English Muffins Recipe | King Arthur Baking

Skip to main content

1. Recipes
2. Buns & Rolls
3. English muffins & crumpets

English Muffins Recipe by The Big Book of Bread 21 Reviews 3.7 out of 5 stars

Slightly tangy and loaded with nooks and crannies, these homemade English muffins from the Big Book of Bread stand head-and-shoulders above store-bought and are surprisingly easy to make at home. Because they’re “baked” in a skillet on the stovetop, you don’t even need to turn on the oven. If you use a cutter, you’ll end up with six round English muffins with some scrap dough; if you don’t mind a square muffin, you can use a knife or bench scraper to cut the dough and eliminate the scraps altogether.

Prep 45 mins Bake 20 to 30 mins Total 4 hrs Yield six medium 3 1/2" muffins Print Share

• Share on Facebook
• Share by Email
• Share on Pinterest
• Share on Linkedin
• Share on Threads

Share Share

• Share on Facebook
• Share by Email
• Share on Pinterest
• Share on Linkedin
• Share on Threads

Ingredients

Preferment*

• 1 1/2 cups plus 4 teaspoons (190g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 3/4 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons (152g) milk, lukewarm; whole preferred (90°F)
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons (102g) water, lukewarm (90°F)

Dough*

• 1 cup (120g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon (6g) table salt
• 1 teaspoon (4g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (18g) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 to 3 tablespoons (20g to 30g) yellow cornmeal, for dusting

*For best results, measure ingredients by weight.

Nutrition Information

Featured products

Zojirushi Gourmet Sizzler Electric Griddle $169.95 King Arthur Baking Company's Big Book of Bread Current Price $29.87 Original Price $44.95 Bench Knife $28.95 Half-Sheet Baking Parchment Paper - 100 pack $24.95

Instructions

Bake Mode Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

1. Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.

2. To make the preferment: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, milk, and water until smooth. The mixture will have the consistency of thick pancake batter.

3. Cover the preferment and let rest at room temperature for 1 to 4 hours. After 1 hour the mixture will have grown a bit in volume and small bubbles will have appeared on top. After 4 hours, the preferment will have doubled in volume, have many small bubbles on the surface, and have a slightly sour aroma. The longer the mixture ferments, the more flavor the English muffins will have.

4. To make the dough: Add the flour, salt, sugar, and butter to the preferment, mixing by hand or with the handle-end of a wooden spoon to form a soft, sticky dough. Using a wet hand and a light touch, quickly work the dough against the side of the bowl until it begins to smooth out and is tacky.

   Learn more

   Blog

   Baking with preferments

   By Martin Philip

5. Once you’ve mixed your dough, perform a bowl fold: Reach a bowl scraper or your wet hand down between the side of the bowl and the dough, as though you were going to lift the dough out. Instead of lifting, stretch the bottom of the dough up and over its top. Repeat this motion, working your way around the bowl, about 6 to 8 times or until the dough resists stretching.

6. Flip the dough over so that the smooth side is up, then round out the dough by cupping your hand and applying pressure towards the bottom of the dough, forcing it into the bottom and side of the bowl to create tension. Cover and let rest at warm room temperature for 1 hour.

7. Perform another bowl fold, then flip the dough over and round it out by creating tension as before. Cover and let rest at warm room temperature for 1 hour, or until very puffy and marshmallowy.

8. Use a bowl scraper to gently ease the dough out of the bowl onto a work surface dusted with cornmeal. Gently deflate the dough then sprinkle the top lightly with cornmeal. Pat the dough into a circle that is 1/2" thick.

9. Using a 3 1/2" round cutter, cut 4 rounds out of the dough, keeping the spacing as close as possible to cut down on the amount of scrap dough leftover. Gently bring the scrap dough together, pinching it to adhere. Flatten the dough to 1/2" thickness again, if needed, then continue cutting rounds; you should be able to cut 2 more.

10. Lightly dust a piece of parchment with cornmeal, then transfer the rounds of dough to the parchment. Cover and let rest until puffy, 20 to 30 minutes.

11. Preheat a 10" to 12" cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until a few water drops flicked on the surface sizzle then take a moment to evaporate. Alternatively, preheat an electric griddle to 350°F.

12. Carefully transfer the muffins to the preheated pan or griddle and cook until the bottoms are lightly browned and the sides look matte, 10 to 15 minutes. The muffins will puff up to about 1" thick. Flip the muffins over and continue cooking on the second side until browned, an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

13. Place the muffins on a wire rack to cool slightly before serving. For the ultimate “nook and cranny” experience, fork-split the muffins before toasting and slathering with butter.

14. Storage information: Store leftover English muffins at room temperature in an airtight container up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.

Baker’s Resources

• Recipe success guide
• Tips & techniques
• High-altitude baking
• Baker’s yeast
• Ingredient weight chart
• Tools & pans
• How to measure flour
• Safe handling instructions

Chat with a baker Shop

Recommended for you

4.9 out of 5 stars out of 5 stars 3502 Reviews Reviews All-Purpose Flour $6.95 4.9 out of 5 stars out of 5 stars 3099 Reviews Reviews SAF Red Instant Yeast $9.95 4.9 out of 5 stars out of 5 stars 6278 Reviews Reviews Half-Sheet Baking Parchment Paper - 50 pack $19.95 4.8 out of 5 stars out of 5 stars 645 Reviews Reviews Bench Knife $28.95

For more recipes like this subscribe to our newsletter

View our privacy policy Recipes

Recommended Recipes

English muffins & crumpets Deli Rye English Muffins English muffins & crumpets Baked Cinnamon English Muffins English muffins & crumpets Sourdough English Muffins English muffins & crumpets Baked English Muffins

Download Our App

Receive Recipes & Special Offers

View our privacy policy

Our Social Communities

Facebook TikTok Instagram Threads Pinterest LinkedIn YouTube

Get in Touch

Chat | Email

All All Recipes Products Blog Classes Other Submit

Popular in recipes

• Flaky Puff Crust Pizza
• Classic Sourdough Pancakes
• King Arthur's Original Cake Pan Cake

Popular in products

• Bread Flour
• Brod & Taylor Sourdough Home
• Baking Parchment Paper

Popular in blog

• Introducing our 2026 Recipe of the Year
• Beginner's guide to sourdough baking
• Why you should bake pie crust upside down

close

My Account

Close

Welcome!

Sign In Sign Up Account Overview Easy access to your account details. Order History View your previous orders. Recipe Box View or print your saved recipes. Wishlist View or share your favorite products. Baker's Rewards View and redeem your loyalty points. My Classes Easy access to your On-Demand classes. Sign Out

• Baking School Login
• Gift Card Balance Lookup