Bread Machine English Muffins

Yup.  I made English muffins, friends.  Finally.

I saved a recipe, printed from some website, for years, intending to make English muffins.  I bought muffin rings...in 2013 (thank you, Amazon, for keeping track of that for me).  I almost got rid of those muffin rings while decluttering my kitchen too many times to count.  It took a pandemic for me to finally make the English muffins.

It turns out, English muffins are super easy to make, even if you don't have muffin rings.  With just a few ingredients and some patience, you too can make fresh, delicious English muffins in a few hours. I used my bread machine to mix, knead, and raise these, but you can definitely do these things by hand if you don't have a bread machine.

Here's the recipe:

English Muffins

adapted from here

1 c. milk
3 T. butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1/2 t. salt
2 t. sugar
3 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 t. yeast
cornmeal (for dusting)

• Add ingredients, except for cornmeal, to bread machine in the order listed.
• Start the dough cycle.  After about 5 minutes, lift the bread machine lid to check on the ingredients.  If needed, scrape down sides.  If the dough seems too dry, add water, 1 t at a time until it comes together.  If the dough seems too wet, add flour 1 t at a time.
• When the dough cycle is complete, on a surface lightly dusted with cornmeal, pat the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick, and cut into rounds using a cup, a biscuit cutter, a muffin, ring, or even a tuna can.  You can gather up scraps and cut more rounds, for a total of 8-10.  Alternately, divide the dough into 8 equal portions, and pat each portion into rounds about half an inch thick, then dip both sides in cornmeal.
• Cover and let rise for 20-30 minutes.
• Heat a cast iron skillet or electric griddle over medium-low heat.
• Cook the muffins, until they are golden brown, about 5-7 minutes per side.
• Cut with a serrated knife and serve warm.  Any extras can be frozen, and heated in the toaster or microwave.