Homemade English muffins
Homemade English muffins are easier than you think to make. They’re a great, simple bake for little bakers to try.
Homemade English muffins are a great, easy bake for kids (or beginner bakers) to try. This recipe is really simple. And if you have a mixer you can let that do the hard work then just shape and cook them. You’ll get a beautiful soft muffin for your effort.
What is an English muffin?
Unlike sweet, baked muffins, English muffins get their rise from yeast. They’re a delicious savoury bread that are perfect served with a little butter at breakfast time.
Or, add some jam and have them as a mid morning or after school snack.
How do English muffins differ from crumpets?
English muffins and crumpets are both bread related, a similar size and cooked rather than baked. You’ll also tend to find them both next to each other in the supermarket, but I think they’re quite different. English muffins use yeast as the raising agent, while crumpets use baking soda. Muffins are baked on both sides, and deliciously soft and bead like, while crumpets are generally cooked only on one side leaving the holes on top, in the perfect place to soak in all the melted butter.
What’s the best way to serve English muffins?
I think English muffins are best served while they’re still warm from the oven, with a little butter melting in to them. If you pull your muffin apart with your fingers or a fork, you’ll get a rougher surface which gives your butter more to stick on to.
If you’re having your muffins the next day, try toasting them before you serve them.
How can kids help make homemade English muffins?
This is a great recipe for kids. It’s so easy and is a lot quicker than other bread recipes as you don’t have to wait for it to rise for as long. And I like showing them that not all baking has to involve lots of sugar!
I love making any type of homemade bread with my kids. Your kids will be able to help measure out the ingredients and mix them all together. They can also get their hands messy touching and kneading the dough.
And once the dough is made, children of all ages can enjoy rolling and cutting the dough out. It’s a good robust dough to practice this using cutters with. It’s more forgiving than say a shortbread cookie dough, meaning it can take a little more rough handling from small hands.
Finally, if your children are old enough to be safe around a cooker, they can also help to cook the muffins, turning them half way through the cooking time.
How long can you store English muffins?
English muffins will keep in an airtight container for a few days.
You can also freeze them and keep them for a few months. Before you put them in the freezer, wrap them well in cling film / glad wrap and put them in a freezer bag. When you’re ready to eat them, thaw them over night and then warm them up before serving them.
What other easy bread recipes for kids can i make?
If your kids enjoyed making these English muffins they might also some of our other easy bread recipes for kids including:
Finger rolls
Easy white bread recipe
Soda bread
Homemade bagels
Hedgehog rolls
Breadsticks
Homemade pita bread
Dough balls
Naan bread
Homemade garlic focaccia
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these English muffins
Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoons
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Rolling pin
Cutters
Baking tray
Griddle pan
Wire rack
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Ingredients
350g (2 cups) strong bread flour
7g sachet fast action yeast
6g (1 tsp) salt
13g (1 tbsp) caster sugar
15g (1 tbsp) butter
1 egg
170ml (2/3 cup) milk
How to make homemade English muffins
Measure out the dry ingredients
Start by getting your kids to measure the bread flour and put it in a freestanding mixer or large mixing bowl.
Add the yeast, sugar and salt to separate sides of your bowl.
If your kids are measuring the salt and sugar out themselves using measuring spoons, make sure they level off the top of each spoon with their finger.
Add the wet ingredients
Get your kids to measure out the butter.
Measure out the milk. The easiest way of doing this is to use the ml setting of digital scales if you have them.
Pop the butter into the milk and heat them gently in the microwave until the butter has melted and the milk is lukewarm.
Crack the egg into a small bowl then add it to your milk. Get your kids to whisk it together.
Make the English muffin dough
Slowly add the wet ingredients to your flour. Do it gradually and stop when the mixture has taken in all the flour and begun to get a bit sticky.
If you are using a mixer attach the dough hook and turn it on, on a low speed, and get your kids to slowly pour the milk mixture in.
