Next time you have a craving for English Muffins, you might want to try to make homemade English Muffins – they’re easier to make than you might think!
There really aren’t a lot of fast food foods that I truly crave. Of course, let a pandemic interrupt your life and suddenly I’m craving a Sausage McMuffin® from McDonald’s.
So, I did what I always do when I wonder how to make something that I’ve never made before, I searched Google and Pinterest. I found several recipes, but finally decided on the one I’m sharing today.
English Muffins Recipe Tips
I didn’t know a thing about making English Muffins before I made my first batch last week. I tried a few different recipes, taking the tips and techniques I read about into consideration. Here are a few things to know about making homemade English Muffins before you make them:
- Really good homemade English Muffins take a “little” bit of time. The dough should be mixed up the night before and allowed to rise for a couple of hours before making.
- You don’t bake English Muffins. They are fried. Amazing, I know!
- This recipe uses a starter which serves to enhance the flavor of English Muffins.
- You don’t need rings to make English Muffins.
- Pay attention to the temperature of your pan. My stove seems to run a little “hot”, so medium, is a little hot for English Muffins. The recipe calls for medium heat, but you’ll want to adjust the temp so the muffins get done on the inside and not burn the outside.
English Muffins Recipe
You have two options for making these English Muffins. One, is the overnight method. The second is the Speed Method. I found the overnight method to have more flavor. But both turned out about the same as far as texture, craggy goodness and fluffyness.
Kitchen Tools
Before you make these English Muffins, there are a few kitchen tools and equipment you’ll want to have on hand.
- mixing bowl
- measuring cups
- stiff silicone spatula
- whisk
- stand mixer (optional)
- baking sheet
- cast iron skillet
- pancake spatula
English Muffins
You'll love these homemade English muffins with their craggy dips and peaks. Perfect toasted with butter and jam or sandwiched with sausage patties.
Ingredients
Dough Starter
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
English Muffin Dough
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1 tsp salt
- 3-3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- oil for bowl
- cornmeal for dusting
- 1 tbsp butter for the skillet
Instructions
Dough Starter
- Mix the flour, water and yeast in a small mixing bowl with a whisk. Beat until the batter is completely mixed, smooth and glossy.
- Cover the starter with a towel and place in a warm spot for 1 or up to 12 hours. Like with most starters, the batter will become bubbly and will double in bulk.
English Muffin Dough
- After an hour or so, whisk together the milk, yeast and starter. You can also use your stand mixer by pouring the starter into the bowl of the stand mixer and then add in the milk and yeast; mix until dissolved and frothy.
- Add the sugar, butter and salt to the bowl and whisk to combine. Add 3 cups of the flour and stir with a spatula until a stiff, shaggy dough forms.
- You can either knead the dough by hand or with the dough hook on a stand mixer. Knead for 5-8 minutes or until the dough forms a smooth ball. Add extra flour sparingly as needed.The dough will be ready when it forms a smooth ball and sprints back you when you press on it with your finger. If the dough is sticky and sticks to your fingers or the bowl, add more flour.
- Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.SPEED METHOD: you can let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled – about 2 hours.
- Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece gently into smooth, round balls. You can roll the balls against the counter or in your hands.
- Generously sprinkle cornmeal over a baking pan and place the balls of dough on the sheet, spaced so they are not touching. Sprinkle the tops of the dough balls with more cornmeal.
- Let the dough rise until fluffy. If you refrigerated your dough, allow to rise for 2 hours. If you did NOT refrigerate your dough, allow to rise for 1 hour.
- After the dough has risen, place a large cast iron skillet over medium heat on the stove. Melt butter – just enough to cover the bottom of the pan and to prevent sticking.
- Transfer the muffin dough balls from the baking pan to the skillet one at a time, leaving about an inch between muffins. Do not crowd the muffins, but rather you will want to cook them in batches. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown, flip and cook another 5- 6 minutes.NOTE: ADJUST THE HEAT AS NEEDED.
- Transfer cooked muffins to a rack to cool. Continue to work in batches. Add butter to skillet between batches, but just enough to keep dough from sticking.
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More English Muffin Recipes
You’ll find lots of recipes on English Muffins online. Here are a couple recipes and videos that I thought were really good and have some great tips:
- King Arthur English Muffins
- Alton Brown English Muffins
- Bigger Bolder Baking English Muffins Video
- Farmhouse on Boone Sourdough English Muffins Video
This recipe, was by far, my favorite way to make English Muffins. That being said, I haven’t tried making them from my sourdough starter yet. I’ll be sure to let you know how that turns out!
More Recipe Ideas
If you liked this English Muffins Recipe, you might like these other recipe ideas from The Birch Cottage:
- English Muffin Bread Recipe for the Bread Maker
- Garlic Parmesan Sourdough Bread
- Parker House Rolls Recipe
Til next time…
