English Muffins

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Tasty homemade English muffins with plenty of nooks and crannies!

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Rise time3

Total Time3 45

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: English

Keyword: Bread, muffin

Servings: muffins

Calories: 173kcal

Author: Tricia

Equipment

Cast iron skillet
instant read thermometer

Ingredients

1 ½ cups whole milk 12oz
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons honey
½ cup water 105° - 110°F (4oz)
2 ¼ teaspoons instant or rapid rise yeast
¼ cup cornmeal
5 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, or 4 ½ cups all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat flour (678g)
2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

Combine milk, butter, and honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Warm until butter just starts to melt, then whisk briefly. Remove pan from heat and allow liquid to cool to lukewarm (105° to 110°F).
Pour warm 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.
Pour the cooled milk mixture into yeast mixture and gently stir until well blended. Add half the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until incorporated. The mixture will be lumpy. Add the remaining flour and salt and stir until no pockets of dry flour remain. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Scrape the dough onto lightly floured work surface and knead to form smooth, round ball, about 1 minute. Place the dough into a large, lightly greased bowl, turn to coat the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm location, or at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.
Line a large baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. Lightly spray the paper with vegetable cooking spray and sprinkle with half of the cornmeal.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently roll the dough out to a 1-inch thick disk. Cut the dough into rounds using a 2 ½-inch biscuit cutter making sure you get as many as you can from the dough. Gather scraps and repeat.
Transfer muffin rounds to the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with remaining cornmeal. Cover loosely with a greased piece of plastic wrap. Allow the rounds to rise in a warm location until puffy and almost doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two clean baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
When muffins have risen, heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.
Using a spatula, gently place 4 muffins into the preheated skillet. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, using the spatula to flip. Gently press down on the rounds to flatten if they start to dome or puff too much while cooking. Reduce the heat while cooking, if needed, to prevent burning. Wipe out the skillet between batches removing any browned corn meal.Transfer the browned muffins to the parchment lined baking sheet. Continue until all muffins are browned on both sides. Once you fill one baking sheet, go ahead and bake while browning the remaining dough rounds.
Bake muffins for 12 to 15 minutes depending on the size and thickness. The muffins should reach an internal temperature of 205° to 210°F. Insert the instant read thermometer into the side of the muffin, pushing all the way into the middle for best results.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool before splitting and toasting. Split the muffins with a fork for best results.

Notes

To make ahead: Let the uncooked dough rounds rise in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours or until almost doubled in size. Continue by browning in the skillet and baking as desired.
Freeze leftover English muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition