Homemade English Muffins may not seem like a necessary endeavor when we have access to sleeves of English muffins at the grocery store. But they make for an easy and fun baking project that even those of us with little equipment can tackle (you don’t need a mixer!). And trust that these are more than worthwhile and result in perfectly, golden-bottomed English Muffins with a tender, bubble-filled crumb that will rival anything you’ve ever bought from the store.
Here’s a look at the ingredients for homemade English muffins.
Gold Medal™ All Purpose Flour: This is the perfect flour for making a variety of baked goods with these English Muffins being no exception. It gives just enough structure and chew while remaining soft and pillowy.
Yeast: Active dry yeast gives these bready muffins their rise and help form lots of little bubbles in the dough that become the perfect pockets for catching butter and jam.
Other Ingredients You’ll Need: Water, milk, honey, salt, butter, and cornmeal.
How to make perfect English Muffins at home.
You can mix this dough by hand with a spoon. If you’d like to use a stand mixer, be sure to mix just until your dough forms so you don’t overwork the dough.
Allowing the dough to rise, or proof, until doubled in size lets the gluten form and traps the gasses released by the yeast, making lots of bubbles in the dough that produce a light and not dense English Muffin.
You can use a biscuit cutter to make perfectly shaped muffins with straighter sides, or you can simply roll the dough and flatten with your palm for a more homestyle muffin with less fuss.
English muffins are actually cooked in a skillet on the stovetop and flipped halfway through, not unlike a pancake!
For detailed instructions be sure to read the recipe below.
Use these tips to keep your English muffins fresh.
Baked English muffins can be stored in an airtight container or plastic zip-top bag for 2 days. See freezing instructions below to store for longer.
Freeze English muffins in a single layer on a baking sheet until frozen solid. Place in plastic zip-top freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. Slice before freezing for easier toasting later.
Thaw English muffins at room temperature before slicing. If sliced before freezing, you can toast from frozen.
Stir the water, yeast, and honey together in a large mixing bowl. Set aside for about 5 minutes, until foamy.
Once foamy, add the milk, melted butter, flour, and salt. Stir with a sturdy wooden spoon until a shaggy, wet dough forms. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook but be sure not to overmix the dough. You are not looking for a smooth dough at this point.
Oil a medium bowl (I like using a lidded 4-quart container). Scrape the dough into the oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a lid. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and dusting it with a thin layer of cornmeal so it mostly covers the pan.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and use a floured rolling pin to gently roll to a 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out as many rounds as you can. Gather the scraps and allow them to rest for 10 minutes (covered with plastic wrap or a bowl turned upside down) before re-rolling and cutting, for a total of 8 English muffins. You can also divide the dough into 8 portions and roll them into buns before flattening with your palm.
Place the shaped English muffins onto the cornmeal-dusted baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the muffins to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Heat a wide, flat skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Place English muffins cornmeal side down on the hot skillet and cook for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Flip the English muffins and cook an additional 5 to 7 minutes, ideally covered with a lid. Place on a cooling rack to cool. Cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
Mixing this dough by hand works well since you want a soft dough that will form lots of bubbles for a “cranny” filled English Muffin. Using a mixer may overwork the dough and give you less “nooks” for butter and toppings.
Mixing the yeast with water and honey and letting it become foamy tells you that your yeast is active. If it doesn’t get foamy or bubble at all, you may have expired yeast.
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