Egg and cheese sandwiches on homemade English muffins.

I love English muffins. Toasted with peanut butter or butter, they are very satisfying, but often bland and dry. I decided I could do better. Taking inspiration from the Joy of Cooking cookbook, I discovered that English muffins are not only easy to make, but don’t require an oven! They are “baked” on the stove similar to a pancake.

I made the dough in the morning, left it in the refrigerator all day, baked them that night, and ate them for breakfast the next day. If I made these again, I might make the dough in the evening, refrigerate overnight, and bake them in the morning just in time for breakfast. They are best eaten the day you make them, but stay moist for a few days. Leftovers can also be frozen the day they are made for best results.

Overnight English Muffins  (Adapted from Joy of Cooking by Rombauer, Becker and Becker, 2006)

Makes about one dozen 3-inch muffins


Warm water (105 – 115 degrees. The important thing is that it’s not too hot. Too cool is ok.)
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)
½ cup milk (I used 2%)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 tablespoons butter, softened

For the sponge:

1.        Stir together yeast and 2 tablespoons warm water in a small bowl. Let stand until the yeast is dissolved.

2.       In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to stir together 1 cup warm water, milk, sugar and salt. Stir in the dissolved yeast. Gradually beat in 2 cups flour until dough comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 ½ hours, or until it collapses back in the bowl. It will be very bubbly.

For the dough:

3.       Into your sponge, use the paddle attachment to beat in softened butter, then add the remaining 2 cups flour.

4.       Place dough on a lightly floured board (or you can lightly sprinkle with cornmeal). Pat the dough to ½ inch thickness. Use a 3-inch cutter to cut into about 12 rounds. I didn’t have a cutter, so I used a tall water glass. Place the rounds on a greased baking sheet. Cover with plastic and let rise in the refrigerator until ready to bake (at least 5 hours).

To cook:

5.       Heat a griddle (nonstick or cast iron works great) over medium heat until hot and add butter. Working in batches, cook 3-4 muffins until light golden brown on the bottom. Turn and cook until light golden brown on the other side. It’s important that the pan is not too hot so that the muffins cook all the way through.

6.       Cool on a rack. When ready to toast, use a fork to pry them open.

We ate these toasted with a fried egg and a thin slice of cheddar cheese on top. Yum!