English Muffin Recipe

5 from 8 votes

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This homemade English Muffin Recipe is wonderfully better than store-bought! They require a bit of time but are soft and so worth it! Enjoy with a side of eggs and bacon or turn it into a toasted ham and egg sandwich. And for special occasions, use them for this Classic Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce recipe.

two halves of an english muffin with butter on them

Homemade English Muffins | Breakfast Perfection

But first what are English Muffins? If you’ve never had one before you are in for a treat! English muffins are a yeasted breakfast bread that is commonly toasted then eaten with either sweet (jam, honey, butter) or savory (eggs, bacon, sausage) toppings.

So this homemade breakfast perfection comes from when I experimented with the English Muffin recipe from King Arthur Flour. Oh, mama were they good fresh out of the pan! Yes, I said pan! You cook English muffins in a dry skillet on your stovetop! Pretty cool, right? After the first batch of mine were all finished, I was surprised at how much better they tasted than the store-bought version! I mean, usually, I would expect anything you make at home would be better than anything premade at your local grocer, but these were 1000 times better! Surprisingly wonderfully better–especially with lots of butter! 🙂

english muffins on a cooling wrack

Main Ingredients Needed

Since I don’t have a bread maker, my dough was made with a trusty stand mixer. I added in extra flour and made a few more modifications. Here is what you’ll need to make Homemade English Muffins:

  • Milk– warmed, helps combine and moisten the dry ingredients to form the dough.
  • Butter– very soft. For moisture and flavor.
  • Salt- for balancing the flavors.
  • Granulated Sugar- to slightly sweeten the dough and to help activate the yeast.
  • Egg– lightly beaten. For structure and texture.
  • Bread Flour– for volume that fills out the English Muffins. I needed about 1-1 1/2 cups more flour than what was stated on the website.
  • Instant Yeast– this is used to form carbon dioxide bubbles in the dough which gives the finished product volume and texture.
  • Cornmeal- used to give the outside texture!
top down view of english muffins

How to Make English Muffins | Directions

For full details on how to make English Muffins, see the recipe card down below 🙂

Step 1: Combine Ingredients

Combine warm milk, butter, salt, sugar and egg together in the bottom of a stand mixer. In a different bowl, mix half the flour and yeast.

Step 2: Mix + Knead with Stand Mixer

Using the dough hook with the stand mixer on low, slowly incorporate the dry mixture into the wet until everything is mixed equally. Sprinkle in remaining measured flour until dough forms and looks and feels like dough- if it looks and feels very sticky and the dough sticks to your hands, then add more flour. You want the dough to be slightly sticky–so it will stick to your hand but hardly leave any trace of dough when you pull away quickly. Knead the dough for 7-8 minutes.

Step 3: Rise + Roll

Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let sit 1 hour or until dough puffs up to be twice the size it was originally. Remove dough gently from bowl onto a cornmeal covered workspace. No need to punch dough down. Roll out to be 1/2-3/4 inch thick and cut into 3-inch circles. Place dough circles onto cornmeal dusted baking sheet. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let sit for 15-30 minutes.

Step 4: Dry-Fry Muffins

Heat a frying pan or griddle to low heat. Do not grease, but sprinkle with cornmeal. Cook four muffins at a time, cornmeal side down first, for about 7 minutes a side. Check after about 3 to 4 minutes to see that the muffins are browning gently and are neither too dark nor too light; if they seem to be cooking either too fast or too slowly, adjust the temperature of your pan or griddle. If your pan is too hot, the edges will burn and the inside will stay raw, so it’s important to find that ‘golden temperature’ that works for you. 🙂

Step 5: Cool + Cut + Serve

When the muffins are brown on both sides, transfer them to a wire rack to cool, and proceed with the rest. If you have two frying pans (or a large griddle), you’ll be better able to keep up with your rising muffins.

Once English Muffins are cool, break open with a fork and toast. Slather with butter and enjoy!

english muffin with butter on it all on a plate

Storing English Muffins

Store any extra English Muffins in an airtight container for up to 5 days. No need to store in the fridge as that tends to dry these out faster.

