Traditional English Muffins

breakfast
English muffins

Though often seen as the perfect base for eggs Benedict, this stalwart classic works as a wholesome breakfast all on its own. Try one toasted with butter and honey or with a slather of tart marmalade. With our straightforward and tasty recipe at your disposal, your days of buying English muffins will be numbered. Look to this visual guide when dividing, rolling, and shaping your dough. 

5.0 from 5 reviews
Traditional English Muffins
 
Makes 8
Ingredients
  • 2½ cups (318 grams) strong/bread flour
  • ¾ cup (180 grams) warm whole milk (120°F/49°C to 125°F/52°C)
  • 1 large egg (50 grams)
  • 1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter, softened and cubed
  • 1 tablespoon (12 grams) granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons (4 grams) instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
  • ¾ cup (112.5 grams) semolina flour
  • ¼ cup (38 grams) polenta/cornmeal
Instructions
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat bread flour, warm milk, egg, butter, sugar, yeast, salt, and baking powder at low speed until combined. Switch to the dough hook attachment. With mixer on medium-low speed, beat until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in refrigerator overnight. (Alternatively, cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place [75°F/24°C] until doubled in size, about 1 hour.)
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together semolina flour and cornmeal. Sprinkle a layer of semolina mixture over a well-seasoned cast-iron griddle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle semolina mixture over prepared baking sheet. Butter 8 (3¾x1-inch) English muffin rings. For a small, single-burner griddle, place 4 rings on griddle; set aside remaining 4 rings. For a large, double-burner griddle, place all 8 rings on griddle.
  3. Let dough come to room temperature. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball, and roll each ball into a 3½-inch disk. Place 1 disk in each prepared muffin ring. Sprinkle tops lightly with semolina mixture. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) for 20 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
  5. Place griddle on stove, and heat over medium-low heat, allowing muffins to come to temperature with pan. Cook, moving pan around occasionally for even heat, until muffins are golden brown on bottom, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn muffins, and remove rings; cook until golden brown on both sides and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 190°F (88°C), about 5 minutes more. If muffins register below 190°F (88°C) but are golden brown, place on prepared baking sheet, and cover with foil.
  6. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. If using a single-burner griddle, remove pan from heat, and allow to return to room temperature. Wipe pan clean, and sprinkle with remaining semolina mixture. Place remaining 4 muffins on griddle.
  7. Place griddle on stove, and heat over medium-low heat, allowing muffins to come to temperature with pan. Repeat procedure as directed. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

 

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14 COMMENTS

  1. Hello. Made the dough for these tonight and will finish tomorrow, but I have one question. Do I only put them in the oven if they don’t get to 190° or do they all go in, no matter what? I couldn’t quite tell from wording going into step 6. Thank you!

    • Hi Lindsay,
      Thanks for reaching out! After having the muffins on the griddle for around 5 to 7 minutes. You will then turn the muffins and remove the rings. You will cook until golden brown on both sides and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 190°F (88°C), about 5 minutes more. If muffins register below 190°F (88°C) but are golden brown, place on prepared baking sheet, and cover with foil. You will then bake them (all going in no matter what) and then bake for 5 to 10 minutes and let cool completely on a wire rack.

      Let us know if we can explain further. Happy Baking!

  2. I have subscribed to your magazine since its’ debut. The photography is stunning! The recipes are wonderful! However, the English Muffins are a thing of beauty and superb taste. Never will I buy another grocery store muffin. The first batch had homemade rings made from heavy duty foil and paper clips. Since then, I purchased metal rings and these are much easier to handle. I now make them for my grown children and they eagerly await their arrival My twelve year old grandson recently texted me after sampling a muffin. “Fantastic”, he wrote. I agree.

  3. I am so happy with all the recipes I’ve seen you make, but the English Muffin one is beyond wonderful. My husband, though Irish, has his English muffin every morning. I had one tonight for dessert, toasted with butter and jam. The butter and jam were wonderful, but the muffin? Ughh! So … I will be baking YOUR English muffins here in McAlpin, Florida, from now on. Thank you so much!

  4. Is my first time i bake English muffins the recipes is soooo good the best i bake in pizza maker with timer i buy in amazon com very good Thank You Bozena …

  5. I would like to know the number of the Bake from Scratch magazine this English muffins recipe is from as I would like to order it. I came upon this magazine at my reading Club but the owner did not want to let me borrow it. If I remember well , a recipe for Crumpets was also in this same magazine.
    I will order that issue (hoping it is still available ),
    I love your magazine on breads !

  6. This morning was my second time baking these delightful english muffins. I’ve always been a fan of storebought Thomas muffins, but they are nothing compared to the light fluffy deliciousness of these! The first time I did not need to bake them, but this second time I thought I could save time by pressing them flat rather than rolling them. They were shaped a bit rounder as a result and needed 10 min in the oven to achieve muffin perfection. This recipe was in my first ever issue; I’m keeping it forever.

  7. Second time making these and my boys (14 and 16) can’t stop eating them! So delicious and beautiful! I believe this recipe will get easier each time I make it. There are a lot of steps but really easy ones and after a few bakes will become second nature.

  8. Today I discovered your lovely English muffin recipe. I am a whole grain sourdough baker and I save my Left Over Sourdough Starter in the fridge until I get enough to do some additional extra sour baking. I usually bake 50/50 bread flour and home milled whole wheat flour.
    Well today I fiddled with your E M recipe and came up with something I think I like without baker’s yeast.. I’ll play around some more as my dough was too wet today to do good stove top baking. But it had the taste of sourdough I like.

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