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Enrichedintermediate

English MuffinsRecipe

Griddle-cooked rings, fork-split for nooks.

griddle cookedring moldfork split

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About this ratio

English muffins are a quietly clever bread: they are not baked in an oven at all, but cooked on a dry griddle inside ring molds, which is why they come out flat-topped, pale gold, and split-able into two craggy halves. Fork-split (never sliced) and toasted, the interior is all nooks and crannies — the open, holey texture that catches butter and jam and is the entire reason to make them.

Those nooks come straight from the ratio. At 78% hydration the batter-like dough is wet and slack, full of large irregular bubbles that set into voids as the muffin cooks. A drier dough would give you a smooth, cakey crumb and miss the point entirely. Milk supplies all that liquid and a tender richness; a little oil (5%) and sugar (2%) round it out, and the low 0.5% yeast keeps fermentation slow for flavor. Salt sits at 1.8%.

The technique that separates good English muffins from great ones is heat control on the griddle. Too hot and the outside browns before the inside cooks through, leaving a raw center; too cool and they dry out before they set. Low and patient is the rule — you are essentially baking them on the stovetop, several minutes a side, often finishing the thickest ones in a warm oven. Cooling fully before splitting lets the crumb firm up so the fork can find the seams.

Most traditional versions build flavor with an overnight pre-ferment, and that is the better-tasting route if you can plan ahead. A same-day version with a bit more yeast also works when you want muffins this morning rather than tomorrow.

At a glance

At its default setting, this English Muffins recipe makes 8 rolls at about 75g each — about 600g of dough in total. In baker's percentage that breaks down to 320g Bread or all-purpose flour (100%), 250g Milk (78%), 5.8g Salt (1.8%), 1.6g Instant yeast (0.5%), 6.4g Sugar (2%), and 16g Neutral oil (5%). Change the rolls or enter a target dough weight in the calculator and every amount rescales to match, in grams or ounces.

Gluten-free adaptation

GF English muffins are doable with a at 80% hydration plus 5% . They griddle and fork-split the same way. Expect a slightly less open nook-and-cranny interior — those characteristic holes come from gluten bubbles trapping CO2, which GF dough doesn't do as dramatically.

View as

Switch to scale a tested gluten-free version of this recipe. The calculator, ingredients, and nutrition all swap to the adapted formula; the underlying method tweaks appear above the wheat instructions.

Calorie-conscious

Switch to scale a leaner version of this recipe — the same bread with fats and sugar pulled to their lowest sensible amounts. The calculator, ingredients, and nutrition all update to the lean formula.

Make

8rolls

Display unit

Total dough

600g

  • 320gBread or all-purpose flour100% baker's
  • 250gMilk78% baker's
  • 5.8gSalt1.8% baker's
  • 1.6gInstant yeast0.5% baker's
  • 6.4gSugar2% baker's
  • 16gNeutral oil5% baker's

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Step-by-step method

How to bake this English Muffins

Wet, slack dough cooked on a hot griddle in cornmeal-dusted rings. That's where the craters come from. Fork-splitting after they cool is non-negotiable; knife-slicing ruins the nooks. If you don't have ring molds, free-form mounds work fine; they're rustic.

01

Mix

8 minutesroom temperature
  1. 1.Warm the milk to 100°F / 38°C. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. 2.Mix vigorously with a spatula or wet hand for 4–5 minutes. The dough should be very wet. Almost batter-like. And slap against the bowl walls.
  3. 3.No kneading; the high hydration plus stretch-and-folds during bulk does the work.
02

Bulk fermentation

90 minutes78°F / 25.5°C
  1. 1.Cover and rest. Do one set of at the 30 and 60 minute marks. Use a wet hand.
  2. 2.The dough should be airy, bubbly, and nearly doubled by the end.
03

Shape

10 minutesroom temperature
  1. 1.Dust a sheet pan generously with cornmeal or semolina.
  2. 2.With wet hands, divide the dough into 8 roughly equal blobs (~75g each) and place on the cornmeal.
  3. 3.If using ring molds: lightly oil 3.5-inch ring molds and place over each blob to contain it during proof and cooking.
  4. 4.Dust the tops generously with more cornmeal.

The cornmeal isn't decoration. It prevents sticking to the griddle and adds the characteristic bottom texture.

04

Final proof

45 minutes78°F / 25.5°C
  1. 1.Cover loosely and let rise until visibly puffy.
  2. 2.They'll relax and spread a bit. That's fine, the rings or your hands will hold the shape.
05

Griddle

12–14 minutes per batch275°F / 135°C griddle (medium-low)
  1. 1.Heat a cast-iron pan or electric griddle to 275°F / 135°C (medium-low). A drop of water should sizzle gently. Not pop and explode.
  2. 2.Carefully transfer muffins (and rings if using) to the dry griddle. Cook 6–7 minutes per side until deep golden.
  3. 3.Flip with a spatula. The first side should be set firm with a dark golden crust; if it sticks, give it another 30 seconds.
  4. 4.Internal temperature should reach 200°F / 93°C when fully cooked.

Too-hot griddle = burnt outside, raw inside. Low and slow is the right call here.

Frequently asked

Questions about this recipe.

  • How do I scale this English Muffins recipe to make more or fewer loaves?

    Use the calculator on this page. Adjust the output count or per-loaf weight; every ingredient amount updates automatically. You can also enter a total dough weight and the calculator works backwards. The English Muffins recipe is written in baker's percentages, so it scales proportionally without changing the bread's character.

  • Can English Muffins be made gluten-free?

    Yes — see the "Gluten-free adaptation" section on this page for specific ingredient swaps and method changes. The bread won't be identical to the wheat version, but a workable gluten-free version is possible.

More general questions about ratios, hydration, and the calculator on the FAQ page.

Background concepts

More Enriched breads