Whole-Wheat English Muffins

By Melissa Clark

Whole-Wheat English Muffins
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
35 minutes, plus 1 to 1½ hours’ rising
Rating
5(1,145)
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
  • 2teaspoons/7 grams active dry yeast (1 packet)
  • 4tablespoons/60 grams unsalted butter
  • ½cup/120 milliliters plain yogurt
  • ½cup/120 milliliters warm whole milk
  • ½tablespoon/7 milliliters honey
  • 1teaspoon/5 grams fine sea salt
  • 1cup/125 grams whole-wheat flour
  • 1cup/125 grams all-purpose flour
  • ½teaspoon/4 grams baking soda
  • Cornmeal, preferably coarse, as needed
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

253 calories; 10 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 225 milligrams sodium

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 1½ 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
1,145 user ratings
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Comments

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.

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!

Carol M

Greek yogurt works just fine. So does buttermilk.

AL

Incredibly good. I thought they would taste like better grocery store english muffins, but these are so good they’re not even in the same category. With almost 1 Tbsp of butter each, they’re very rich and can be eaten by themselves, but we topped them with ricotta and honey.

Erica

Excellent recipe! Because we are on a low-carb diet due to health reasons, I substituted King Arthur Keto Flour for all the flour in the recipe with GREAT results! I found that with this flour substitution, the texture is better if I don't cover the pan while frying. I fry these for about 2 minutes per side, until deep golden brown, and then bake them for 12 minutes in the oven.

Mel R.

Wonderful and so easy! I used 1% milk and nonfat greek yoghurt and that worked fine. I might add a bit less salt next time (maybe 2/3 tsp). I got seven muffins out of this recipe and that made them the same size as store-bought. I agree that they should be baked a minute or two longer. I baked mine at 10 minutes and they are perfectly done.

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