If you are using a mixing bowl, make a well in the centre of the flour, then get your kids to slowly pour in the milk while you stir it in with a wooden spoon.
Knead the muffin dough
Once the dough has come together knead it for 5-10 minutes.
If you have a mixer you can let it do the hard work for you. We tend to do this for five minutes or so, then finish the kneading by hand.
This is a good option to let kids get their hands messy kneading the dough without relying on them to do it properly and for long enough.
If you’re kneading the dough by hand, tip it out onto a lightly floured work surface, then get your kids to pull and stretch it for 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
Make the English muffins
Line one or two baking trays with baking /parchment paper.
Once you’re happy your dough is soft and smooth and not too sticky, get your kids to roll it out with a rolling pin until it is about 1cm or ½ inch thick.
Using a large round cutter, get your kids to cut out out the muffins and put them on your baking tray.
Gather up any scrap dough, roll it out again and cut out some more. Do this until you’ve used up all your dough.
Cover your muffins loosely with some oiled cling film and leave them somewhere warm for around an hour (or until they have doubled in size.)
Cook the English muffins
Heat a little oil in a griddle pan, or heavy bottomed frying pan.
Cook the muffins in batches for 5-10 minutes on a medium heat. Turn them when they have browned nicely on the bottom and you can see them cooking half way up the sides.
Cook them on the other side for another 5-10 minutes until that side has also browned. If they are browning too quickly/too much turn the heat down so they don’t burn.
Put them on a wire rack to cool while you cook the rest.
Serve them still warm, with a little butter and enjoy!
Homemade English muffins
Equipment
- Digital scales
- Freestanding mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden spoons
- Measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Rolling pin
- cutters
- baking tray
- Griddle pan
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 350 g (2 cups) strong bread flour
- 7 g sachet fast action yeast
- 6 g (1 tsp) salt
- 13 g (1 tbsp) caster sugar
- 15 g (1 tbsp) butter
- 1 egg
- 170 ml (2/3 cup) milk
Instructions
Measure out the dry ingredients
- Measure the bread flour and put it in a freestanding mixer or large mixing bowl. Add the yeast, sugar and salt to separate sides of your bowl.
Add the wet ingredients
- Measure out the butter and the milk.
- Pop the butter into the milk and heat them gently in the microwave until the butter has melted and the milk is lukewarm.
- Crack the egg into a small bowl then add it to your milk. Whisk it together.
Make the English muffin dough
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to your flour. Do it gradually, stopping when the mixture has taken in the flour and started to get a bit sticky. If you are using a mixer attach the dough hook and turn it on, on a low speed, and slowly pour the milk mixture in.
- If you are using a mixing bowl, make a well in the centre of the flour, slowly pour in the milk while you stir it in with a wooden spoon.
Knead the muffin dough
- Once the dough has come together knead it for 5-10 minutes. If you have a mixer you can let it do the hard work for you. We tend to do this for five minutes or so, then finish the kneading by hand. Otherwise do it by hand until it's smooth and elastic.
Make the English muffins
- Line two baking trays with baking /parchment paper.
- Roll out your dough with a rolling pin until it is about 1cm or ½ inch thick. Using a large round cutter, cut out out the muffins and put them on your baking tray.
- Gather up any scrap dough, roll it out again and cut out some more. Do this until you've used up all your dough.
- Cover your muffins loosely with some oiled cling film and leave them somewhere warm for around an hour (or until they have doubled in size.)
Cook the English muffins
- Heat a little oil in a griddle pan, or heavy bottomed frying pan.
- Cook the muffins in batches for 5-10 minutes on a medium heat. Turn them when they have browned nicely on the bottom and you can see them cooking half way up the sides.
- Cook them on the other side for another 5-10 minutes until that side has also browned. If they are browning too quickly/too much turn the heat down so they don't burn.
- Put them on a wire rack to cool while you cook the rest.
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This recipe was first published in October 2020, and remade with new images in October 2023
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