English muffins are a classic breakfast carb that can be used in so many ways! With a great chewy texture, they can be eaten plain or split in half and then toasted until golden and crispy. They have a beautifully buttery flavor with a little tanginess from the fermented yeast and a subtle sweetness in the back round. Whether you want to smother them with butter, scoop a little berry compote over top or use them to build a breakfast sandwich, you will love these english muffins.
Let’s get them started…
A great english muffin begins with a dough starter. The process of mixing and quick fermenting the yeast gives the english muffin a wonderful flavor and the best texture. I like to make my dough starter 24 hours before I want my english muffins ready to eat. So I make my dough starter first thing Friday morning, so Saturday morning can be spent enjoying warm freshly made english muffins.
The dough starter is super easy. Combine 3/4 cup of bread flour with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast in a medium bowl (instant or active dry yeast works fine). If you are using a packet of yeast, keep the remaining yeast left in the packet in a zip lock bag. You will need it later. Whisk the mixture well. You want the mixture to be smooth and fully incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit on your counter for the day. Technically, a few hours is long enough, but the longer you let it sit, the better it will become. I have found that 12 hours of rest gives the best result.
That evening (or 4-12 hours later), your yeast mixture should be full of bubbles and about double the size it was when you first made it. Now that the dough starter is ready, it is time to put the dough together.
Start by combining 1 cup of whole milk, 1 teaspoon of yeast and the dough starter in a large bowl. Use your whisk to break up the dough starter and dissolve it as you mix. Once everything is combined, this mixture should be quite frothy and full of bubbles. The first time I made this recipe, I started in a bowl that was too small and ended up transferring everything into a larger one, so be sure to start in a bowl big enough to whisk this mixture vigorously.
Next, add 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of melted butter and 1 teaspoon of salt and whisk to combine.
Now add about 1 cup of bread flour and switch to a silicone spatula for the mixing. Once the first cup of flour is incorporated, add a second cup of flour and mix to combine. You should have a loose, moist dough at this point. Add a little bit more flour, a tablespoon or two at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl (photo below).
Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface and begin kneading. In order to end up with light english muffins full of nooks and crannies, you want to add only the amount of flour necessary to be able to knead without it becoming a mess, so add the flour slowly, if necessary.
Knead until the dough is soft and smooth. This should take somewhere between 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the dough into a large glass bowl that has been lightly coated in oil, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in the refrigerator overnight.
Prepare your work area by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper and generously sprinkling cornmeal over the entire sheet. Set the prepared baking sheet next to the area that you will be shaping your dough. Lightly dust the surface of your board and transfer the rested dough onto it. You should have a bit more flour close by (incase you need to re-dust your work surface) and a pastry cutter or sharp knife ready to portion the dough.
Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. The easiest way to do this is by cutting the dough as you would a pizza…
If you start by cutting the dough in half, then cut those halves in half and then cut the four quarters in three, you will be left with twelve equally sized portions (or at least close to it!).
Roll each portion into a round ball and place them onto your prepared baking sheet. I used a 13″x9″ baking sheet and leaving about 1 inch in between each portion of dough, all twelve fit perfectly.
Dust the tops of each portion of dough with cornmeal and let the dough rest (uncovered) at room temperature for about 2 hours. Make sure the dough is resting in an area that it will not be subjected to a draft of cold air (a ceiling fan or air conditioning vent).
The dough is ready when each portion is all puffy and they have spread to almost twice their original size.
The next step is cooking your english muffins… yep, cooking. English muffins are cooked over stovetop rather than baked in the oven, so set a flat griddle or wide shallow skillet over medium heat and lightly coat the surface with butter. In the recipe below, I note that this butter should be chilled. Chilled butter is easy to hold and slide over the surface of a warm skillet and you will be applying and re-applying butter as you cook the english muffins. Doing this with chilled butter seems easier to me, but butter at any temperature will work fine.
Place a few english muffins onto the warm skillet leaving at least an inch in between them. They puff up as they cook, so they need room to spread out a bit.
The most important thing about cooking english muffins is monitoring the temperature of the skillet. It should take about 5 minutes for each side to cook and become golden brown (10 minutes total), so if your english muffins are browning too quickly, reduce the heat. I found that keeping my burner around 4 was best, but I occasionally reduced it as low as 2 during the cooking process.
Once the first side is golden, carefully flip them over and. begin cooking the second side. I like to pick each one up, re-apply butter in their spot and flip them over. This helps both sides cook in the same way.
Once the first batch is done, transfer them onto a cooling rack and repeat the process with the next batch.
*Note: English muffins are cooked through when their internal temperature reaches 200 degrees.
These english muffins are amazing and the good news is that if you are good at multitasking, you can snack on one from the first batch, while you are cooking up the second batch! They have a wonderful texture, light, but chewy with a great flavor. The time spent allowing the dough started to ferment was time well spent.
Their interior is full of those classic nooks and crannies and can be easily fork split if you are one for following old english muffin traditions.
I love smothering a warm, freshly cooked english muffin with butter or spooning some of my delicious berry compote over a freshly toasted english muffin or use one to build a fun breakfast sandwich. However you decide to enjoy these english muffins, I am positive that you will love them!
English Muffins
Ingredients
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast (instant or active dry)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, chilled
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
Instructions
- Make the dough starter by combining 3/4 cup of bread flour with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast in a medium bowl and whisking until smooth and fully combined
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 4-12 hours
- Once the dough starter has rested, transfer it into a larger bowl and add 1 cup of whole milk and 1 teaspoon of yeast
- Whisk until this mixture is fully combined and the dough starter has dissolved
- Add 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of melted butter and 1 teaspoon of salt and whisk to combine
- Begin adding bread flour, stirring as you go, until the dough stops sticking to the sides of the bowl. This should take between 2 1/2 - 3 cups of bread flour
- Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth. The dough should not stick to your hands, but should not feel dense or too dry. This should take 3-5 minutes. Add additional flour, if necessary
- Transfer the dough into a large oiled glass bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap
- Place the dough into the refrigerator to rest overnight (around 12 hours)
- Transfer the rested dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal portions
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper and dusting generously with cornmeal
- Roll each portion of dough into a ball and transfer onto the prepared baking sheet leaving about 1 inch between each portion
- Dust the tops of each portion with cornmeal and let the dough rest (uncovered) at room temperature for 2 hours
- Place a flat griddle or wide shallow skillet over medium heat
- Butter the surface of the skillet
- Gently place a few english muffins onto the warm surface leaving at least one inch in between them
- Keep a close eye on the temperature of the skillet and do not let it become too warm. It should take around 5 minutes for the first side of the english muffin to cook and become golden, so if the surface temperature of your skillet becomes to hot, reduce it to slow the cooking process
- Once the first side is golden brown, carefully flip the english muffins. If the skillet surface is dry, re-apply butter under the english muffin before flipping to the other side
- Once they are cooked, transfer the english muffins onto a cooling rack while you work through the next batch
- English muffins can be eaten immediately or stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days
