Homemade English Muffins
These Homemade English Muffins are made from a simple dough, and taste so much better than the preservative-filled ones they sell at the store. This recipe only requires one 1-hour rise, and is overall quite easy to make!
When melted butter pools inside the nooks and crannies of a crunchy, toasted homemade English muffin…oh…that’s heaven to me.
English muffins have always been “a thing” for my family. If you walked into the pantry of my childhood home at any time of night or day, you would find them in a variety of flavors: sourdough, whole wheat, cinnamon raisin, rosemary…always ready to be toasted for breakfast!
If you’ve never made English muffins at home before, they are one of the easiest and BEST bread recipes to make yourself.
This homemade English muffin recipe only requires one rise, and the dough is really simple. It’s made with all-purpose flour you probably already have in your pantry, and not bread flour.
Plus, they don’t have the preservatives that many store-bought versions have.
Tips for Best Results
Don’t rush the rise – You will need about an hour for the dough to double in size, but if your kitchen is cool and it seems to need longer, allow a little more time to get the full rise. This is the time the yeast needs to put the gas bubbles in the dough, which helps the end result be lighter rather than denser.
Push the cutter straight down – Just as when you make Scones, Biscuits, or anything else where you’re using a cutter, make sure you push the cutter straight down and don’t twist it at all on the way down. This will ensure the English muffins rise to their full potential.
Toast again before enjoying – The English muffins will be fully cooked at the end of the recipe, but just like with the ones you buy at the store, you’ll want to split and toast them again before serving for the classic experience.
Step by Step Overview:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, start by proofing active dry yeast (instant yeast is okay too) in warm water mixed with a little bit of sugar:
Tip: I use water here in order to keep the English muffins dairy-free. However, you may use whole milk instead for a richer and better flavor, if you consume dairy. Make sure to use 110F warm milk, just like the water.
Add all purpose flour, an egg, salt, and honey to the yeast mixture:
Mix the ingredients with a spatula to roughly combine into a sticky dough:
Then transfer the bowl to a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, and knead until smooth:
Let the soft dough rise for about an hour in a warm place, the bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap, until doubled in size.
It will look stretchy and web-like on the sides, like this, when you pull the dough from the sides of the bowl:
Gently punch down the dough to deflate some of the gas bubbles (otherwise the English muffins will rise too much during baking), then roll it out about 1/2 inch thick on a lightly floured surface.
Use a cutter to cut circles from the dough, making sure to push the cutter straight down instead of twisting it:
Place the 12 equal pieces of dough onto each sheet pan (you’ll have two trays total). I like lining them with silicone mats or parchment paper.
Then bake on the prepared baking sheet for 7 minutes on each side, until lightly golden brown on the bottom.
Cool your homemade bread completely on a wire rack before enjoying.
Griddle Option
English muffins can also be made on the griddle, however I prefer the oven because it’s easier, quicker, and cooks more evenly because the hot air circulates all around instead of the heat just coming from the bottom. Because the griddle is usually limited in size, it also often requires multiple batches.
If using an electric griddle, it can take anywhere from 7 to 14 minutes on each side, depending on thickness and temperature. They are done when the interior measures 200F with a thermometer. You can also try cooking batches in a cast-iron skillet.
Enjoy, and maybe even make some Red Neck Eggs Benedict!
How to Serve
The English muffins will be fully cooked after their time in the oven, but just as with the storebought version, I recommend fork-splitting or slicing in half and toasting before serving. This gives you both that chewy texture and crisp edge.
If you ask me, the best English muffins are simply spread with good quality salted butter. But they can also be spread with Orange Honey Butter, Pumpkin Butter, Strawberry Jam, White Chocolate Peanut Butter, or whatever spread you’d like.
Serve promptly and eat within 15 minutes of toasting, otherwise the bread tends to get stale.
Banana Bread, English Scones, and Cinnamon Raisin Bread are some of my other favorite homemade breads to bake in the kitchen. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips and FAQ
Because there are no preservatives, the English muffins will keep at room temperature for 2 days. For a longer shelf life, keep in an airtight container or bag in the fridge for up to 10 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Place in an airtight container or freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave on the counter for 1 hour.
The toaster is best, however if you want to reheat large amounts at one time, you can also reheat them in the oven. Fork split or cut each one in half, then heat in a 400F oven for about 5 minutes, until crisp.
Certainly, it will just require a bit of arm work. The dough is not overly sticky, so it should be relatively easy to work with.
I have not tested this with other types of flour, like semolina flour or whole wheat flour. If you want to try whole wheat flour, do not attempt to substitute more than half of the flour, and expect a denser end result.
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Homemade English Muffins
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups 110°F water
- 1/4 ounce packet active dry yeast* (2.25 tsp)
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 22.5 oz all-purpose flour, by weight (4.5 cups, if measuring)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, yeast, and sugar. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes until foamy (this means the yeast is active and alive).
