Delicious English muffins are full of all those nooks and crannies you love. A simple oven recipe to start your day with something special for breakfast.
Introduction and My Rating
This is my first recipe in several months after a complete remodel. The kitchen is not totally restocked. But this recipe has been high on my list.
As usual, I read many recipes, and honestly, for a simple thing like an English Muffin, they are all over the place. Some of the common things I didn't like:
- The need for multiple muffin rings.
- The stovetop method; you are talking about standing at a stove for multiple batches at 15 to 30 minutes each. And then some recipes still required finishing in the oven.
- Some had lots of ingredients and steps. Not for me.
- Did I say I didn't like the stovetop method and all the rings?
So I looked for an oven-baked method. There were several at King Arthur Flour, but they were variations of the same recipe, and the method struck me as needlessly complicated. It involved flipping hot trays over. Plus, some odd ingredients. I would injury myself.
There is a great discussion at Sheryl's Blog about the history of English muffins, which are really American and related to English crumpets. She included some old cookbook references (that I read) and used "raise until it drops" method. Which is just mixing and letting it rise at room temperature overnight, and the rise will stop, and the dough will "fall in upon itself." I liked the idea. It sounded great for nooks and crannies.
My Rating
A very nice breakfast treat. I'm between a 4 and a 5, but it is only a muffin.
👨🍳The Method
- Use the raise until it drops overnight rise method.
- No egg. Many recipes had an egg. Food safety first and always here. The egg sitting overnight at room temperature bothered me a lot. I know cooking would kill bacteria. But still...
- I needed a little dryer dough. All the recipes had a very moist dough. I wanted it to stand up enough not to make Peta bread and not need baking rings. I only had one.
- Preheat the baking tray with the oven to get better browning (it worked.)
- Cook to 200° internal temp.
✔️Tips
Never knead this dough.
Add a little cinnamon and raisins for a special treat.
If you like a thicker muffin, make six instead of eight.
These should freeze well. They should spoil in a few days, so if you are not consuming them in a few days, please freeze them.
If you don't have a baking ring, you can use a tuna can or something similar. You also could from them by hand, but the more you play with the dough, the fewer nooks and crannies.
📖Associated Recipes
Cheddar Bay Biscuits a la Red Lobster
🔪Instructions
Warm 1 cup milk in the microwave to about 100° to 105° (about 30-40 seconds). Also, melt 1 tablespoon butter (about 10 seconds).
Combine the warmed milk, melted butter, one tablespoon sugar, and one package (2 1/4 teaspoons) quick or rapid yeast. Mix well and allow the yeast to proof for about 5 minutes until starting to foam a little. Add 2 1/2 cups of flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well.
Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to sit overnight at room temperature.
The dough will "fall in upon itself". Cut some 4-5 inch squares of parchment papers for later use. Preheat oven to 400° with a large nonstick jelly roll tray in the oven.
Turn the dough onto a floured surfaces, and gently roll up and then cut into 8 equal pieces. Be gentle with the dough. DO NOT KNEAD.
Place some cornmeal in a shallow bowl. Gently form the dough into balls and coat with the cornmeal.
Place a 3-inch cooking ring on a piece of the parchment paper. Drop the coated balls of dough into the ring and flatten gently to fill the ring, then "dimple" the center in about a quarter of an inch. This will help it bake flatter. Repeat for all the dough balls. Allow to rest 30 minutes for any residual rise to occur.
Remove the preheated tray from the oven. Place the muffins on the tray and dust with a little more cornmeal.
Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the muffins. Bake another 8 minutes or so until the color is nice and internal temperature of 200°.
Move to a cooling rack. Allow to cool at least 5 minutes before serving.
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📖 Recipe
Baked English Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 package rapid dry yeast - or quick
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
Instructions
- Warm 1 cup milk in the microwave to about 100° to 105° (about 30-40 seconds). Also, melt 1 tablespoon butter (about 10 seconds).
- Combine the warmed milk, melted butter, one tablespoon sugar, and one package (2 1/4 teaspoons) quick or rapid yeast. Mix well and allow the yeast to proof for about 5 minutes until starting to foam a little. Add 2 1/2 cups of flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to sit overnight at room temperature.
