These muffins are doubly full of nooks and crannies thanks to yeast and baking soda. They will keep for up to two weeks in an airtight container.
By Khalilah Ramdene
Numerous occasions warrant a breakfast sandwich and most of them err of the side of convenience. Mornings rushing out the door for work or Saturday afternoons when a hangover antidote is needed, the breakfast sandwich has been the go-to food for those on-the-go. But if we take a few steps back and revisit this breakfast bite for what it truly is – a blank canvas – the possibilities of the morning meal become infinitely more varied, and the experience on the whole, more pleasurable.
Like most sandwiches, the magic is in the bread. You can put just about anything between two slices of bread, but if it isn’t good (i.e. soggy, rough, stale!) the magic is lost. We can avoid a carbohydrate conundrum by making the bread, in this case an English muffin, ourselves.
English muffins are by far one of the most pleasing and easiest breads to make. Perfectly sized for burgers, sandwiches, or toast, it is a bread that finds a use for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This recipe goes to extra lengths to ensure the signature nooks and crannies so conveted in certain brands are present, as long as you split them with a fork. Make the full recipe so you have muffins to spare. Slather them with butter and jam, poach an egg and whip up some hollandaise for eggs benedict, or do as I do, and make a breakfast sandwich, piled high with a fried egg, bacon, slices of granny smith apple, and swipe of Dijon mustard.
Homemade English Muffins
These muffins are doubly full of nooks & crannies thanks to yeast and baking soda. They will keep for up to two weeks in an airtight container.
Ingredients
- 4¼ cups AP flour, more for dusting
- 1¾ cups whole milk, warm
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- cornmeal for dusting
Instructions
- Heat the milk and butter until the milk has warmed and the butter melts
- Combine the milk & butter mixture with the egg and sifted dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms. This can be done in a stand mixer or by hand with a considerable amount of upper body strength
- Once dough comes together (it will be damp and velvety), transfer to a floured surface and roll out dough to a 1 inch thickness.
- Using a English muffin ring or a large canning jar lid, cut out rounds and transfer to a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal.
- Dust tops of the muffins with cornmeal as well. Continue to cut out muffins, re-rolling dough when needed.
- Cover muffins with a kitchen towel and allow them to rise for 20 minutes. Using a cast iron pan on low heat, cook muffins about 3-5 minutes on each side until brown and crisped
- Transfer muffins to a 325° oven for 12-15 minutes so they can continue to dry out
- Open muffins with a fork and toast before serving
This looks so delicious! I will definitely try this.
★★★★★
The recipe does not include directions for proofing and adding the yeast. I have been baking for over 45 years so I have an idea. New cooks may not.
You do not have to proof instant yeast, just put with other dry ingredients.
You don’t have to proof instant yeast, just throw it all in.
you are getting proofing confused with fermentation which comes before proofing. The longer you can ferment a dough , the better the flavor and texture. This is a great recipe but a sort of short cut to the real thing. I find it funny when the years of baking experience you all write about is in your home kitchen with measuring cups…..
I just made the English muffin recipe on AllRecipes yesterday but just found this one today! :( I’ll use this recipe next time, but I know I’ll like it a lot better since this one has egg, baking powder, half the sugar, and more salt. Thanks for sharing this!
Also, Holly, proofing yeast can be pretty helpful if:
> your yeast came in a jar (and it’s been left on the counter a lot after opening)
> or is in a packet of questionable freshness (like if it’s near its expiration date).
Yeast expires and proofing yeast can save you from the trouble of having dough that didn’t rise.
Making these now, didn’t proof yeast and am having really great rising results. I didn’t bother with the 2tsp measured amount of yeast, just opened a packet and dumped it in. I’m very excited to toast and eat with some butter and rose hip jelly. Thanks!
if I use active dry yeast, should I wait for it to rise before cutting?
I’ve been baking breads and rolls for over 4 yrs using instant dry yeast kept in my freezer for a very long time, no problems. I do not proof with instant yeast. I made a similar recipe last weekend, only I used my bread machine to make the dough. They came out excellent!
The dough only rises once after it is rolled and cut? Maybe I missed something?
Why have to cook the muffin before put into oven, can it bake in the oven once it raise?
