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Homemade English Muffins

Cross the breakfast muffins off the grocery list, because they’re easier than you’d think to make from scratch. This homemade English muffins recipe is simple & easy enough for any level of home baker to whip up. Served with butter or jam, they’re a delicious breakfast all by themselves.

homemade english muffins in a cloth lined metal tray with a bowl of cherry jam

I grew up eating English muffins all the time.

For breakfast, for a quick after school snack. Shoot, I can’t tell you how many times my Grandma made us English muffin pizzas for lunch.

Now here we are years later, and I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve made them for the sons for lunches.

Morning, noon, or night the sons love an English muffin.

homemade english muffins in a cloth lined metal tray with a bowl of cherry jam

They love them for breakfast in our freezer breakfast sandwiches. The love them smothered with jelly.

They love them toasted with BLT fixins for lunch. I could even serve them English muffin pizzas for dinner, and they’d be perfectly content.

The possibilities go on and on. English muffins are a beautiful blank canvas to top with whatever you are feeling that day.

This homemade English muffins recipe couldn’t get any easier and is perfect for any would be baker, regardless of their experience level.

I also love that this recipe doesn’t have me suffer through long rise times, and before I know it I can be opening one of these, hot off the griddle, with a fork and digging in.

Ingredients Needed

an overhead image showing the measured ingredients needed to make a batch of homemade english muffins

This English muffin recipe does require a few things you may not have on hand if you don’t regularly bake bread though. Even then, it may need you to add an item to the weekly shop list. 

As long as you’ve got

  • flour
  • instant yeast
  • milk
  • butter
  • salt
  • sugar
  • egg
  • ground cornmeal

Then you’re good to go!

Even if you don’t have them on hand, and have to buy them these ingredients are all very inexpensive. They also last and store well.

So one grocery run can mean multiple batches of warm muffins that’re easily whipped up in the family skillet.

You’re gonna be your family’s new hero come breakfast or brunch time!

homemade english muffins ingredients in a metal mixing bowl

How Do You Make Homemade English Muffins From Scratch?

It’s honestly so much easier than you’d think!

In the bowl of your stand mixer add the warmed milk, butter, salt, sugar, egg, flour and yeast. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a large mixing bowl and a hand mixer instead.

a ball of dough for homemade english muffins in a metal mixing bowl

Also note the luke warm milk NOT hot.

We don’t want to cook the yeast, you want to activate it and get it reproducing. That’s what naturally encourages your dough to rise.

Cold milk, on the other hand, will do nothing.

risen english muffin dough in a metal mixing bowl

Using the paddle attachment, beat the mixture until all the ingredients have become evenly incorporated into a soft dough ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl easily.

Scrape down the dough from the sides of the bowl until it’s a ball shape resting in the center of the bottom of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap to seal, and set it aside in a warm place.

Let the dough rise, undisturbed, until it has almost doubled in size. 

dough balls arranged on a metal baking sheet

If it’s too cold in your space, your dough won’t rise. If your oven has a proof mode, you can use that.

Alternatively, I turn my oven on the warm setting for 2-3 minutes before turning it off and adding my mixing bowl. This provides just enough warmth to encourage it to rise, without cooking it at all.

Remove the plastic wrap, and punch the dough down- if necessary. Divide it into 8 even balls.

cornmeal coated raw english muffins on a metal baking sheet

The dough will be very sticky at first, but don’t panic. As you roll it in between your hands to shape it into balls it will become less sticky.

Add cornmeal to a large, flat plate. Add a dough ball to the center, pressing it down just until it’s roughly the size & shape of an English muffin. Flip the dough over, getting the other side in the cornmeal too.

Transfer the prepared dough to a waiting plate, and repeat until all the dough balls have been done.

a sliced english muffin in front of some fresh fruit and a bowl of jam

While you can make these homemade English muffins in a skillet, I highly recommend using a griddle.

I have an electric one that works great and fits the whole batch at once so they all cook together. If you don’t have one, you could also use a griddle pan on your stove top.

You want to cook these on the low heat setting.

a sliced english muffin in front of some fresh fruit and a bowl of jam

Spray the griddle with non stick cooking spray, and then add the muffins to the surface.

Add as many as you can, making sure none of them are actually touching. If they won’t all fit, cook them in batches.

Cook the muffins over low heat for roughly 12 minutes, per side. Exact time may vary depending on your griddle and dough.

three homemade english muffins stacked on top of each other

They’re done when the outside has a toasty golden brown crust, and the inside is cooked through.

If your outer crust is perfect, but the inside isn’t. Transfer the homemade English muffins to a baking sheet and finish them off in the oven on low heat for 10 minutes.

