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These overnight English muffins are a delicious way to indulge in English muffins at home! Prep the dough in advance and cook in the morning for breakfast bliss. Recipe makes 12 english muffins.

Overnight English Muffins
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A new year is a chance to get back to basics and take on new challenges, beginning with homemade overnight English muffins! In the process, I learned that English muffin rings are in no way necessary to make almost perfectly round English muffins, and homemade English muffins are just as good (if not better!) than any you find at the grocery store.

How to make the best English muffins

The secret to a great English muffin is time – a nice slow rise creates the best flavor and that signature craggy interior that just begs for a slather of butter and a slick of blueberry jam.

Prep the dough ahead and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight (or up to three days), then pull it out whenever you’re ready for a leisurely breakfast. Cooked in a skillet until golden and then finished in the oven, these easy English muffins are bliss at first bite.

Overnight English Muffins

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Overnight English Muffins

Overnight English Muffins

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Laura Kasavan
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 24 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 24 minutes
  • Yield: 12 English muffins
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Overnight English muffins are a delicious way to indulge in English muffins at home! Prep the dough in advance and cook in the morning for breakfast bliss!


Ingredients

Starter

  • 3/4 cup (105 g) bread flour
  • 1/2 cup (118 g) lukewarm water
  • 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Dough

  • 1 cup (240 g) lukewarm low-fat milk
  • 1 tsp active dry yeast
  • 2 Tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 Tbsp (24 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 cups (420 g) bread flour
  • Semolina flour for dusting
  • Butter for the skillet

Instructions

  1. For the starter, combine bread flour, water, and yeast in a small bowl and whisk together until smooth and glossy. Cover and let starter stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours (a longer ferment gives the finished English muffins better flavor and structure).
  2. For the dough, combine milk and yeast in a large mixer bowl and mix on low speed until incorporated; add starter and mix on low until well combined. Add butter, sugar, and salt and mix on low to combine. Add bread flour and mix on low just until dough forms. Switch out the flat beater for a dough hook and knead dough for 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. The dough is ready when it feels tacky but doesn’t stick to your fingers.
  3. Place dough in a large bowl coated with nonstick spray; cover and refrigerate overnight, or up to 3 days. Quick English muffin alternative: Let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 90 minutes, and then make the muffins immediately.
  4. Sprinkle a rimmed baking sheet with semolina flour. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and use a floured bench scraper to cut dough into four sections. Cut each section into three equal pieces and use lightly floured hands to roll each piece into a smooth round ball, gently stretching the dough over itself and pinching together at the bottom. Flatten each ball slightly and space slightly apart on prepared baking sheet; sprinkle with more semolina. Let muffins rise in a warm place until puffy, about 90 minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 350°F and warm a large skillet over medium heat. Melt a pat of butter in the skillet, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook muffins in batches in skillet until golden on each side, about 4 minutes per side. Press muffins gently with a spatula while cooking to prevent them from rising too much. If muffins are browning too quickly, reduce heat slightly.
  6. When muffins are golden on both sides, place on a baking sheet in the oven to cook through, about 15 minutes. Let muffins cool for 10 minutes before splitting with a fork and serving.
  7. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, or wrap English muffins well and freeze up to 3 months.

Notes

Adapted from The Kitchn

Overnight English Muffins

Meet Laura

Hi, I'm Laura and I'm so happy you're here! Welcome to Tutti Dolci Baking Recipes, a baking blog celebrating all things sweet! I share approachable baking recipes and elevated classic desserts for every home baker. My goal is to inspire you to bake from scratch with kitchen-tested recipes you can count on.

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19 Comments

  1. These are delicious! I will never purchase them again. I have made them two times and they turned out beautifully. Both times I skipped the oil and cooked them 4 minutes per side on dry cast iron pans (just didn’t want the added oil). The second time I replaced 40 grams of the dry and liquid ingredients with leftover sourdough starter and they were amazing! Thank you for sharing the recipe






    1. Thank you so much for sharing this feedback, Angie! 🙂 Great to hear your results with the sourdough starter too.

  2. These turned out perfectly and were pretty straightforward to make. I appreciated the overnight rise, it just leaves you with the shaping, last rise and (very quick) bake for the next day– the muffins were ready just in time for brunch. I subbed in all-purpose flour with a bit of vital wheat gluten for the bread flour, and they were great. The flavor and texture beats out the store bought muffins hands down, and since these came together really easily, we’ll definitely be making these on a regular basis and keeping some in the fridge between batches.






  3. I start each morning with a toasted and buttered English muffin with a cup of tea. I would love to have one of your homemade ones, I’m sure yours would be delicious.

  4. I adore English muffins, but I’m not sure if I’m brave enough to make my own.
    They do look perfect, though!!

    1. Oh of course you are brave enough! It’s just yeast, darling ;). Nothing to fear! This is your year to embrace bread :).

  5. These look so beautiful and delicious. I want to make them immediately. They would be so perfect with a cup of tea on this rainy day.

  6. Funnily enough I don’t much care for store bought English muffins but give me a freshly cooked home made one and I’m a huuuge fan! 😀