Whole-Wheat English Muffins

By Melissa Clark

Published April 22, 2014

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
35 minutes, plus 1 to 1½ hours’ rising
Rating
5(1,199)
Comments
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Yes, it is worth your while to make English muffins from scratch. Not only is the texture lighter and crisper, homemade muffins taste better, too — yeasty, wheaty, complex. You will need to sear these muffins on the stove top before baking. That’s what gives them their unique crunch on their bottoms. This recipe does not require muffin rings, but if you have them and would like to use them, go right ahead. Just add a few minutes onto the baking time to accommodate the muffins’ increased thickness. Then fork-split them, toast and serve with plenty of butter. After all, that’s what those crevices are made for.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 muffins

  • 2 teaspoons/7 grams active dry yeast (1 packet)

  • 4 tablespoons/60 grams unsalted butter

  • ½ cup/120 milliliters plain yogurt

  • ½ cup/120 milliliters warm whole milk

  • ½ tablespoon/7 milliliters honey

  • 1 teaspoon/5 grams fine sea salt

  • 1 cup/125 grams whole-wheat flour

  • 1 cup/125 grams all-purpose flour

  • ½ teaspoon/4 grams baking soda

  • Cornmeal, preferably coarse, as needed

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

35 grams carbs; 26 milligrams cholesterol; 253 calories; 3 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 10 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 225 milligrams sodium; 7 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small bowl combine yeast and ⅓ cup warm water (80 milliliters) and let rest until yeast has dissolved, about 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Melt 2 tablespoons butter and put it in a large bowl. Whisk in yogurt, milk, honey, salt and the yeast mixture.

  3. Step 3

    Add flours and baking soda to bowl and beat thoroughly with a spoon or rubber spatula until well combined. Cover bowl and let rest in a warm spot for 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until dough has doubled.

  4. Step 4

    Heat oven 350 degrees. Lightly dust a small baking sheet with cornmeal.

  5. Step 5

    Place a large skillet over medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon butter. Using a large ice cream scoop or ½ cup measuring cup, drop batter into skillet to form round muffins about 4 inches in diameter, mounding the batter in the center. (You may need to coax the dough a little with your fingers, so be careful of the hot pan, and don’t worry if they’re not perfectly circular.) Repeat until you have 3 muffins, leaving the rest of the batter for a second batch. Reduce heat to low. Cover skillet with lid or baking sheet and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown. (Be careful not to let them burn.)

  6. Step 6

    Uncover skillet and flip muffins using a spatula. Cover again and cook 2 to 4 minutes or until the other sides are golden brown. Place muffins on prepared baking sheet. Repeat using remaining batter and another tablespoon of butter.

  7. Step 7

    Bake muffins for 6 to 9 minutes, or until puffed and cooked through. Split the muffins with a fork and toast before eating.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,199 user ratings
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Comments

Sara

I agree with another reviewer, I don't think I will buy english muffins again after cooking these last night! I found the proportions to be perfect, but agree that the oven time needed to be longer. The recipe calls for 7-9 minutes and I baked them for 10 (I have a gas oven). My cast iron skillet was perfect for the searing. This is a great base recipe that you can make your own! I also used all whole wheat flour instead of half all-purpose, came out great. Thanks NY Times!

Loretta

Made a double batch. I used 3 teaspoons of yeast and little extra honey, the rest of the ingredients were doubled. They came out great. very flavorful with lots of nooks and crannies. I made them a little smaller, used a mounded quarter cup scoop.

Carol M

Greek yogurt works just fine. So does buttermilk.

Steve

I love this recipe it was so tender! I am adding these comments to help other bakers. So I made these mostly according to directions. The one thing I did do was let the rise occur overnight in the refrigerator. I pulled it out cooked straight from cold. The batter was a little sticky to my fingers and it made an abnormal but serviceable circle. You definitely wanna keep an eye on it in the cast-iron skillet. It did not stick but it was in danger of burning pretty easily. I put it in the oven and added an extra minute or two of cooking time 10 minutes or so and it was cooked through. Perfect amount of cooking I thought. I then froze them after they cooled enough. I pulled one out of the refrigerator in the morning and let it sit for about 10 minutes. I could then cut it in two. I toasted it in my admittedly weak toaster oven and it took about 10 minutes to toast but it was perfect.

Steve

@Steve edit to say pulled out of the freezer in the morning not refrigerator in the morning.

Martha

These were so soft and lovely, and with such complex flavor. I used 75% whole wheat flour and 25% bread flour, both King Arthur, and I was shocked by how tender they were. In the future, I think I’ll err on the side of keeping the pan hotter, rather than reducing heat to low, when browning the batter, as they rose much better with higher heat. Maybe just flip sooner and add 2-3 minutes to oven bake time. Still, no complaints, these were wonderful and I’ll definitely make them again.

In MC I trust

Yes, I trust Melissa Clark! Has anyone tried using rye flour?

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