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Baked English Muffins

Baked English Muffins

236kcal
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Prep 25 minutes
Cook 25 minutes
Total 2 hours 20 minutes
An ingenious, oven-baked take on traditional English muffins adapted from the "Knead Peace" recipe book. Instead of being griddled on a stove, these muffins are proofed and baked inside greased metal rings, yielding a perfectly uniform shape. They retain the classic sourdough-adjacent yeast flavor, complete with a dusting of semolina and a soft, nooks-and-crannies crumb structure.
Servings 12 Individual Muffins
Cuisine British

Ingredients

Dry Setup
  • 300 g 300g Plain (all-purpose) flour plus extra for dusting
  • 245 g 245g Bread Flour
  • 8 g 8g Dry Instant Yeast
  • 14 g 14g Salt
  • 70 g 70g Sugar (Note: Natalya uses 45g sugar and omits the egg for her personal preference variation)
  • 55 g 55g Unsalted butter (softened) or lard
  • 1 1 Whole egg
  • 180 g 180g Full-fat (whole) milk
  • 180 g 180g Warm water
  • Neutral oil (for greasing the bowl and metal rings)
  • Semolina flour or corn flour (for dusting the baking sheets)

Equipment

  • 12 12x Metal Muffin Rings (Ideally 9cm x 4cm)
  • 2 2x Large Baking Sheets
  • Stand Mixer (with dough hook attachment)
  • Kitchen Scale (Essential for dividing precise 80g portions)
  • Plastic Wrap or Lint-Free Kitchen Towel

Method

Mixing & Bulk Fermentation
  1. Dry Setup: In your stand mixer bowl, combine the plain flour and bread flour. Sprinkle the dry instant yeast on one side of the flour and the salt on the exact opposite side.
  2. Combine Liquids: Add the sugar, softened butter (or lard), whole milk, egg, and warm water into the bowl.
  3. Knead: Attach the dough hook and mix on low speed for 10 minutes until the ingredients transition from a shaggy mass into a soft, smooth, and stretchy dough.
  4. Bulk Rise: Shape the dough into a ball and place it inside a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly and leave it to rise at warm room temperature for roughly 1 hour (or until completely doubled in size).
Portioning & Shaping
  1. Prep Trays: Lightly dust your two large baking sheets with a generous layer of semolina flour or corn flour. Thoroughly grease the insides of your 12 metal muffin rings with oil and place 6 rings onto each tray.
  2. Portion: Lightly dust your workspace with flour. Tip out the proofed dough and use a kitchen scale to cut and weigh out exact 80g pieces.
  3. Shape Buns: Roll each 80g piece into a tight, smooth ball. Place one dough ball directly into the center of each greased metal ring on your baking trays.
  4. Final Proof: Cover the trays loosely with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough proof for about 30 minutes until the muffins fill out the rings and double in volume.
Baking
  1. Oven Prep: Preheat your oven to 170°C (335°F).
  2. Bake Phase 1: Slide the trays into the oven and bake undisturbed for 20 minutes.
  3. Bake Phase 2 (The Flip): Carefully pull the trays out. Using tongs or oven mitts, carefully grip each hot metal ring and turn the muffin completely upside down. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes to ensure an even, flat golden crust on both sides. Let cool before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories236kcalCarbohydrates41gProtein6gFat5gSaturated Fat3gPolyunsaturated Fat0.5gMonounsaturated Fat1gTrans Fat0.2gCholesterol25mgSodium466mgPotassium82mgFiber1gSugar7gVitamin A159IUVitamin C0.002mgCalcium29mgIron1mg

Notes

  • Fixing the Liquid/Water Consistency: Several readers noted in the comments that combining both 180g of milk and 180g of water can make this dough feel incredibly sticky and loose. If your flour isn't absorbing the liquids quickly, do not dump extra raw flour into the mixer. Instead, try reducing the liquid water to 100g initially, adding an extra 10g at a time only if the dough looks too dry. If it is already sticky, cover it and let it rest undisturbed for 30 minutes to naturally hydrate before shaping.
  • Natalya's Personal Recipe Adaptations: The ingredient list reflects the official Knead Peace book metrics, but you can easily use Natalya's tested modifications for a lighter profile: completely omit the 1 whole egg, reduce the total salt down to 11g, and adjust the sugar down to 45g.
  • DIY English Muffin Ring Substitutes: If you do not own professional 9cm metal muffin rings, you can easily craft homemade alternatives! Use clean, empty tuna cans with both the top and bottom lids completely cut out, or use the metal screw-bands from wide-mouth Mason canning jars. Just ensure they are thoroughly greased before use so the expanding dough doesn't stick.
  • How to Correctly Slice an English Muffin: To maximize those famous internal "nooks and crannies" that catch pools of melted butter, never cut an English muffin in half with a standard kitchen knife. A flat knife blade shears off the internal air pockets, smoothing them over. Instead, stab the perimeter of the baked muffin repeatedly with the tines of a dinner fork, then gently pull the two halves apart by hand.

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