English muffins, despite the name, are not actually English. They were created during the late 1800s in New York City by a man named Samuel Thomas.
The English muffin was modeled from the crumpet, which is an English bread product. English muffins were first called toaster crumpets and were made to be placed in the toaster and eaten with butter, jam, honey, or a combination of these toppings. English muffins can be used to create many different dishes such as pizza burgers or other types of sandwiches. Making your own English muffins is not that difficult and when done right they will taste so much better than the store-bought versions.
If you have the basics of making regular bread down, making English muffins is not that much more difficult. Here are some tips for creating perfect English muffins at home from scratch.
1. Basic Ingredients
To start making English muffins it is important to have the basic ingredients on hand. Flour and yeast are the two main ingredients that are needed in order to make English muffins. You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour. Instant yeast is the easiest to use, but you can use active dry yeast as well. Just make sure that you activate the yeast for about ten to 15 minutes before making your muffin mix.
Other ingredients that you will need in order to make the perfect English muffin include salt, whole milk, water, melted butter, and sugar. The milk and the water will need to be at room temperature when making the mixture. Another ingredient found in many English muffins is cornmeal. This is what will give the English muffin its classic texture. However, it is not necessary to use cornmeal if you do not happen to have any on hand.