Freezing Instructions

You can also freeze these little babies for up to three months! Be sure to store in an airtight container then thaw in the fridge or counter when you’re ready to use them. Here’s a handy tip, slice your English Muffins in half before freezing them, that way they can go straight from freezer to toaster!

side view of english muffins on a cooling wrack

Love Homemade English Muffins? Try These Bread Recipes…

top down view of english muffins on a plate

If you have some extra time today or this week, give this recipe a try! It’s time consuming, but so worth the wait! Enjoy, friends! 🙂

top down view of english muffins on a cooling wrack
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5 from 8 votes

Homemade English Muffin Recipe

This homemade English Muffin Recipe is wonderfully better than store-bought! They require a bit of time but are soft and so worth it!
servings 16 english muffins
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 54 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups milk warmed
  • 3 tablespoons butter very soft
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 egg lightly beaten
  • 4 1/4 cups bread flour*
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • cornmeal

Instructions

  • Combine warm milk, butter, salt, sugar and egg together in the bottom of a stand mixer. In a different bowl, mix half the flour and yeast.
  • Using the dough hook with the stand mixer on low, slowly incorporate dry mixture into the wet until everything is mixed equally. Sprinkle in remaining measured flour until dough forms.
    Look and feel dough- if it looks and feels very sticky and the dough sticks to your hands, then add more flour. You want the dough to be slightly sticky–so it will stick to your hand but hardly leave any trace of dough when you pull away quickly. Knead dough for 7-8 minutes.
  • Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let sit 1 hour or until dough puffs up to be twice the size it was originally. Remove dough gently from bowl onto a cornmeal covered workspace. No need to punch dough down. Roll out to be 1/2-3/4 inch thick and cut into 3-inch circles. Place dough circles onto cornmeal dusted baking sheet. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let sit for 15-30 minutes.
  • Heat a frying pan or griddle to low heat. Do not grease, but sprinkle with cornmeal. Cook four muffins at a time, cornmeal side down first, for about 7 minutes a side.
    Check after about 3 to 4 minutes to see that the muffins are browning gently and are neither too dark nor too light; if they seem to be cooking either too fast or too slowly, adjust the temperature of your pan or griddle.
    If your pan is too hot, the edges will burn and the inside will stay raw, so it's important to find that 'golden temperature' that works for you. 🙂
  • When the muffins are brown on both sides, transfer them to a wire rack to cool, and proceed with the rest. If you have two frying pans (or a large griddle), you'll be better able to keep up with your rising muffins.
  • Once English Muffins are cool, break open with a fork and toast. Slather with butter and enjoy! Store extras in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Notes

*I had to use 1-1 1/2 cups more flour (this varies based on the climate you live in)

Nutrition

Calories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 87mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 124IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Breads
Cuisine: English
Keyword: english muffin recipe, english muffins

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Recipe Rating




14 Responses
  1. Teresa Hord

    5 stars
    Just finished up the muffins! They turned out yummy and the hubs liked them. It is kinda tricky getting them baked all the way through without burning the outside. I was going to try it in my Cuisinart Panini maker with the flat griddles and see how it goes. Might help with the doughy center problem. Thanks for the recipe!!

  2. Ashley

    5 stars
    This web site is really a how-to for all of the info I’ve wanted to know and have been having difficult finding more about. Thanks for the post!

  3. Nicole@HeatOvenTo350

    I love making food from scratch. It’s amazing how much better it tastes than storebought items, especially with bread. These look delicious. I’ve made English Muffin Bread before, but these would be a new challenge for me.

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    […] Homemade English Muffins – Lauren's Latest […]

  5. Kathy (Gordon's use to be neighbor)

    5 stars
    Thanks for sharing this recipe Lauren, I’ve always wanted to learn how to make English Muffins! Absolutely love your website!

  6. Barbara Bakes

    I’m bookmarking this recipe. They sound fabulous. I don’t have a bread machine either, so it’s nice to have the stand mixer recipe.

  7. cathyb.@brightbakes

    English Muffins have been on my “baking bucket list” forever. With my addiction to baking bread, it is high time to move these beauties to the “baked” list…
    thanks for sharing, as always..
    cathy b.

  8. JenniferA

    My husband would love these – he’s an English muffin fiend. I’m almost afraid to make them – then he’d want me to make them all the time instead of buying them.
    🙂

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