets sprinkled with the cornmeal so the English muffins don’t stick to the pan. Sprinkle the tops of each muffin with some additional cornmeal.
- Cover and rise again. I like to use a clean dishcloth to cover and allow them to rise until they are puffy. This usually takes about 30-60 minutes.
- Cook English Muffins. If you have a griddle, go ahead and use it so you can cook more of these at once! But if not, a cast iron skillet or other large, dry pan will work just fine. I like to cook my English Muffins on a preheated griddle for about 6-7 minutes on each side. There is no need to grease the griddle or pan first.
- Cool and enjoy! Cool the muffins on a wire rack, split open with a fork, toast the inside and enjoy!
Can I use regular flour to make English Muffins?
You can make this recipe just fine with all-purpose flour, but I do think bread flour gives an additional chewiness that English muffins tend to have. I resisted buying bread flour for years, but was converted when I started using it for our homemade pizza dough and now always keep a bag or two of it on hand.
Can I bake these in the oven?
If you don’t want to worry about cooking the english muffins all the way through on the griddle, you can just brown them for 2 minutes on each side, then transfer them to a 325°F oven for 10-15 minutes until they are cooked through. You really can’t skip the griddle step for at least a couple minutes though or you won’t end up with the classic browned and flat top and bottom and the dough will just look more like buns instead.
Can this recipe be made ahead of time?
These can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored at room temperature or in the fridge in an airtight container.
How do I freeze English Muffins?
You can freeze the muffins for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw on the counter, then toast the english muffins before serving. They actually freeze really well and the batch makes 16 so we almost always freeze half of them for later so we always have english muffins on hand for quick and easy breakfasts!
All I have is instant yeast, will that work?
Instant yeast will work just fine and in that case there is no need to proof the yeast first. In this case, you can either use ¼ cup of water in the recipe so the amount of liquid stays the same or just increase the milk to 2 cups and leave out the water altogether. The real reason I proof in water is because it’s easiest to just use warm tap water than to bother heating the milk!
Do you need to refrigerate English Muffins?
No, english muffins don’t need to be refrigerated. You can store them for up to 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature on the counter.
How do I get nooks and crannies in my muffins?
The best way to make sure you get nooks and crannies is to not add too much flour to the dough. It can be tempting, especially since it’s a pretty sticky dough, but the hydration is what helps create the signature texture. Also, be sure to split the english muffins open with a fork instead of cutting them open with a knife, which makes a big difference too.
Do I have to use cornmeal?
Cornmeal is part of what makes the English Muffin, but it is actually optional. If you are not a fan of the affect of the cornmeal, then you can leave it out. Recipe adapted from Baked by an Introvert. Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
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