- The dough will "fall in upon itself". Cut some 4-5 inch squares of parchment papers for later use. Preheat oven to 400° with a large nonstick jelly roll tray in the oven. The pan should be non-stick or spray with PAM or use parchment paper.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surfaces and gentlly roll up and then cut into 8 equal pieces. Be gentle with the dough. DO NOT KNEAD.
- Place some cornmeal in a shallow bowl. Gently form the dough into balls and coat with the cornmeal.
- Place a 3-inch cooking ring on a piece of the parchment paper. Drop the coated balls of dough into the ring and flatten gently to fill the ring, than "dimple" the center in about a quarter of an inch. This will help it bake flatter. Repeat for all the dough balls. Allow to rest 30 minutes for any residual rise to occur.
- Remove the preheated tray from the oven. Place the muffins on the tray and dust with a little more cornmeal.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the muffins. Bake another 8 minutes or so until the color is nice and internal temperature of 200°.
- Move to a cooling rack. Allow to cool at least 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Never knead this dough.
- Add a little cinnamon and raisins for a special treat.
- If you like a thicker muffin, make six instead of eight.
- These should freeze well. They should spoil in a few days, so if you are not consuming them in a few days, please freeze them.
- If you don't have a baking ring, you can use a tuna can or something similar. You also could from them by hand but the more you play with the dough, the fewer nooks and crannies.
Nutrition
Originally published May 9, 2015. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos and a table of contents to help navigation.
wbj
Is temp in degree F or C? 100 F seems a bit low; 400 C very high ...
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi wbj,
I think you are misreading. The milk is warmed to 100-105 in step one for the yeast. In step 4, the oven is preheated to 400 degrees. All temperatures are F.
Dan
Loli
Do you grease the jelly roll pan before baking? or do you use the parchment paper squares to bake the muffins on? The pics show no parchment paper except to form the muffins on.
DrDan
If you have a good non-stick tray, you don't need to do anything. If unsure, a spray of PAM or sheet of parchment paper would do.
Dan
LHS
It was my first attempt at making English muffins. I have made lots of other breads.
The taste was good, but I think my dough was a little dry. Next time, I'll add a bit more milk or reduce the flour to 2 1/4 2 1/2 cups.
Crista
Are these baked in the ring or removed from ring to bake?
DrDan
The ring is only used to shape. No left on for baking.
Maxine
Tried these yesterday - very, very good! Not Thomas's, but still... I will make them again. Thanks for the recipe. :}
Dan Mikesell
The corn meal is more traditional than needed. I have no idea what cream of wheat would do here.
Deloris
brocade blue---
Can you get a cereal to cook called Cream of Wheat? It has similar texture to cornmeal but is white.
brocade blue
I hate it that I cant get cornmeal where I live...whatever can I use in replacement?
Leslie
So glad your back to posting recipes, I plan on making these this weekend. Recipe sounds great and as all your recipes not to complicated for ok but new cooks like me.
DrDan
Thanks Leslie, I think it will be a slow restart.
Dan
Deloris
Would you please tell me what you mean by "dimpling?"
Thank you.
DrDan
Dimpling is when you depress the center. In this case there is 3 inch diameter about 1/2 inch thick. Depress the center inch or so about 1/8 inch. This will help the center not to puff out during cooking. I do the same thing with burgers on the grill to keep them flatter.
Joan Garneau
These I will try and soon. I have tried quite a few English Muffin recipes, but they never had the nooks and crannies. This recipe makes sense for getting them and letting the dough sit that long should give the dough a slight sourdough flavor. I have a new egg cooker that makes perfect poached eggs that will go so well with English muffins.
DrDan
I was trying to avoid the small bun type of muffin and this worked out well. They do have a little sourdough type taste.
Dan
Pat
I love English muffins , I won't be making these till it cools a bit here, but next cool rainy day forecast I will for sure be making up a batch the evening before! Can taste Them now with homemade strawberry jam.
Thank You
DrDan
I usually don't do overnight things but for this it is required. It is cold and raining here.
Dan