Nothing beats a homemade english muffin.
They are fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside (when fresh off the pan), and come together surprisingly fast. The whole wheat flour makes these extra flavorful and add a few more nutrients than the average store bought english muffins. Toast them up for breakfast or a snack with some nut butter or jam and enjoy!
A few notes:
- Get a kitchen scale: This recipe is better when you have a kitchen scale. That way, you always use the same amount of flour and you get evenly sized english muffins.
- Yeast: I have a jar of active yeast that I use for all my yeasted bakes but instant yeast can easily be substituted here if that’s what you have on hand.
- Dough consistency: This dough is *very* sticky! When handling doughs like this, wetting your hands before touching the dough makes it so it doesn’t stick as much to your fingers. I also have found that using an oiled spatula also makes moving the dough from the stand mixer to the oiled bowl *a lot* easier.
- The Grilling: Grilling your english muffins before baking them is what gives them their iconic color and shape. If you don’t have some sort of flat grill pan, a cast iron works just as well. I would recommend using a 12-inch cast iron, but if you only have smaller ones, just grill in smaller batches (2-3 at a time) so that you don’t over crowd the pan.
- The eating: These pair very well with nut butters, jam, butter, or even just on their own. If you really want to treat yourself, try them with some homemade Nutella.
- Storage: Definitely store these in an airtight container with a paper towel. They tend to release moisture as they age which causes them to mold fairly quickly so either eat them right away or freeze them for future consumption.
Whole Wheat English Muffins
Fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside, these english muffins are sure to become a family favorite!
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ Cups Whole milk
- 2 Tbsp Honey
- 2 ¼ tsp Active Yeast 1 packet
- 1 Egg
- 4 Tbsp Unsalted butter melted
- 643 g Whole wheat flour 4¾ Cups
- 1½ tsp Salt
- Semolina flour for dusting
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, warm the milk and honey over low heat until it reaches 105-115ºF.2 ¼ Cups Whole milk, 2 Tbsp Honey
- Remove from heat, stir in the yeast, and set aside for 5 mins. The yeast should bloom, showing it is active. Whisk in the egg and melted butter.2 ¼ tsp Active Yeast, 1 Egg, 4 Tbsp Unsalted butter
- Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook attachment. Mix on low speed and then gradually pour the yeast mixture into the flour.643 g Whole wheat flour, 1½ tsp Salt
- Continue to beat on low until all the flour is incorporated, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Turn the speed up to medium and mix for about 6-8 minutes, until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. It will still be very wet and sticky.
- Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl (Note: A wet hand and oiled scraper will make this much easier) and then spray a little oil over the top of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and generously dust the paper with semolina flour and set aside.Semolina flour for dusting
- Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. If the dough feels too sticky to handle, add in a little more flour and kneed to combine.
- Shape into a ball and divide it in half. Then divide each half into 8-equal sized pieces, 16 in total, and roll each piece into a tight ball. The best way to do this is by rotating each ball quickly on the counter between your thumb and middle finger, essentially tucking the edges into a seem on the the bottom of the ball and creating tension (Check out the video below at 1:23 to see an example).
- Place the disks on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle more semolina flour over the tops and cover with a lint-free towel to rise for another 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and heat your griddle or cast iron over medium-low heat.
- Working in batches of 4, gently lift each disk with a spatula and place it on the griddle. Cook them for about 2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned on both sides.
- Place the muffins back on the baking sheet and bake them for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through. A probe thermometer should read 200°F when done.
- Transfer the muffins to a rack and let them cool completely.
Notes
- Get a kitchen scale: This recipe is better when you have a kitchen scale. That way, you always use the same amount of flour and you get evenly sized english muffins.
- Yeast: I have a jar of active yeast that I use for all my yeasted bakes but instant yeast can easily be substituted here if that’s what you have on hand.
- Dough consistency: This dough is *very* sticky! When handling doughs like this, wetting your hands before touching the dough makes it so it doesn’t stick as much to your fingers. I also have found that using an oiled spatula also makes moving the dough from the stand mixer to the oiled bowl *a lot* easier.
- The Grilling: Grilling your english muffins before baking them is what gives them their iconic color and shape. If you don’t have some sort of flat grill pan, a cast iron works just as well. I would recommend using a 12-inch cast iron, but if you only have smaller ones, just grill in smaller batches (2-3 at a time) so that you don’t over crowd the pan.
- The eating: These pair very well with nut butters, jam, butter, or even just on their own. If you really want to treat yourself, try them with some homemade Nutella.
- Storage: Definitely store these in an airtight container with a paper towel. They tend to release moisture as they age which causes them to mold fairly quickly so either eat them right away or freeze them for future consumption.
