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.
The best way to serve English muffins
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.
Do that while they’re still warm and you’ll have the yummiest snack.
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.
I love making any type of homemade bread with my kids. They can get their hands messy touching and kneading the dough. And I like showing them that not all baking has to involve lots of sugar!
Children of all ages can enjoy rolling and cutting the dough out. It’s a good robust dough to practice this with. It’s more forgiving than say a shortbread cookie dough, meaning it can take a little more rough handling from small hands.
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.
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
300g (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.
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 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
- 300 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. 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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