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 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast, (1 packet) SEE NOTE 1
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 5 cups (650 g) bread flour
- 1 and 1/2 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 is smooth and sticky.
- 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.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, using as little flour as possible, gently knead the dough together. (The dough is very sticky. Add just enough flour to make it easy to handle.)
- Divide the dough 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.
- 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.
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.
Notes
- This recipe doesn't call for proofing the yeast in water before you use it. 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 1/4 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 1/4 cup of milk (so you'd only use 1 and 3/4 cups) and add the yeast mixture to the warmed milk mixture as you would in step 1.
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.
Adapted from Laura in the Kitchen
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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
Nutritional values are automatically calculated by Nutritionix and should be used as a general guide only. For accurate values, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used for the recipe.
Maryam says
Hello, l want to try this your English muffins and this is my first time to make it. I have question to ask you pls, can l use evaporated milk or powder milk ? And how many spoons can be used.
Thanks.
Jen Sobjack says
Hi Maryam! I've never used evaporated milk or milk powder in this recipe so I'm not sure how it would turn out.
Talita Sigillo says
Excellent recipe, easy to follow!!!
Kendall says
This wasn’t easy! My dough was so sticky! I tried adding hardly any flour as the directions say and ended up with a huge mess of dough stick everywhere. I ended up adding at least a half a cup of flour after that before I could even work with the dough. They aren’t turning out like the recipe and video. Only difference is that is used a hand mixer with dough hooks. 🙁
Jen Sobjack says
I'm sorry the muffins didn't work out for you. But, the dough should be sticky, that's the way English muffin dough is. It's a high hydration dough. You also need to use the full 5 and 1/2 cups of flour. You're just not adding extra flour after the dough has risen, per the instructions... I've never used a hand mixer with dough hooks but I imagine it's very difficult to do. You'd be better off kneading the dough by hand without a mixer.
Liz Whittenton says
Can you use 2% milk? I’m guessing probably not, but I just got back from the store and really didn’t want to have to go back. I will if it’s an issue!
Jen Sobjack says
Hi Liz! I'm thinking it would be okay to use 2% milk but just keep in mind that may affect the taste of the muffins.
Mel says
Just made my first batch using your recipe. I got 16 nice sized muffins, wouldn't want them any larger. Appreciate the suggestion of using bread flour, think it made all the difference. Recipe directions were very easy to follow, the muffins look beautiful and taste amazing. Instant hit with the family, will never buy store bought again. Thank you!
Julie says
I just made these. I think I need to flatten them more next time. They are really puffy. I can’t wait to try one when they are no longer hot. Also, they were difficult to roll into a ball or should I just fold into a ball like a loaf of bread??
Jen Sobjack says
I've never had difficulty rolling the dough into balls but if it's troublesome for you, you can fold them over and pinch the seam. That should work just a well.
LuAnn DeNoi says
If I wanted to use this recipe and turn them into cinnamon raisin, what would you recommend as far as how much cinnamon?
Jen Sobjack says
I haven't made this recipe with cinnamon so I don't know exactly how much cinnamon is needed. But I think you could start with a tablespoon and how you like it.
Stephanie says
Hi- I’ve been making these muffins for about 6 months now- they are FABULOUS! I make the entire batch of dough and then let it go through first rise. Afterwards, I roughly devide the dough in half. I press one half into a rough rectangle (about an inch thick). I sprinkle cinnamon (a tbsp or so) and about a tsp of sugar. I sprinkle 1/3 cup of raisins across the dough and then roll it up and knead it for a few turns. Then, I repeat the process one more time. This marbles the cinnamon and raisins and gives them plenty of flavor. I’ve used less cinnamon and raisins before and they just didn’t seem to taste flavorful enough. This is a good jumping point that you can adjust as your tastes dictate.
After this, I divide the cinnamon/raisin dough into 8 pierces and shape like normal. The other half of the dough I divide into 8ths and shape like normal. You could mix in blueberries (very messy, but extremely tasty!) or something else... I’m a fan of the plain ones toasted with a cup of stew or vegitable beef soup.
Best part of dividing the dough up is I get 2 different types of muffins with one recipe!
Jen Sobjack says
I love the idea of adding cinnamon and raisins! Thanks for sharing your experience.
BonJon says
Want to make these. Question: you mentioned these are quite large. How large we talking? Can you estimate the diameter in inches? (Last time I read that, it turned out too small; the time before that, mammoth!)
Jen Sobjack says
They bake up to be roughly 1.5x the size of the packaged English muffins you get from the store.
Ronnie Vetter says
Baked and loved by another introvert. These English muffins are truly amazing and so easy to make. Thanks so much for this recipe.
Jen Sobjack says
I'm so happy you loved the recipe as much as we do!
Tammy says
Turned out perfect and delicious. Thank you for this recipe.
Gail says
If I need to avoid honey how much sugar would I substitute?
Jen Sobjack says
I haven't made them without honey but I'm thinking 1-2 Tablespoons of sugar will work. The honey isn't so much used for sweetness but for flavor.
Lisa M Hale says
If you avoid honey because you're vegan, or just because, use REAL maple syrup. That's what I use.... but we're French Canadians and we sell/produce it and we put that baby on everything! LOL
My only comment is that I would definitely reduce these to 12 or 16 because the ones I just made are humungous.... very happy about that, as my kids are away, but for kids, much smaller.
Jen Sobjack says
I would have never thought to use maple in these. I might give that a try with the addition of cinnamon! And I've had complaints about the size before.
tessa says
Just wanted to mention that you'll need to make more - not less - of them for them to be smaller! In step 4, it's described backwards. 😉
Beth says
I just made these for the first time and they seems dense and didn’t rise properly. I’m not sure what happened ?. Any advice?
Jen Sobjack says
There are a number of variables that can cause yeast bread to not rise properly. First, check your yeast to make sure it's still alive. You can do this by activating it in 1/4 cup of water with a tablespoon of sugar before adding it to the recipe. The temperature at which you let the dough rise can also affect the outcome. The environment needs to be warm and draft free. How long you let the dough rise also comes into account. The dough should be double in size at the end of each rise time. How you handle the dough can also affect it. Take your time and be gentle with it.
Bonnie Tyler says
Made these a few times now and my family goes crazy for them. 100x better than store bought and so easy to make.
Patti says
Hi! These look wonderful! Could you use all purpose flour and/or whole wheat flour?
Jen Sobjack says
Bread flour is going to give you the best results. All-purpose flour and whole wheat flour will yield different textures.
Marcia says
These turned out perfect! So delicious, too! I will definitely be making these again!
Jen Sobjack says
Woo hoo! Enjoy!!