What Are English muffins and How Can I Use Them?

If english muffins have turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use them with confidence and how to choose them, cook them, store them, what to substitute, and 71 recipes to try them in.

Key Points

Yeasted breads cooked on a griddle, giving the open, craggy crumb cooks call nooks and crannies.
Always fork-split, never knife-cut, so the rough surface traps butter and toasts crisp.
Toast darker than sandwich bread; gentle toasting leaves the dense crumb gummy.
Classic base for eggs benedict and breakfast sandwiches, also good as burger buns or mini pizzas.
Keep two to three days at room temperature, or freeze split halves up to three months and toast frozen.

What are english muffins?

English muffins are small, round, yeasted breads cooked on a griddle instead of baked in an oven. That flat-top cooking gives them pale tops and bottoms with a chewy, open crumb in between, full of the craggy holes cooks call nooks and crannies.

They are not the same as a sweet American muffin. An English muffin is barely sweet, a little tangy from the dough, and built to be split and toasted.

Store-bought ones usually come pre-split, but the crumb is better when you pull them apart by hand.

How to Use English Muffins

Always split before toasting, and use a fork, not a knife. Pierce all the way around the edge and pull the two halves apart so the inside stays rough and full of pockets.

A clean knife cut gives you smooth faces that toast flat and hold far less butter or jam.

Toast the cut sides until deep gold and crisp at the edges. Those toasted nooks are the whole point. They trap melting butter, run with honey, and give a breakfast sandwich a sturdy base no soft roll can match.

The classic use is eggs benedict, where a toasted half holds a poached egg and hollandaise. Arugula (Rocket) Eggs Benedict and Eggs Neptune with Orange Hollandaise both build on that base.

They also stand in for a bun, as in Seafood Burgers with Basil Tartar Sauce, or turn into fast personal pizzas like Pizza Egg Melts and Jack-O-Lantern Halloween Pizzas.

Cooking and Pairing

English muffins love anything rich and runny. Poached or fried eggs and melted cheese sink into the toasted crannies and stay put, and crisp bacon tucks in alongside. Sweet works just as well, from salted butter and marmalade to peanut butter or cream cheese and jam.

For a breakfast sandwich, toast the muffin before you build it. A Kicked Up Breakfast Sandwich or a homemade egg McMuffin goes soft and sad if the bread goes in untoasted, because the crumb soaks up egg and steam and turns to paste.

The other common mistake is toasting too gently.

English muffin crumb is dense and damp, so a light toast leaves it gummy. Push it darker than you would a slice of sandwich bread, until the ridges are crisp and audibly crunchy.

Substitutes

For eggs benedict or a breakfast sandwich, a toasted crumpet or a halved, toasted bagel thin works well, since both bring chew and a sturdy base. A plain toasted bagel half does the job too, though it is denser and far less airy.

Texas toast or thick sourdough toast can stand in when you just need a crisp platform under eggs. You lose the nooks and the tang, so add a little extra butter to make up for the smoother surface.

In a pinch, a toasted soft roll or hamburger bun works for sandwiches, but it will go soggy faster.

Crumpets are the closest match for texture, but they cook on only one side, so toast them harder.

Buying and Storage

Look for muffins that feel light for their size with a fork-split edge already visible. That ragged edge is the sign of a proper open crumb. Whole wheat and cinnamon-raisin versions sit alongside plain.

Keep them at room temperature in their bag for two to three days. They stale fast because of the open crumb, so for anything longer, freeze them.

To freeze, split them first so you can pull out one half at a time, then seal in a freezer bag for up to three months. Drop the frozen half straight into the toaster on a slightly longer setting.

Avoid the fridge, which dries and stales bread faster than the counter.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 oz (28g)

Amount per Serving

Calories 62Calories from Fat 5

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 0.6g 1%

Saturated Fat 0.1g 0%

Trans Fat ~

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 106mg 4%

Total Carbohydrate 12.5g 4%

Dietary Fiber 1g 5%

Sugars 0.4

Protein 2.4g

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 5% • Iron 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs.

recipeland.com/nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find english muffins: English muffins are usually found in the bakery section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: English muffins are a member of the Baked Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese: 英式松饼
British (UK) term: English muffins
en français: muffins anglais
en español: english muffins

How much do english muffins weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 ounce	28 grams
1 muffin	57 grams

Baked Products

Biscuit baking mix (bisquick) 416 Cornbread 49 Bread, french baguette 56 French bread 203 Bread, italian 56 Crusty bread 16 Pita bread 88 Rye bread 48 Bread 571 Bread, white 169

Recipes using english muffins

There are 71 recipes that contain this ingredient.

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