I just made these and they are fantastic! They didn’t really rise for me in the twenty minutes but puffed up beautifully in the pan :-) I used mostly whole wheat flour instead of just white flour
★★★★★
I tried this recipe yesterday. We split & toasted them this morning. They were heavy. I think that was because I. used dry active years not instant yeast. I let them rise 20 minutes and think I should have let them rise longer. Next time I will use instant yeast or bread machine yeast
★★★★★
I made these this evening so they’ll be fresh for breakfast tomorrow, and they came out beautifully, really fluffy and aromatic. I used the active dry yeast since that’s what I had on hand, but proofed it in a few teaspoons of warm water before adding it to the rest of the ingredients. That seemed to do the trick, since I got a good rise, and they are nice and fluffy (of course I’m having one right now, at 10:30pm. Don’t judge me.)
★★★★★
How much does this make?
I just ate my first muffin using fast yeast it was great & light. Hubby said best yet
★★★★★
I forgot the baking soda so these didn’t have that slightly sour taste of English muffins, but the recipe worked beautifully. Needed a little more flour than called for, but no matter.
★★★★★
Can I sub bread machine yeast for the instant and if so do I need to proof or do anything differently? Thanks you!
Bread machine is instant yeast.
These are delicious, but I don’t really consider them English muffins. They’re porous, but not really filled with nooks and crannies, and a little too cake-y.
★★★
Nice recipe! I especially appreciate the tip for using the canning lid as a way to cut them.
★★★★★
Made 16 muffins.
I didn’t see much rise during the 20 minutes but when they were toasted in the cast iron skillet, they doubled in size.
They are a bit more dense than I was hoping, but they are still really good!
★★★★
This was a real good starter recipe for me. I’m an avid bread maker and have made English muffins many times..
I woke up thinking. Mmm English muffins! But wanted something different. (my creative bug came out)
I was looking for a beer flavored English muffin! Nope. Not one single recipe. So I used your recipe for a base.
In place of water, I added a cup of warm; ale wheat oat beer to the warm milk, sugar and yeast. Let it proof and used the rest of your recipe minus the baking soda. Freakin delicious! I realize I changed the recipe a lot. But couldn’t help myself. Now some for dinner with sausage egg and cheese tonight. Tomorrow single serve pizzas! Yum. :)
★★★★★
I used to purchase Thomas’s “Sandwich” Sized English Muffins. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen them in stores in a long time. They were fabulous and the perfect size for hamburgers, so much better than hamburger buns. I’m delighted that I can make my own with this recipe. I’ll just cut them out larger. Bet they freeze well too. Thanks for the recipe.
I followed the instructions carefully* and I have to say that the muffins turned out quite dense and doughy. Does anyone have any advice on what might have gone wrong or does this recipe just make a denser muffin than I was expecting?
*NOTE: the instructions on the thickness of the muffins are distorted so I rolled them to about 1/2 inch thickness. The recipes doesn’t mention how many muffins this makes, but at 1/2 inch it made about 18.
★★
After two goes, I like them better without baking them after. But then I do prefer bread items to be underdone over dry. Also, I let rise longer than says. I rolled to about 3/4″ thick and they could prob go down to 1/2″ and come out at 1″ risen. At 3/4″ it made 13. Still not nooky and cranny like Thomas’s but I am guessing they put extra gluten in theirs. I prefer to have all organic ingredients without the extra gluten. Just realized I used baking powder this last time and I actually like that better, they are more airy.
★★★★
I made these in advance for a big brunch. They looked beautiful, but the texture was more like a biscuit (and not a light and fluffy one) than an English Muffin. No nooks and crannies. And just too heavy.
★
Great recipe! Muffins rose really well. My tweaks: 1. I added 1/2 tsp. of white vinegar to the dough, and 2. I turned my oven on to the “warm” setting for about 10 minutes, turned it off, and placed the cut out muffins in for the 20-minute rise. That worked really well.
This is the simplest recipe to follow that I’ve found, and produces beautiful English muffins. Thanks!
These are not English muffins, they’re biscuits. No nooks. No crannies. They don’t taste like English muffins. They taste just like biscuits. I don’t like biscuits.
when do you ad the baking soda and yeast?
My second go at English Muffins. This one with the addition of baking soda was closer to that well know brand but still not totally like the commercial ones. But as I have resolved to only eat bread that I make they will do quite nicely!
My family’s favorite English muffins are using this recipe. I started making them in 2016 and figured I should comment. They turn out perfect every time. My family hates store-bought ones now. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe.
★★★★★