- Add the flour, egg, honey and salt, and use a spatula to roughly combine the dough. Fit the bowl to the stand mixer and knead the dough for about 10 minutes on medium low speed using the dough hook.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a plate and let it double in size, which should take about an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400° F, and line two sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Gently punch down the dough to deflate some of the gas bubbles (otherwise the English muffins will rise too much during baking). Lightly flour the countertop. Roll the dough to a half inch thickness. Use a 3″ cutter to cut circles from the dough, pushing straight and directly down to the counter to cut, then twisting to release (do not twist on the way down).
- Re-roll the dough and cut the scraps, and you should have about 24 English muffin circles. Place the dough circles on the prepared sheet pans, with 12 per pan.
- Bake each tray for 7 minutes, then flip the English muffins over and bake for another 7 minutes. If you have a thermometer, you can check that they are done by measuring a 200°F internal temperature.
- Cool completely on wire racks, then they are ready to be cut in half, toasted, and spread with your favorite butter or jam.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
[Updated from the archives with new photos, writing, and tweaked recipe. Originally posted November 2010]
46 Comments on “Homemade English Muffins”
Can you make this recipe with sour dough starter instead of regular yeast? Appreciate your advice on this
Yes you can. I researched. Another recipe actually recommends using a Sour Dough Starter
Can I knead the dough for English muffins y hand instead of using mixer with dough hook
With english muffins can I knead the dough by hand I do not have a dough hook on my machine
Caroline
I have made these English Muffins twice and plan on making them again tomorrow. After baking I
out them in the freezer on a cookie sheet and transfer to ziplock bags when they are frozen. I sometimes make egg, bacon, cheese breakfast sandwiches or just butter and jelly, and/or cream cheese. I share them with a friend who also loves them. Easy to make and delicious.
how about steveia sweetner thanks
Can you use suger instead of honey?? They look delish.
Sure!
What a fun recipe, Joanne. Love english muffins and I can’t wait to try baking some soon 🙂
No kidding, I was JUST toasting a store bought English muffin the other day and thought it would be fun to try and make some from scratch! I can’t wait to try these, Joanne! That dough looks perfect and you make it look so easy!
Haha that’s funny! Thanks Caroline. It’s definitely an easy bread!
Yum! I used to make English muffin loaves, but haven’t in years! Time to try the real thing I’m going to attempt to sub some whole wheat floor for the ap. Thanks for this!!!
Ohhhh yes, I remember having those loaves sometimes when I was young! Wow, completely forgot about those!
They look wonderful, and I an thinking of making these for holiday mornings.
That sounds wonderful!
I have made these several times and they are a hit in my household! I used White Wheat Flour the second time around and they turned out just as yummy. Thanks for this recipe. I just love English Muffins with blackberry jam in the morning.
YAY! That’s wonderful. I love english muffins, and they sound really nice with blackberry jam.
how would you substitute instant quickrise yeast in this recipe? Thanks!
Hello, just use the same amount as the active dry and they should turn out great. They’ll get a little bit more rise.
These muffins are particularly great for sandwiches!
I’m very excited to learn from you, Joanne! Also, I spy an exciting mug in the background of one of your muffin pictures!! ;D :p
I also like the name for this blog…spatulas really are necessary to take every single atom of food-goodness from the bowl into the dish! Yum!
hehehe Pete and I use your mugs all the time! I didn’t even realize it was in the photo. Yes, I tried really hard to find a good name, and I really like the one I ended up with. Spatulas are the most important tool in the kitchen 😉
Hi Joanne,
I happened to see a link to your blog on my friend Sam Duquette’s Facebook page. I love foodie blogs and couldn’t resist! 🙂 Do you think this recipe would work with whole-wheat flour rather than all-purpose? I just prefer the taste of whole wheat English muffins over regular white, and I like to bake with whole wheat when I make large quantities of things so I’m not eating a lot of white flour. I’d be happy to share my results if you haven’t tried it yet yourself. Thanks! 🙂
Hey Cassidy! It’s so great to meet you =) I have not tried this with whole wheat flour, but I would be very interested to see how it would work out (and I’m sure other readers would be too). If you want to give it a try, I would love to have your results shared with everybody. Such a great idea! I love food collaboration <3
I just got the dough ready, as soon as they ready I will let you know how they come out whole wheat. BTW, I love your page…looking forward trying out a few recipes.
Hi Jacky, I hope the whole wheat English muffins turn out well! It has been way too long since I have made English muffins of any sort!
Hi Joanne,
they turned out awesome, me and the husband love them…I love the smell of home made bread. I made enough to last us for a bit. But I am sure I will make them again!
Wonderful, so happy to hear that Jacky! Remember that bread always freezes very well. Sometimes I pre-slice them before putting in the freezer so all I have to do is pop them into the toaster. Enjoy!
They look delicious! Hika and I LOVE english muffins, I gotta try this!