What are English Muffins?

Contrary to its name, the English Muffin is not, in fact, English. They are largely credited to Samuel Bath Thomas. Thomas, whose name now graces the package of English Muffins in supermarkets everywhere, hailed from England but immigrated to the states in the 19th century.

In 1880, Samuel opened a bakery in New York City. He began selling his so-called English Muffins, made using his mother’s recipe, to grocery stores and hotels. Soon, English Muffins began spreading across the country.

The soft, springy muffin was a hit. The English Muffin is most famous for its muffin-like texture and its fork-split, which allows the muffin to be split in half easily for the addition of toppings.

The English Muffin has evolved to be made from yeast-leavened whole-wheat and white flours, and is similar to the crumpet in that they are fried, not baked. The English Muffin is usually served with honey, butter, or jams.

You might not find it surprising to find out that the English Muffin is simply referred to as a muffin.

The History of English Muffins

Despite its name, the English Muffin does not come from England. There are references to such muffins in American literature from as far back as 1859, but the English Muffin did not attain popularity until the arrival of an English immigrant named Samuel Bath Thomas.

Samuel Bath Thomas, a British ex-patriot, immigrated to New York City in 1872. In 1880, Thomas opened his bakery located in Chelsea and began baking his mother’s recipes for the world to enjoy. One such recipe was his mother’s English muffin dough.

Thomas sold his spongy, soft muffins to stores and hotels in the area. Thomas’ muffins had a convenient fork-split that made tearing and toasting them easier than with traditional muffins. He soon had enough patrons to open a second bakery called “The Muffin House.”

The English Muffin was first recognized by the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 1902. Thomas trademarked the name in 1926. The Thomas name remains branded on store-bought English muffins to this day.

In the 1940s, a West-Coast contender to the English Muffin throne arrived on the scene. Foster’s, a restaurant in San Francisco, trademarked and began mass-producing their sourdough variation of the English Muffin.

Ironically, the English Muffin was largely unknown to England until the 1990s when Thomas’ brand arrived across the pond. The British call the English muffins American muffins, American-styled muffins, or sweet muffins.

Ingredients in English Muffins

The common ingredients in most English muffin recipes are as follows:

• Wheat Flour

• Butter

• Milk

• Sugar

• Salt

• Baker's Yeast

English Muffin Nutritional Information

English muffins are a fairly low-calorie bread, with an average muffin having just about 100 calories per serving. However, being that the muffin itself consists mainly of refined wheat flour, it does not have any large amounts of fiber or complex carbs.

English muffins are not particularly unhealthy, but they do not provide much by way of vitamins or minerals unless whole-wheat or enriched flour variations are used.

But, all things considered, there are many less-healthy types of bread out there, and when paired with a protein or healthy fats, English muffins can be a good source of carbs and niacin.

How to Make English Muffins

English muffins are fairly simple to make and not too time-consuming. Many recipes require the use of scalded and cooled milk. You can make scalded milk by heating it until a skin forms on the surface of the milk and removing it from the heat before it comes to a boil.

You start making the English muffin mix by mixing all of the ingredients together excluding the flour. Once you have mixed the other ingredients together, you slowly add the flour to the mixture, mixing until the dough is satiny-smooth and stretchy in texture.

English muffins undergo two separate proofing processes. The first occurs after the dough has formed and lasts for one to two hours. The second proof lasts only about thirty minutes.

You baked the English muffins on the stovetop at low heat, flipping them every few minutes until browned evenly on both sides.

English Muffin Recipes

The English muffin is a classic recipe, but many popular variations have sprung up over the years.

You can make yourself a classic English muffin recipe a-la-Thomas by using traditional wheat flour. If you want to give sourdough English muffins a try, you’ll need to use a sourdough starter with your wheat flour.

If you have more of a sweet tooth, adding honey to your traditional mixture will sweeten the dough. Or, for a newer twist, try adding cinnamon and raisins to your dough before the final proof.

Quite a few popular variations include changing up the topping served with the muffins. The classic eggs Benedict with hollandaise sauce remains popular today, as well as the traditional toppings of butter, honey, and jam.