This homemade English muffins recipe serves 8 as written, with each serving being one muffin.

homemade english muffins in a cloth lined metal tray with a bowl of cherry jam

TIPS & TRICKS

  • Want more than 8 muffins? You can also make smaller english muffins and get a yield of 16 out of this recipe. 
  • Add cinnamon and raisins to the dough for cinnamon raisin english muffins.
  • Make sure to use a fork when opening your muffins. Using a fork all around the sides of these muffins to split them ensures you get those nice nooks and crannies!

While these English muffins insides aren’t filled with as many of the signature fissures of a store-bought English muffin, their texture is still craggy enough to trap and hold plenty of butter and jam — which is the point, after all.

Other Easy Homemade Bread Ideas To Try:

If you’ve tried these HOMEMADE ENGLISH MUFFINS, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTERESTFACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!

three homemade english muffins stacked on top of each other

Homemade English Muffin Recipe

Cross the breakfast muffins off the grocery list, because they're easier than you'd think to make from scratch. This homemade English muffins recipe is simple & easy enough for any level of home baker to whip up. Served with butter or jam, they're a delicious breakfast all by themselves.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Bread, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American, English
Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 355kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups warmed milk
  • 3 tablespoons butter softened
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 4 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • Cornmeal for sprinkling

Instructions

  • Warm your milk until it is just warm, not too hot or it will kill the yeast.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer add the warmed milk, butter, salt, sugar, egg, flour and yeast.
  • With your paddle beater beat the dough until a ball forms and it comes away easily from the side of bowl.
  • Scrap down the sides and get the dough into ball shape in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
  • Let the dough rise in a warm place until it has just about doubled in size. I use the proof mode on my oven but any warm space will do.
  • Divide the dough into 8 equal balls. The dough will seem very sticky but as you are rolling it in your hands to form the balls it will become less sticky so don’t panic!
  • Sprinkle cornmeal onto a plate and flatten the balls onto the cornmeal until they are just a bit flatter and more the shape and size of an english muffin. Make sure you get cornmeal on both sides of the muffins.
  • These english muffins are cooked on a griddle. I use an electric griddle that fits all of the muffins at once. You can also use a large griddle pan on top of the stove.
  • You want to cook these on low heat, as low as your stove or griddle goes.
  • I spray the pan and place the muffins on the pan. As many as you can fit without them touching.
  • Cook the muffins over low heat for 7 to 15 minutes per side. You are looking for a lightly golden crust and the inside to be cooked through.
  • If the crust is brown and you don’t feel like the inside is cooked you can always through them in a low oven for about 10 minutes.
  • Let them cool and you are ready to serve!

Notes

  • Want more than 8 muffins? You can also make smaller english muffins and get a yield of 16 out of this recipe. 
  • Add cinnamon and raisins to the dough for cinnamon raisin english muffins.
  • Make sure to use a fork when opening your muffins. Using a fork all around the sides of these muffins to split them ensures you get those nice nooks and crannies!

Nutrition

Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 435mg | Potassium: 183mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 247IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Share it on Instagram @4sonsrus or tag #4sonsrus!

 

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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19 Comments

  1. I’ve always wanted to make English muffins, oddly I never had until I left home. I do love them, the craggy interior is wonderful. Your recipe sounds really simple saved to Evernote!!

    1. Thanks! When I first tried them, I could not believe they could be so simple! They may not be as craggy as the ones from the store, but they taste just as delicious and still manage to hold all the good stuff 😉

  2. I can’t believe I’ve never made these! My boyfriend is a massive fan, will give them a go at the weekend. Can I ask a question though – your method mentions semolina but the recipe cornmeal? I’m not really familiar with the latter, is it the same thing? (Sorry if that is a daft question!)

    1. You can use either. We prefer cornmeal though. Semolina is similar to cornmeal in texture, but is from wheat. It’s the hard part of the grain of durum wheat. It’s often used in making pasta.

  3. I ALWAYS say that I am going to make homemade English Muffins- they are a common breakfast around here…. You make it sound so easy! I may surprise my family and make them right now!!!

  4. Can I substitute anything for the yogurt??? Got all excited to make these and realized I don’t have any yogurt…

  5. I have been making these for awhile now, but I see you have updated the recipe and left out the yogurt. How much yogurt is used, I don’t remember?

    1. The old recipe didn’t use egg and used water + 2/3 – 1 cup of yogurt in place of buttermilk. We have updated the recipe to reflect a more traditional version, but will be moving the older ‘quicker’ style to The Quicker Kitchen at the end of next week Becky!