Homemade English Muffin Recipe (easy step by step) (2024)

FAQs

What to use instead of cornmeal for English muffins? ›

We prefer semolina flour over cornmeal for its finer texture; it allows the crunch to come from the crust of the English muffin, not the cornmeal.

Cornmeal: Is sprinkled on the bottom of the skillet before adding in the batter. This gives the english muffins their standard cornmeal top and bottom and keeps the muffins from sticking to the pan. You could also use semolina flour if you don't have cornmeal on hand.

These tiny holes, which are English muffins' defining feature, form because Thomas did not use baking soda in his original recipe. While crumpets can lose their holes when sliced in half, English muffins preserve theirs no matter what. English muffins are pre-cut, so people can pull them apart.

For more information on products, please navigate to the products page on this site. The small white particles on the bottom of Thomas'^® English Muffins are farina. Farina is a cereal food, frequently described as mild-tasting, usually served warm, made from cereal grains.

Although they come from the same plant, cornmeal and cornstarch have distinct properties and purposes in the kitchen, so you unfortunately can't substitute cornmeal for cornstarch. One of the best substitutes for cornmeal is semolina, a protein-rich durum wheat flour with a similar texture.

Cornstarch, corn flour, and cornmeal are all made from the same ingredient, but generally, you should not interchangeably use these products. One exception is substituting corn flour for cornmeal in chess pie filling. In baking, corn flour and cornmeal will yield different textures for the finished bread or cake.

If you have bread flour on hand, you can also substitute it for the all-purpose, but you'll get a nice texture and nooks and crannies with either. Semolina flour can be found at most grocery stores these days. It's what gives the English muffins those sandy bottoms. You can also use finely ground cornmeal.

The recipe starts out with normal, all-purpose flour and utilizes both yeast and baking powder to make the dough rise. The baking powder creates the signature nooks and crannies of a muffin, though these often rise to the top, leaving more solid dough on the bottom half.

Is an English muffin better for you than bread? A. English muffins are slightly healthier than bread because they include fewer calories, carbohydrates, fats, and sugar than bread. However, both have a high carbohydrate content, which can offer energy throughout the day, and many nutrients.

English muffins are usually referred to simply as muffins in the UK; sweet American-style cupcake-shaped muffins are occasionally referred to as American muffins to differentiate. They are usually consumed with tea or coffee, and sometimes feature in afternoon tea served in UK hotels.

How to tell when English muffins are done? ›

When done, the center of a muffin should register about 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. If you find the muffins have browned before they're cooked all the way through, no worries; simply pop them into a preheated 350°F oven for about 10 minutes or so, or until they're thoroughly cooked.

As muffins age, their moisture migrates to the surface. That moisture will try to evaporate and, if the muffins are wrapped in plastic or stored in an empty airtight bag or container, that moisture sinks right back onto the muffins' surface.

Visual and Olfactory Indicators. To detect mold, one should examine the English muffin for any dark or black spots, which may have a fuzzy or raised texture. The presence of these spots indicates mold growth.

Batter: Crumpets have a loose batter and are usually cooked inside of a crumpet ring mold. English muffins have a firm dough, and the muffins are usually rolled out into little balls before cooking on the stove. Texture: English muffins have more of a bread-like texture, while crumpets have a spongy texture.

The White Particles on the Bottom of Thomas' are Farina

Ever wonder what the little white specs on the bottom of Thomas' English muffins are? It's farina, made from soft wheat semolina, the same stuff that goes into Cream of Wheat. It's there to prevent the dough from sticking to the griddle.

Additional substitutes. There are some additional foods you can use in place of cornmeal. If you don't have any of the options above, you can consider ground oats, masa harina, bread crumbs, ground flaxseed, polenta flour, smashed cornflakes, homemade cornmeal, or hominy grits.

In the UK we call it cornflour, whereas in the US they call it corn starch. Although, to confuse things, in the US they have something called cornflour which is what you might call cornmeal. To put it simply: UK cornflour = US corn-starch and US cornflour = UK cornmeal.

It's deep gold in color, and often mistaken for cornmeal. In fact, semolina looks almost exactly like cornmeal. The difference is, semolina has protein to build gluten; cornmeal has no gluten-building protein. The "cornmeal" on the bottom of your wood-fired pizza is actually semolina flour 99% of the time.

Ever wonder what the little white specs on the bottom of Thomas' English muffins are? It's farina, made from soft wheat semolina, the same stuff that goes into Cream of Wheat. It's there to prevent the dough from sticking to the griddle. Not everyone uses farina for their English muffins; McDonald's uses corn meal.