Homemade Buttery English Muffins
Photo by theAmateurPastryChef
Recipe At a Glance
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| Total Time | 5 hours 30 minutes (most is inactive rising time) |
| Yield | 16 servings (16 individual muffins) |
| Total Ingredients | 9 core ingredients + 1 optional add-in |
Ingredients
1 ½ cups milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 large egg
3 ¾ cups hard whole wheat flour
¼ cup gluten flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ascorbic acid (optional)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Step-by-Step Directions
Heat the milk and butter together until it reaches blood temperature. Test the temperature by dabbing a drop on your inner wrist — it should feel barely warm, not hot.
Beat the egg into the warm milk mixture, then stir until the yeast is fully dissolved.
Add your flours and salt to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Make a deep well in the center of the dry ingredients.
Pour the milk mixture into the well and mix thoroughly to form a shaggy dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for roughly 10 minutes, until it becomes smooth and elastic.
Place the kneaded dough back into a clean, oiled bowl, turning the dough once to coat its entire surface in oil. Cover the bowl tightly with a damp kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 2 hours, until it doubles in volume.
Punch down the risen dough to release trapped air, then turn it back out onto your work surface. Roll the dough into a cylinder roughly 1 ½ inches in diameter.
Cut the cylinder into 16 equal slices, each roughly ½ inch thick. Gently flatten any slices that are thicker than needed.
Arrange the cut muffin pieces on an oiled cookie sheet or a sheet of waxed paper. Cover again with the damp kitchen towel, and let them rise a second time for 2 hours, until they double in size again.
Preheat a heavy, ungreased cast iron skillet over medium-low heat (this is slightly lower heat than you would use for cooking pancakes).
Cook the muffins in batches if needed, until the first side turns lightly golden. Flip once, then cook the second side. Each side will take 3 to 5 minutes to cook through.
Before serving, split the muffins open and toast them (this ensures the center is fully cooked through and gives you that classic English muffin texture).
Bread Machine Shortcut
You can make the dough with a bread machine to cut down on prep work:
Add all wet ingredients to the bread machine pan first, then top with all dry ingredients.
Run the full dough cycle to complete the first rise.
Pick the recipe back up at Step 7 (shaping the dough) above and follow the remaining instructions as written.
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Reader Reviews
These were very good! They look just like the muffins you buy in stores, but taste much better. I found these very easy to prepare, if time consuming. I let the dough mix in my bread machine. Since I was unable to buy plain gluten, I used all bread flour (which already contains high gluten). This worked out quite well. Note: these bake in the skillet on top of the stove, just like pancakes.
Wow! I'll never buy English Muffins again. I used King Arthur White Wheat Flour and upped the yeast to 1 T. since I don't use a bread machine. I didn't have the ascorbic acid, but I can't imagine how they could have come out any better. Thanks for posting this recipe!
I LOVE Thomas' Light English Muffins & used to have one daily...then I read the ingredients list and decided to see what options I had. I tried this recipe mostly due to its high fiber and protein content. I followed the recipe exactly, using my bread machine, except for the ascorbic acid which I didn't add. They were easy to make & cook. These didn't turn out as light & airy as the Thomas' but they are VERY good. I froze most of them and they are quick & easy to defrost in the microwave, toast & top with jelly or PB for a breakfast on the go. My daughter MUCH prefers these over the store bought ones. I will definitely be making these again. Thanks for sharing!
Oh my goodness!! These are SOO good!! I'm cooking them as I type, I snuck one to taste, and it's awesome!! I'm taking them to a tea party tomorrow, I can't wait for everyone to try....you'll never buy these again! I skipped the ascorbic acid and I used rice milk and Earth Balance Margarine. I also rolled the dough out and used a biscuit cutter to give a more uniform shape. I dusted them with cornmeal as well. They are really great, thank you so much!
Dear Jenny, thank you thank you for sharing this great recipe. I am living in Argentina, and as far as I can tell there are no English Muffins to be bought in this country, so the recipe was a godsend. I did it all with white flour (whole wheat flour is just a little easier to find than English muffins), and omitted the vitamin C. At first I was worried because it didn't really look like the dough was rising properly, but they came out perfect, and were a HUGE hit with my family and my expat coworkers. I'll be making these again soon.
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About the Recipe Author
Submitted by Jenny Sanders, Cambridge, Ontario
I love to garden, growing both perennials and vegetables. I am always looking for new recipes to test and adjust, especially good simple vegetable dishes. I try to use organic ingredients as much as possible.
