This Homemade English Muffins recipe is so much easier than you think! It's so simple and will give you soft, chewy muffins in no time. Enjoy them with butter or your favorite jam!
Homemade English Muffins Anyone Can Make
This recipe turned out to be a winner and it's actually quite simple. Simply mix the ingredients in a stand mixer and let the dough rise, then shape and cook. If you're looking for a whole wheat version, try my 100% whole wheat English muffins.
Who doesn't love a toasted English muffin for breakfast?
Unlike banana bran muffins and cinnamon raisin muffins, English muffins are leavened with yeast. They are typically served sliced and toasted with a sweet or savory topping. You can even make sandwiches with them.
With this tutorial, you can make English muffins at home any time you want.
Why this Homemade English Muffins recipe works
- Bread flour is used to give the muffins a chewy texture.
- The dough is sticky! A sticky dough means there's optimal hydration to yield nooks and crannies that English muffins are known for.
- The muffins are toasted on the stovetop then baked in the oven. Baking them ensure the middle is completely done.
How to make English Muffins
The dough needs two rises. Once right after it's prepared and once after it's divided and shaped into English muffins. Let’s go over how to make it. Or you can scroll all the way down to get the full printable recipe with ingredients.
The Dough – This dough recipe is soft and chewy. It’s a basic dough recipe using flour, yeast, milk, sugar, and salt. The dough will be sticky but avoid excess flour. This sticky dough will yield muffins filled with nooks and crannies.
Here’s how to put it together…
Proof the yeast. Warm milk and honey to 105-115°F. Stir in the yeast and set aside for 5 minutes. Then whisk in egg and butter.
Make the dough. Use a stand mixer to make it easier since this dough will be sticky. With the dough hook attached, mix flour and salt together then gradually pour in the yeast mixture. Let the dough mix for about 4 minutes until it turns smooth but is still sticky.
Proof the dough. Scrape the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until it's doubled in size. This can take about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Divide the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 16 equal-sized pieces. Or you can pinch off pieces of dough and weigh them for more uniform muffins. Each piece of dough should weigh about 78 grams.
You can make smaller muffins by dividing the dough into 22 pieces, each weighing about 57 grams.
Shape the dough. Roll each piece of dough into a ball then flatten the ball into a disk.
Rise again. Place the disks of dough on baking sheets with parchment paper that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Sprinkle more cornmeal over the top and cover them with a lint-free towel. Let the dough rise in a draft-free area for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
Cook. On a griddle over medium-low heat, brown both sides of each disk of dough. Return the muffins to the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Cool. Let the muffins cool completely before slicing or the centers will appear doughy. Once cooled, use a fork to split them open. You can toast them in a toaster or toaster oven and serve them with your choice of toppings.
How to store English Muffins?
Keep muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Can you freeze English Muffins?
English muffins freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then warm before serving.
How to toast English Muffins?
Split the muffins open with a fork. This guarantees nooks and crannies! Place each half of the muffin in a toaster and toast until the edges are lightly browned. The end result will be a crunchy and chewy texture. YUM!
If you like this English Muffin recipe, try these other breakfast recipes:
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Homemade English Muffins
Homemade English muffins are so much easier than you think! This recipe is simple and will give you soft, chewy muffins in no time. Enjoy them with butter or your favorite jam!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, (1 packet)
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 5 cups (650 g) bread flour
- 1 and ½ teaspoon salt
- cornmeal for dusting
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat the milk and honey over low heat until it reaches 105-115ºF. Remove from heat, stir in the yeast, and set aside for 5 mins. Whisk in the egg and melted butter.
- Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Fit the mixer with the dough hook attachment. with the mixer on low speed, gradually pour the milk mixture into the flour.
- Continue to beat on low until the flour is incorporated, stop and scrape down the sides and bottom as needed. Turn the speed up to medium and mix for about 4 minutes, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and is smooth and elastic. The dough should feel slightly tacky when gently pressed with your fingertip.
- Scrape the dough out into a lightly oiled bowl. Brush a little oil over the top of the dough. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Gently punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough together into a ball and divide it in half. Divide each half into 8 equal-sized pieces. You should have 16 dough balls. (If you want smaller muffins, divide each half into 11 pieces to equal 22 dough balls.) Roll each piece into a ball and flatten the ball into a disk. (If the dough is too sticky, lightly oil your hands to make it easier to handle the dough.)
- Place the disks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper that has been dusted with cornmeal. Sprinkle more cornmeal over the tops. Cover with a lint-free towel and set in a draft-free place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
- Heat a griddle over medium-low heat. Gently lift each disk with a plastic spatula and place it on the griddle. (Handle the dough with care so you don't deflate it) Cook them for about 2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned on both sides. Work in batches.
- Place the muffins back on the cookie sheet and bake them for 10-15 minutes. The internal temperature should be about 200°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.
- Split the English muffins with a fork and toast them a toaster until the edges are lightly browned. Serve warm with your favorite jam or butter.
Notes
Milk: I prefer using whole milk because it yields a rich, tender texture. Some readers have had success using almond milk, oat milk, and skim milk.
Honey: If you don't have honey or don't want to use honey, you may use 1-2 tablespoons of granulated sugar in its place.
Yeast: This recipe doesn't call for proofing the yeast in water before you use it. It goes directly into the warm milk to proof. Because of this, it's important to use brand new yeast that's well within its expiration date. If you are worried about whether your yeast is good, you can add it to ¼ cup of warm water (105-115°F) with 1 teaspoon of sugar and let it sit for 5 minutes. If it foams, it's good to use. Omit ¼ cup of milk (so you'd only use 1 and ¾ cups) and add the yeast mixture to the warmed milk mixture as you would in step 1.
Flour: Bread flour yields the classic chewy texture and will give you the very best results. All-purpose flour may be used by keep in mind it contains less protein and the texture of the muffins may suffer.
Shaping muffins: To get muffins that are uniform in size, I suggest weighing the dough. For 16 muffins, each portion of dough should weigh 78 grams. For 22 muffins, each portion of dough should weigh 57 grams.
Make ahead tip
- Muffins are good for up 5 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
- Muffins can also be wrapped in plastic wrap, sealed in a zip-top bag, and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and toast before serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 229Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 91mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the values shown are just an estimate.
Adapted from Laura in the Kitchen
Susan Kinney
Monday 29th of November 2021
In step 5 it says to gently knead the dough together (after the first rise) How long do you knead the dough in this step?
Jen Sobjack
Tuesday 30th of November 2021
Just until it comes together into a ball and is easy to handle. It should only take a couple of turns.
Mags
Friday 8th of October 2021
This disappeared so fast. They are that good! I will be making another batch soon. I did reduce the honey to 1 tbsp which was the perfect and not too sweet for me and those that enjoyed it. I have 1 question. I want to add shredded cheese to it. When would I add that in the instructions? Thanks in advanced.
Mags
Tuesday 12th of October 2021
@Jen Sobjack, Thank you. I will try that. Love your English muffins and making some tomorrow. They are now our go to recipe. I used 1% milk with great success.
Jen Sobjack
Saturday 9th of October 2021
I imagine it would be fine to add it in step 2 when combining all the ingredients together. However, I have not tested this and can't guarantee the outcome.
Francois Gauthier
Monday 2nd of August 2021
I was wondering if it would be possible to freeze the dough ? I'm making a gift for one of my friends and he really likes this recipe ! Thanks in advance
Jen Sobjack
Tuesday 3rd of August 2021
Typically, yeasted dough can be frozen once it's shaped after the first rise. However, I've not done that with this recipe to say whether it will work or not.
Dee
Thursday 24th of June 2021
These muffins are PERFECT!! Ive been searching so long for a recipe that would produce a chewy, but airy muffin....THANK YOU! They were easy to make and really exciting to see them 'come to life'! I weighed and measured the bread flour...I got to 650 g at about 4 cups...so I split the difference and went with 4.5 cups...I was afraid 5 cups would make the dough too heavy. They worked out just great! This definitely has made my day, week and month! Grazie mille!!
Vicki
Thursday 20th of May 2021
Any thoughts on a dairy free milk that would work?
Jen Sobjack
Thursday 20th of May 2021
I've never made them with dairy-free milk so I can't say for sure what the best option would be. But, a few readers have noted they used oat milk and almond milk with success.