Homemade English muffins have been something we have wanted to make for years. Recently John came upon a recipe in Cook’s Country magazine that inspired him to give it a try. After the first batch and a few adjustments to the recipe, we were hooked. We always keep our freezer stocked with these beauties. We enjoy eating them toasted with butter and jam as well as with our favorite eggs Benedict with avocado hollandaise. The nice thing about these English muffins is that they don’t take very long to make and the finished product is far superior to any commercial product.
If your cornmeal is on the coarse side, you may want to sift out the large, gritty pieces which can become very hard upon toasting the muffins.
Dough rings help to ensure perfectly tall, well-shaped muffins. We had purchased a dozen rings for another recipe so we were thrilled to be able to make use of them for this recipe. Sprinkle cornmeal into each muffin ring before placing dough inside.
After the dough rounds go into the rings, sprinkle more cornmeal over the top and press lightly into the dough.
The dough will rise for 1 hour before being fried in butter for a quick 30 seconds or so on each side. If you don’t mind a chewier and darker crust, they can be fried longer (up to 2 minutes per side).
Once all of the dough has been fried they go into the oven to bake.
Beautiful English muffins cooling on a wire rack.
Fork-splitting the muffins rather than slicing them with a knife will ensure little nooks and crannies that not only produce beautiful crispy edges when toasted, but also allow the toppings such as butter and jam to sink in to all the crevices. Yum.
- 1 cup + 6 tablespoons of warm whole lactose free milk or regular whole milk,110 degrees (312 grams/11 oz.)
- 2 tablespoons honey (40 grams)
- 2¾ cups bread flour (428 grams/15⅛ oz.)
- 1 tablespoon instant or rapid rise yeast (11 grams)
- 1¼ teaspoons table salt (7 grams)
- ⅓ cup cornmeal (sifted if very coarse)
- 2 tablespoons + butter (we use Miyoko's vegan butter)
- Special equipment: 10 muffin rings 3½-inch size (recommended for perfectly shaped, tall muffins), 2 half-sheet pans, 2 silicone baking mats or parchment paper
- Combine milk with honey in a large bowl. Heat in microwave to 110 degrees but no more (about 20 - 30 seconds). A digital thermometer is useful here. We like the Thermapen. Whisk warm milk and honey together.
- In a separate smaller bowl, whisk dry ingredients (flour, yeast and salt) together. Combine wet and dry ingredients together in first bowl. Mix thoroughly (we like to use a Danish dough whisk). Cover the bowl and proof for 1 hour. Do one set of stretches and folds after 30 minutes of proofing.
- Line a half sheet pan with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Place 10 muffin rings on pan. Spray thoroughly with cooking spray making sure the ring interiors are well coated. Sprinkle corn meal inside the rings.
- Once dough has proofed, divide into 10 equal pieces (about 79 grams each). Round each piece slightly on a floured surface then flatten the dough pieces until approximately the diameter of the rings. Press the dough gently into the rings. Sprinkle corn meal over the top and press into the dough with your fingers. Cover the pan with a second sheet pan. Proof for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees once dough has proofed for 50 minutes.
- Once dough has proofed for 1 hour, heat a 12" non-stick skillet on medium to medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon of butter. In batches of up to four, add dough (in rings) to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds on each side, or until lightly browned. Add more butter to the pan for each batch. Transfer fried muffins to second silicone baking mat or parchment lined half sheet pan. Continue frying until all 10 are done. Transfer pan to oven and bake for 12-13 minutes, or until centers register 205-210 degrees.
- Remove rings and let muffins cool completely on a wire rack. Fork-split muffins before toasting. Muffins freeze well.
