English Muffins


Three homemade English Muffins stacked on each other on a baking sheet.

English Muffins

This delicious and easy English Muffins recipe uses simple ingredients, mixed in one bowl, with no kneading required. Cook them in a hot skillet on the stove, or on a griddle.
Prep Time30minutes 
Cook Time20minutes 
Rise time1hour  30minutes 
Total Time2hours  20minutes 

Equipment

  • Griddle optional
  • Instant-read digital thermometer. optional

Ingredients

  • 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast * (1 packet)
  • 1 3/4 cups buttermilk , warm, or regular milk
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 1 egg , lightly beaten
  • 3 Tablespoons butter , melted
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup cornmeal , for coating on the outside of the muffins

Instructions

  • Mix dough: Add yeast, milk, honey, egg, butter, salt, and 1 cup flour to a mixing bowl and mix well. Add remaining flour and stir everything until very well combined, to form a soft, sticky dough. Cover bowl and rest for 20 minutes.
  • Scoop onto baking sheets: Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and sprinkle cornmeal between the two. Grease a ¼ cup measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray and scoop batter into equal portioned “blobs” onto the cornmeal on the sheet pans.
  • Press and shape each batter blob into a flat, round disk, around 3 inches in diameter, then flip to the other side, to coat both flat sides lightly in cornmeal. Space the dough discs at least an inch apart along both baking sheets to give them room to rise.
  • Rise: Cover the pans with a light kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 ½ hours.
  • Cook: Heat a griddle to about 325 degrees (or a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium/medium low heat). Use a spatula to gently pick up the English muffin disks and place them on the hot pan. Cook for 7-10 minutes. They will puff up, and the bottom will get golden. Flip to the other side (they will deflate a little) and cook for another 7-12 minutes, until golden on the bottom and when you touch the sides and gently press, it no longer feels doughy. (Or until the center of a muffin registers about 200°F on an instant-read thermometer). You can always take one off and gently test it. Cook longer if still doughy.
  • Cool and Serve: Remove English muffins to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before splitting open and eating. To spit open, poke the tines of a fork all around the outside center of each muffin, then split apart.
  • Toast them and serve with butter, jam, marmalade, or peanut butter, or use them to make Eggs Benedict, or a breakfast sandwich.
  • Store English muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Notes

Freezing Instructions: place in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat for a few seconds in the microwave, then spit open and add to toaster. 
Yeast: Active dry yeast may be substituted, but needs to be “proofed” first. Mix the yeast with ½ cup warm buttermilk and a little drizzle of the honey. Stir and allow to rest for 5 minutes. It should foam on the top. Then continue with the rest of the recipe, using the remaining buttermilk and honey.
Buttermilk: Here's an easy buttermilk substitute if you don't have some on hand. I like the tanginess that buttermilk adds, but regular milk may also be used. You want it just lightly warm, not hot.
Whole Wheat English Muffins: You can substitute half whole wheat flour in this recipe. If you use all whole wheat flour they will be a little more 

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