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Homemade English Muffins

Posted by in Step-by-Step Recipes

I love Georgia Pellegrini. She’s as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, and her passion for food writing is infectious. She’s also an active Tasty Kitchen member, and I’m so excited to welcome her as a contributor. Take it away, Georgia! –Ree

 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

 
Sarah Fowler had me at skillet. In life, you need few things. Everyone has their list. Mine includes a bedroll and a skillet. Entire meals can be cooked in a single skillet. And the best part? You don’t really have to wash a skillet. You just wipe it out, stick it back on the stove, and move on with your day! It is God’s antidote to dirty dishes.

When I saw Sarah’s recipe for homemade English Muffins, I was intrigued. When I saw it required little more than your hands and a skillet, I was sold. And so I channeled Thomas and gave them a try. They are a fun breakfast treat and not nearly as daunting as they may sound.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

I also liked how simple the ingredients are—all things people often have sitting in their kitchen ready to go.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

You begin by whisking together the honey, butter, and milk until it begins to bubble slightly. Then you set it aside to cool.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Meanwhile, you line a sheet tray with foil or wax paper and sprinkle it generously with cornmeal.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Since you don’t use any butter to cook the muffins, I found it was important to be very generous with the cornmeal. That’s why Thomas has that dusting of cornmeal on his muffins. It feels authentic.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Next pour the yeast dissolved in water into a bowl.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Add the butter, honey, and milk mixture, and give it a stir.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Combine half of the flour into the mixture.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

I was feeling rebellious so I added some whole-wheat flour to the mix instead of all white flour. Whatever suits your mood.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Mix it together well to remove the large lumps.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Add the salt to the remaining flour.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Then add the rest of the flour to the wet ingredients.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Mix it together well. Now might be the time to get your hands in there. That is your best kitchen tool, after all.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Lay the dough on a clean, floured surface and sprinkle it with some more flour.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Begin to work the dough with your hands, and knead it for 3-4 minutes. Then let it rest for 5 minutes to help the gluten relax.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Next you get out the rolling pin. Add more flour to the surface and the rolling pin, and roll it to ¼ – ½ inch thickness. I was a little overzealous with the rolling pin and if I were to do it again, I would err on the thicker side for a thicker muffin.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Then with a cutter, or as Sarah wisely pointed out, the top of a mason jar, cut circles from the dough.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Place them on the prepared sheet tray, cover with a clean dry towel, and let them rise.

Since I made these later in the day, I let them rise overnight so that they were ready to finish for breakfast the next morning. However you do it, they may need more time to rise than the recipe suggests, depending on your environment. The key is to wait until they look plump and have about doubled.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Next you remove the towel and heat an ungreased skillet.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Dust off any excess cornmeal so that it doesn’t burn in the pan, and place a few muffins at a time into the skillet.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

I cooked mine for about 7 minutes on each side, on medium low heat. You just want them to brown, not cook through.

Once they look browned, remove them to a rack to cool. Then, with a fork, split them open and toast them. Whatever you’re not ready to eat now can be refrigerated or even frozen for another day.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

Thomas would be proud.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

They are full of all of those signature nooks and crannies.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Homemade English Muffins. Guest post by Georgia Pellegrini, recipe submitted by TK member Sarah Fowler.

And then you can do all sorts of fun things with them. Add some lemon curd or a bit of butter and jam. Or make a truly homemade bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich.

Give these a try sometime!

And thanks again to Tasty Kitchen member Sarah Fowler for this fun homespun recipe.


 
 


Printable Recipe

English Muffins

See post on Sarah Fowler’s site!
4.33 Mitt(s) 12 Rating(s)12 votes, average: 4.33 out of 512 votes, average: 4.33 out of 512 votes, average: 4.33 out of 512 votes, average: 4.33 out of 512 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5

Prep Time:

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Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 20

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Description

Homemade English muffins. A lot of work, but worth it!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Milk
  • 3 Tablespoons Butter
  • 2 Tablespoons Honey
  • 1 cup Warm Water
  • ¼ ounces, weight Yeast
  • ¼ cups Cornmeal
  • 5-½ cups Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Salt

Preparation Instructions

Combine milk, butter, and honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Warm until butter starts to melt, then whisk briefly. Remove pan from heat and allow liquid to cool to lukewarm.

Pour water into a mixing bowl and sprinkle with yeast. Stir gently with a fork. Set bowl aside for 10 minutes, or until yeast has dissolved.

Line baking sheets with waxed paper and sprinkle with a generous amount of cornmeal.

Pour cooled milk mixture into yeast mixture and gently stir until well blended. Add 3 cups flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth. Beat in remaining flour and salt until the dough is no longer sticky. Scrape the dough onto a floured surface and dust with flour. Flour hands and knead dough for 3-4 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes.

Roll out dough with rolling pin to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough into circles (a tumbler or mason jar does well). Transfer muffins to prepared baking sheets and sprinkle with cornmeal. Cover with a dry, lightweight towel and let rise until doubled in height, 35-45 minutes.

