English muffins
Vegetarian
Soft, chewy yeasted rounds dusted with semolina and cooked slowly on a griddle, then split by fork to reveal the nooks and crannies that hold butter.
English muffins is a British bread from United Kingdom, ready in about 2 hours 40 minutes and made with bread flour, instant yeast and semolina. It serves 10 and is rated easy to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rest
- 1 h 45 min
- Total
- 2 h 40 min
- Serves
- 10
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 215
Method
Step 1
Mix the flour, yeast, sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt, then add the warm milk (opens in a new tab), water and butter (opens in a new tab). Knead 10 minutes until smooth, soft and elastic; a stretched piece should form a thin windowpane.
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 2
Cover and rise 1 hour at warm room temperature until doubled.
Step 3
Dust the worktop and a tray generously with semolina (opens in a new tab). Roll the dough out 2 cm thick and cut 8 cm rounds (re-roll scraps once). Set them on the tray, dust the tops with semolina, cover and proof 45 minutes until puffy and a gentle poke springs back slowly.
Step 4
Heat a dry griddle or heavy frying pan over low to medium-low heat. Cook the muffins in batches for 6–8 minutes per side until deep golden; the sides will look pale and springy. The centre should reach 93 °C — if the outside browns too fast, finish them in a 160 °C (fan 140 °C) oven for 5–8 minutes.
- 30 min
- medium-low heat
- Griddle / tawa (opens in a new tab)
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
- Food thermometer (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels Step 5
Cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes. Split with a fork around the middle rather than slicing, then toast until golden and crisp on the craggy side.
About this dish
- Origin
- United Kingdom · Commonly attributedAlso popular in United States, CanadaMore food from United Kingdom
- Dish
- Breakfast · Brunch · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Pan-fried, Fermented
- Taste
- mild, sweet, savoury
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredientsWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style - Good for
- Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead · Child-friendly
- Cook more with
- Bread flour · Instant yeast · Semolina · Milk · Sugar · Butter
- Techniques
- Pan-frying · Kneading · Fermentation
Allergens
- Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom milk, butter
- Contains: Wheatfrom bread flour, semolina
- Contains: Glutenfrom bread flour, semolina
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
215 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 76 g · recipe makes 10
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 13%
- Carbohydrate 71%
- Fat 16%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 215 kcal | 283 kcal |
| Protein | 6.9 g | 9.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 37.8 g | 49.8 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 36.5 g | 48 g |
| Sugars | 2.9 g | 3.9 g |
| Added sugars | 1.5 g | 2 g |
| Fibre | 1.4 g | 1.8 g |
| Fat | 3.7 g | 4.9 g |
| Saturated fat | 1.9 g | 2.5 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 8 mg | 10 mg |
| Sodium | 339 mg | 446 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1.1 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 92 mg
- Calcium
- 38 mg
- Iron
- 2.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 16 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 29 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 155 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Gently does it — too high a heat gives burnt outsides and doughy centres.
Common mistakes
- Cutting with a knife, which flattens the craggy crumb.
Serve with
- Toasted with butter and marmalade, or as the base of eggs Benedict.
Storage
- Keep 2 days in a bag or freeze, pre-split, for 3 months.
Reheating
- Toast from frozen.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 25 min
Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).
First rise (bulk) · about 1 h
About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.
Final proof · about 45 min
Poke test: the dent springs back slowly and only partly. Springs back fast = needs longer; doesn't spring back = over-proofed, bake now.
Bake · about 30 min
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
Cool · about 20 min
Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.
- Start to finish: about 3 h. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | Flour | 450 g | 93.8% |
| Semolina | Flour | 30 g | 6.3% |
| Milk | Other liquid | 258 g | 53.6% |
| Water | Water | 60 g | 12.5% |
| Butter | Fat | 25 g | 5.2% |
| Sugar | Sugar | 15 g | 3.1% |
| Salt | Salt | 8 g | 1.7% |
| Instant yeast | Yeast | 7 g | 1.5% |
- Total flour
- 480 g
- Hydration
- 12.5%
- With milk, eggs…
- 59.2%
- Wholegrain
- 0%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Medium dough (55–65%) — soft and easy to knead; sandwich loaves and rolls.
- Milk, eggs and other liquids add about 47 points of extra water, so it handles like a 59% dough.
- Salt 1.7% — normal for bread.
If something goes wrong
Dense, heavy loaf
Likely causes
- Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
- Under-proofed
- Old or dead yeast/starter
- Too much wholegrain flour without extra water
What to do
- Knead to the windowpane stage
- Proof by the poke test, not the clock
- Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
- Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Spreads flat / no oven spring
Likely causes
- Over-proofed
- Weak shaping (no surface tension)
- Oven not hot enough
- Too much water for the flour
What to do
- Shorten the proof; bake when the poke springs back slowly
- Shape tightly so the skin is taut
- Preheat fully (30+ minutes; with a stone or Dutch oven, 45)
- Lower hydration or use bread flour
Collapsed or sunken middle
Likely causes
- Oven door opened too early
- Too much leavening or sugar
- Under-baked centre
- Over-proofed yeast dough
What to do
- Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
- Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
- Test the centre before removing
- Proof less
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Crust too hard or thick
Likely causes
- Baked too long at too low a temperature
- No steam at the start
What to do
- Bake hotter for a shorter time
- Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
- Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust
Big holes or tunnels
Likely causes
- Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
- Air trapped while shaping bread
- Uneven proof
What to do
- Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
- Degas gently and shape tightly
- Proof covered in an even, warm place
Dough didn't rise
Likely causes
- Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
- Kitchen too cold
- Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
- Starter not active
What to do
- Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
- Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
- Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
- Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
Over-proofed (sour smell, collapses when scored)
Likely causes
- Too warm
- Too much yeast
- Left too long
What to do
- Knock back, reshape and proof again briefly (yeast doughs)
- Use less yeast or a cooler proof
- Set a timer and check early with the poke test
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source
Reviews & corrections
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