Recipe: English Muffins

Published: July 31, 2026

Getting each muffin the same size is still a work in progress. I’ve been measuring by observation but I think I need to start weighing each ball of dough so things stay more consistent.

Is it just me, or does every store bought bread now taste like sponge? An expensive sponge at that. It feels like every time I stop at the grocery store the price of bread and English muffins has increased by a few cents from the last.

While enjoying my summer off I’ve begun to challenge myself to make as much as possible to bring down the grocery bill anywhere I can.

I did go to school for pastry arts back in the day but bread was never my strong suit so perfecting my bread recipes has been both fun and humbling but now with more time to focus on the processes we’re getting somewhere!

English muffins are a breakfast staple in our household and I’m excited to be making these at home now. The process is very involved; they’re made in a pan as opposed to in an oven requiring you to be present during the cooking process since it’s quick.

History of the English Muffin

These guys date back to 10th century in Wales which was a part of Great Britain (no surprise English muffins have an England connection) where they were made from “bara mean," a yeast-leavened baked cake.

The English muffin made it’s way to North America thanks to Samuel Bath Thomas who, in 1874, emigrated from Plymouth, England, to the United States. Thomas worked in a New York City bakery and created his own version of what he later trademarked as the English muffin. In 1880, he launched his own bakery and the business eventually expanded to Philadelphia and New England and included many different baked goods.

Back to present day, English muffins are considered a breakfast staple in many in English-speaking countries like Canada, the US, New Zealand and Australia.

Fun fact: In England, “English muffins" are just simply known as muffins (which makes you wonder if they have what we’d consider regular muffins there.)

The word muffin is believed to originate from the old French word ‘moufflet’ which translates to “soft.”

English Muffin Recipe

1 1/4 cup Warm Water

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 1/4 tsp Dry Active Yeast

2 Tbsp Oil

2 3/4 cups Flour

1 tsp salt

Cornmeal for dusting

Dissolve yeast in the warm water with the sugar. Set aside to rise.
Add remaining ingredients together in with the yeast. Mix together either by hand or in a stand mixer.
Knead dough for 5 minutes.
Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
Punch dough down and knead a few times to smoothen out.
Divide dough into 10 pieces.
Roll pieces into balls.
Press the balls down in the cornmeal and sprinkle the tops with a more cornmeal.
Cover and let rise for an additional 20 minutes.
Cook in a greased pan, covered, for 9 minutes. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes.
Let them cool completely before storing. Serve toasted with jam or create your favorite breakfast sandwich.