When muffins have risen, heat a skillet over medium heat. Carefully lift muffins from the pan and place on the ungreased skillet. Cook about 10 minutes on each side, using a spatula to flip them. Transfer to a wire rack to cool before splitting (with a fork) and toasting them.

 
 
_______________________________________

There’s so much to say about Georgia, we don’t know where to start. Leaving Wall Street for the French Culinary Institute, followed by a stint at the Gramercy Tavern and La Chassagnette in France, her passion for food and food traditions are evident and inspiring. Visit her site at Georgia Pellegrini, where you’ll find more recipes, photos, learn all about her wonderful book Food Heroes, and enjoy her latest adventures.

 
 

62 Comments

Comments are closed for this recipe.

Jami on 5.7.2011

Where is the recipe for this?

Sanjeeta kk on 2.27.2011

Just Googling around for English muffins and landed here, glad that i did :) Making then today.

amy on 2.12.2011

Thanks. I am seriously drooling!!

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mywvworld on 2.10.2011

These are going to the top of the list for this weekend!

Beth on 2.8.2011

I mixed these up and formed them but want to wait until morning to cook them. Should I just leave them under a towel, or wrap them up more securely? Or the counter or in the fridge?

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vlmarston on 2.7.2011

I made muffins using this recipe this weekend. They’re really good except they puffed up into balls when I put them on my griddle. Kinda smashed them down but noticed yours didn’t do that. Any idea what I did different?

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Marla Meridith on 2.5.2011

Georgia – who the heck would ever by store bought English Muffins again. These are gorgeous & I bet taste amazing. Love how they cook up in a pan.

Ellie C. on 2.4.2011

Wondering if anyone has tried these with margarine and rice or soy milk for a dairy free version? and did you get good results?

Thanks!

Nalani on 2.3.2011

I am on the hcg diet and have 3 more pounds to my goal weight. I am so happy about that and when I am done I will make these. The thought makes me cry happy tears. Thomas would be proud. These muffins look awesome.

Jill from Best Toaster Oven on 2.2.2011

Wow – I’m impressed. English muffins have always been one of those mystery items (no idea how they are made) to me. Can’t believe they really aren’t that difficult to make. I eat one almost everyday for breakfast so I’ll try this and see how mine come out.

Granite-girl on 2.2.2011

looks good – I also just recently acquired an iron skillet & no idea what to do with it. We don’t have English muffins enough around our house – but love ‘em.

Amy at TheSceneFromMe on 2.2.2011

My mom always makes us egg mcmuffin sandwhiches on Christmas morning. Perhaps I will give her this recipe to make for us now!

Courtney on 2.2.2011

Oh my gosh they look perfect, I can’t wait to try making these! :)

Cindy on 2.1.2011

Ree, I’ve been hearing about you on KWTV since this past weekend. Your news teaser intrigued me, so I googled you and ended up here. Darn those muffins look good! I’m snowed in here in the Big City & can’t get to the store. Guess I’ll have to drool til I can get to the store!

Blessings!

Melissa on 2.1.2011

I love English muffins. They are part of my morning breakfast almost everyday. I havent made my own but I love any excuse to use my own loved cast iron skillet. I’ll have to try these.

wyobeth on 2.1.2011

So, in England are they just called muffins?

Nicole G. on 2.1.2011

I made these this morning and they were so yummy.

Initially, mine turned out a little doughy in the middle so I turned down the heat and was able to cook them a big longer and they ended up less doughy and more delicious! I also brushed the tops with a little water to make the cornmeal stick better so they didn’t burn in the pan. Finally, I don’t have a skillet (I know, my kitchen is lacking), but I used a flat “grill pan” and they still turned out well.

I would’ve never thought I could make English muffins at home…I will definitely be adding this recipe to my favorites :)

Pam the Goatherd on 2.1.2011

I made these yesterday. I must say the flavor is really good but there are some adjustments that I would make to the recipe. The biggest problem I came across was cooking them on medium heat for 10 minutes on each side. Maybe my gas stove burners are hotter than others, but having the temp that hot was making the muffins burn almost as soon as they hit the pan! Once my cast iron skillet was heated up I ended up turning the heat down to one notch above the low setting and only cooking them for 2 to 3 minutes on a side.
The other thing I would do differently next time is to roll the dough out to less than 1/2 inch. No matter what temp or how long I cooked them, the finished muffins were still doughy in the middle. I think having a thinner round to work with would probably resolve that issue.
One thing I didn’t understand about the recipe was that it said the butter should be divided, but it never said how or why???
I will definitely make these again, though. They were yummy!

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mammafo2 on 2.1.2011

can’t wait to get home and try these! only thing I don’t have a skillet

Lisa (Dishes of Mrs. Fish) on 2.1.2011

These look fantastic!

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Jan on 2.1.2011

wow – awesome recipe. i always thought english muffins would be too hard to make and you presented your recipe in such a great manner that i feel brave enough to try to make them! thanks so much :)

Katie | GoodLife Eats on 2.1.2011

I have been wanting to make homemade english muffins for quite a while, this might just finally give me a push in the right direction. They are one of my favorites, especially sourdough english muffins!

