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Why homemade English Muffins? Certainly, you can buy ready-made English muffins at the supermarket, but if you make them fresh at home, you will never go back!
My son Liam certainly wouldn’t!
To ease the workload, you can make the dough in the bread machine, (read here my review) so why don’t you give it a try!
If you don’t have a bread machine, you can find the instructions to make the dough here: Brioche & Bread Rolls’ dough without a bread machine
The main difference between traditional bread buns, and English Muffins are the way they are cooked.
While the bread buns are baked in the oven, the English Muffins are grilled on an iron griddle.
The muffin dough is very soft, and to make a nice round muffin shape while cooking on the griddle, the dough should be poured into a mould – measuring approximately 10 cm in diameter.
For that, I use the side ring of the Mini hinged cake moulds, which I bought at Williams Sonoma in Miami many years ago.
As an alternative, you can use metal cookie cutters.
When I cook them I prefer to use the griddle on the Barbecue.
By closing the cover of the barbecue, I can create a griddle/oven combination to grill and bake the muffins at the same time.
If you don’t have that option, you can use the griddle on the stove, covering the top to retain the heat while they are cooking.
You need to ensure that the griddle is not too hot; otherwise, it will burn the outside of the muffins.
That is what my friend Beth did.
As part of a Recipe exchange from our Facebook Group International Food Bloggers Cooperation, my friend Beth from Binky’s Culinary Carnival had to choose a recipe from my blog and make it herself.
I was not surprised when she decided to try this Homemade English Muffin, she also has two boys age 18 and 26.
They loved them so much and she has already made them 3 times, and I think she is still going for more.
Check out her blog and her amazing pictures.
She has wonderful homemade jams to serve them with.
Our favorite way to have English muffins is with an Irish Breakfast, which since in France you cannot find the main ingredients, it is not so Irish after all.
Homemade English Muffins
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 2 cup flour
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 pkg yeast I prefer Active dry (2 tsp)
Grilling
- 2 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Pour the ingredients into the machine and set the program for fresh dough, number 10 on the Kenwood. A VERY IMPORTANT POINT TO REMEMBER: when using the bread machine the ingredients should be placed in the exact order as listed above, liquids first.
- Once the dough is ready pour it in a clean container and prepare the griddles.
- Prepare all the tools you need while the griddle is heating on the fire, you will need: • 10 cm ring • A brush for butter • 20 gr of butter slightly warm • The spatula to flip the muffins • Kitchen gloves for high temperature Once the griddle is hot, you are ready to proceed.
- Butter the griddle
- Butter well the inside of the rings with the brush
- Place the ring on the hot griddle
- With a large spoon pour the dough inside
- You don’t need to smooth the top of the dough as the muffins will fill the mould as they rise while cooking.
- Cover the top and let it cook for at least 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, check the base to see if it is brown and the muffins hold their shape. If they do open the moulds and remove them
- Turn the muffins on the other side
- Lower the heat in the griddle, and cook the muffins covered for a further 7 to 10 minutes. You need to ensure that the griddle is not too hot; otherwise it will burn the outside of the muffins. Once the cover of the grill is down ensure sufficient heat builds up inside, so that the muffins will bake properly. With the Weber barbecue it is easier to balance the heat between the griddle and the oven, a thermometer attached to the cover indicates the temperature inside the oven.
- Insert a pin inside the muffins; if they are done it should come out clean. If there is still fresh dough attached they need to cook longer. If you are cooking them on the kitchen griddle, and cannot control the temperature, you can put them in the hot oven (200 C) for few minutes.
- When they are done, let the muffins rest for few minutes as they will be easier to cut.
For a complete brunch
- In the meantime cook the bacon, the mushroom and the tomatoes on the griddle.
- To cook the eggs, use the same rings used for the muffins, this way they will be the same size and will fit perfectly. Watch out not to break the yoke of the eggs when pouring them inside the rings!
- Serve with a glass of orange juice, or if you want to make it more festive for the adults, add some Champagne to make a Mimosa! -
I’d love to try this recipe. I bet they are so much better homemade!
My mom used to make homemade English muffins. I miss them. Not sure why I haven’t attempted them. I certainly will be changing that soon. Lovely recipe! They look so delicious!
they are and with school starting Monday I am getting ready to treat the boys with it
I love the look of these English muffins and want to try your recipe for tomorrow’s brunch, I’m sure we’ll all love them! Thanks for the recipe Laura!
I am delighted to hear that Patty. Let me know how it goes