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Stephanie on 2.1.2011

I LOVE english muffins!!! I buy them every week at the store! I am definitely going to try these… especially since I have everything at home already :) Thank you for this tutorial because I never would have thought I could have made them!

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on 2.1.2011

Ooops, sorry, Georgia, not Georgina.

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on 2.1.2011

I used my high moisture dough ala TK’s Artisan Bread Awesomeness -( with 1 cup of cornmeal and 2 cups of bread flour for the 3 cups flour in her recipe). Then I used this technique – wonderful! I would never have thought of “baking” in a skillet. Thank you for the step by step Georgina, as well as the recipe Sarah!

Happy When Not Hungry on 2.1.2011

I love English muffins and never would’ve thought of making my own! These look delicious! I might try adding raisins and cinnamon to mine. Thanks for sharing!

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Katrina on 2.1.2011

This is a great post. I love english muffins for a breakfast sandwich any time of day! Mmm.

Michele C. on 1.31.2011

Wow those look delicious! I might try these next week!!

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DessertForTwo on 1.31.2011

I’m so happy Georgia is now a contributor! She’s amazing!

I’ve always wanted to try making my own English muffins. Thanks for the push :)

WashingtonPharmGirl on 1.31.2011

I see tomorrows breakfast! Nummy!

Lorrie McD. on 1.31.2011

May have to try converting them to dairy free and wheat free!

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twopeasandtheirpod on 1.31.2011

Welcome Georgia:) I will be making these very soon! Great photos!

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Natalie | Perry's Plate on 1.31.2011

Beautiful, Georgia! I love breakfast sandwiches like that, and I’ve had my eye on this recipe. Thanks for laying it all out! And welcome to the TK blog :)

Christina in MN on 1.31.2011

I had no idea they’d be so easy to make.
I’m going to get a cast iron skillet this week so I can try this and because I want one.

Brenda W. on 1.31.2011

I never realized how easy these could be to make! Now if I could get brave and start using a cast iron skillet I would be set.

elizabeth on 1.31.2011

thanks. i am now drooling all over my desk.

without an oven on 1.31.2011

Oh, dear me! I’m temporarily without a kitchen since we moved and the whole house needs to be renovated-so no oven and I’m stuck cooking on one of those two-top plug in burners. I am so grateful for this recipe and the fact I could possibly cook a bread-type item on the “stove”! Yippee! (I also live in Belgium and English muffins in my area are not too common either!

Cici on 1.31.2011

Yummy!! Miss having English Muffins but now I can make them – this looks delicious!! thanks :)

Janan W on 1.31.2011

I haven’t made my own muffins but we make these sandwiches ALOT! I make cheesy scrambled egss and we cook bacon, the secret ingredient though is topping it all with a ring of pineapple! SOOOOOO good.

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Eat 2gather on 1.31.2011

Beautiful! This is a great recipe to show the Step by Step on because I am not sure I would have tackled it with out the visual. Very nice!

Clabbergirl on 1.31.2011

Thomas would be proud! You cracked me up! When we do McMuffins at home (yep, I use Thomas’) I get to break out my handy dandy Williams-Sonoma egg rings. How did I ever live without them? Do the english muffins freeze as well as the store bought kind?

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maryfrancesellison on 1.31.2011

This is wonderful, and a great recipe to feature as a “Step-by-Step” on the TK blog! One more idea that I’m going to incorporate, when I make this recipe on Valentine’s Day weekend, is to turn the circular English Muffins into hearts like I saw in a recipe feature that was in Family Fun magazine a couple of years ago. Essentially, it was the same as this recipe, but with the following instruction added after the dough was cut into circles … “Now shape each circle into a heart: use a knife or scissors to cut a third of the way into the circle, round the cut side into the top of the heart, and then pinch the opposite side into a point for the tip.” Then you let them rise and continue with the recipe. They looked so cute, and perfect for a family Valentine’s Day breakfast! If you need a visual, here’s the link to the Family Fun recipe (http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/english-muffin-hearts-683714/).

Amy G on 1.31.2011

I just made english muffins for the first time a week ago. It was fun and easy and they taste so good! I froze half of them so we could enjoy them later – they don’t keep long on the counter.

rebecca on 1.31.2011

who is Thomas???

(I’m going to try with spelt flour!!!)

Cookin'Momma on 1.31.2011

Yummy! Cannot wait to make these and like the comments that Natasha made about the sprouted grains. Love the grainy texture. Will also try and include garlic or toasted onion and fresh herbs! I AM SO HYPED!!!!

Gordon on 1.31.2011

YUM!

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Wenderly on 1.31.2011

Yay Georgia! CONGRATS to you for becoming the newest TK contributor love! What gorgeous muffins! I’ve just recently inherited some cast iron pans that I’m just adoring!! You are so right about them being the perfect antidote to dirty dishes! Can’t wait to try these little gems!

Amy | She Wears Many Hats on 1.31.2011

Would love to try these sometime. Lovely photos!

Tabitha (FromSingletoMarried) on 1.31.2011

Wow these are amazing! I would have never even thought to make my own muffins – impressive!

Casper on 1.31.2011

Looks good. This is one thing I haven’t made from scratch but always have wanted to. Think I will give this one a try! Thanks.