Baking Great Bread at HomeThe Yeasted Companion — Nooks, Crannies, and Real Bakery Texture
BeginnerHenry's Overnight EnglishMuffins
by Henry Hunter
Why are you still buying these?
Fermentation
8 to 12 hours overnight cold ferment
Bake Time
12 to 16 minutes
Yield
10 to 12 English muffins, about 80g each
Perfection is not required
"Why are you still buying these? Once you've had a proper homemade English muffin, the boxed ones never taste the same."— Henry Hunter
By Henry Hunter Jr., founder of Crust & Crumb Academy and Baking Great Bread at Home.
Authentic Flavor
Bread baking educator and founder of Crust & Crumb Academy. Author of seven books including Sourdough for the Rest of Us.
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
Main Dough
All wet plus all dry. Mix, fold, then long cold ferment.
12–13% protein for the chew.
Warm to about 90°F / 32°C.
Lukewarm, about 90°F / 32°C.
Feeds the yeast and helps browning on the griddle.
Optional. Adds tenderness.
For Dusting & Cooking
Semolina is the right call — it browns instead of scorching.
Cornmeal works as a substitute but burns more easily.
Use a thin coating on the griddle
Pro Tip
Dry milk powder adds tenderness without changing the math. If you don't have it, skip it. The muffins will still be excellent.
Mix
Mix the Dough — Fermentolyse
10 minutes active
We start with a — flour, water, milk, yeast, and butter all together. The 15-minute rest lets the flour hydrate and the gluten start to organize on its own before we add salt.
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Whisk the dry
In a large bowl, whisk together the bread flour, salt, instant yeast, and dry milk powder.
Combine the wet
In a measuring cup, combine the warm milk, lukewarm water, honey, and melted butter. Stir to dissolve the honey.
Mix and rest
Pour the wet into the dry. Mix with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until no dry flour remains. The dough will be sticky and shaggy — that's correct. Cover and rest 15 minutes ().
⏱ Wait Time
Fermentolyse rest
Pro Tip
Don't add more flour during mixing. High is the whole point — the nooks and crannies come from steam, and steam needs water.
Precise Timers
Use these interactive timers to track your stages.
Fermentolyse Rest
Folds
Stretch and Fold
30 minutes
One round of folds is enough at this hydration — the long cold ferment will do most of the strength-building for you.
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First fold set
Wet one hand. Reach under the dough, grab a quarter on one side, stretch it up and fold over the top to the opposite side. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees. Repeat four times total.
Rest 30 minutes
Cover and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. The dough should feel noticeably more cohesive.
Pro Tip
Wet hands beat floured hands at this hydration. Flour glues to wet dough; water slides off it.
Precise Timers
Use these interactive timers to track your stages.
After Folds Rest
Overnight
Overnight Cold Ferment
8 to 12 hours in the fridge
This is where flavor develops and the sticky dough firms up enough to shape. Don't skip it.
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Cover tightly
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a flexible cover.
Refrigerate 8 to 12 hours
Overnight is the target. The cold slows fermentation, develops flavor, and firms the sticky dough so you can actually divide and shape it in the morning.
⏱ Wait Time
Overnight cold ferment
Pro Tip
High-hydration dough is impossible to shape at room temperature. The fridge is the secret weapon. Don't shortcut it.
Fast yeast needs a brake
At room temperature for 8 to 12 hours, commercial yeast would blow right past peak and overferment. The fridge slows the rise, builds flavor overnight, and firms the sticky dough so you can actually shape it in the morning.
Two leaveners, two clocks
The sourdough companion bulk ferments on the counter instead, because wild yeast is slower and does not need the brake. Same texture, two different leavening clocks.
The Takeaway
Same overnight, different path. The fermentation tool matches the leavener.
Shape
Shape the Muffins
15 minutes
Be gentle. You've spent all night building bubbles — don't pop them.
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Prep the sheets
Dust two parchment-lined baking sheets generously with semolina flour.
Pat the dough
Turn the cold dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat gently into a rough rectangle about ¾ inch thick. Don't degas aggressively. You want those bubbles intact.
Divide
Use a to divide into 10 to 12 equal pieces (about 80g each). A scale helps.
Shape into balls
Tuck the edges of each piece under to form a smooth ball. Don't overwork. Place on the semolina-dusted parchment.
Rings (optional) and dust
If using rings, place greased rings around each piece and press gently. If not, leave free-form — they'll spread into discs. Dust tops with more semolina. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap or another parchment sheet.
Pro Tip
No rings? Tuna cans with both ends removed and the inside greased are a tested DIY substitute.
Shaping
Shape into Rounds
Tuck the edges of each portion underneath to form a smooth ball. The cold dough is forgiving — minimal force.
Hand-Shaped (Free-Form)
No rings — the muffins spread into rustic 4-inch discs.
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Divide into 80g pieces
Bench scraper, scale.
Tuck edges under
Form a smooth ball.
Coat in semolina
Roll edges in the dusting.
Cover and proof
Loose plastic wrap, 45–60 minutes.
Ring-Molded (Uniform)
Greased 3.75-inch rings give you tall, uniform muffins.
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Grease the rings
Neutral oil or cooking spray inside the ring.
Place around each ball
Press the dough gently to fill the ring.
Dust tops with semolina
Cover and proof.
Remove after flipping
Pull rings off once the first side has set.
Proof Test: Press a finger gently into the side. The indent should spring back slowly. If it springs back fast, give them another 15 minutes.
Proof
Final Proof
45 to 60 minutes
Short room-temp rise to wake the muffins back up after the cold ferment.
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Proof at room temperature
Let the shaped muffins rise at room temperature (about 75°F / 24°C) for 45 to 60 minutes until visibly puffed.
Poke test
Press a finger gently into the side. The indent should spring back slowly. If it springs back fast, give them another 15 minutes.
⏱ Wait Time
Final proof until visibly puffed
Pro Tip
Don't over-proof. If the indent doesn't spring back at all, you're past the window — get them on the griddle now.
Precise Timers
Use these interactive timers to track your stages.
Final Proof
Griddle
Griddle Bake
Medium-low and patient. The flat tops and bottoms come from direct contact heat, and the inside has to cook through without burning the outside.
Step by Step
Preheat the griddle
Heat a cast iron griddle or 12-inch skillet over medium-low (350°F / 175°C on an electric griddle). Preheat 10 minutes for even heat. Lightly grease with neutral oil.
First side — 6 to 8 minutes
Working in batches, transfer muffins to the griddle with a . Leave 1½ inches between them. Cook 6 to 8 minutes on the first side until deep golden brown on the bottom. Low and slow.
Flip and second side — 6 to 8 minutes
Flip carefully and remove rings if using. Cook another 6 to 8 minutes on the second side.
Check internal temp
Insert an instant-read thermometer from the side. Target is 205 to 210°F / 96 to 99°C. If browned but not at temp, finish at 350°F / 175°C in the oven for 5 to 8 minutes on a baking sheet.
Preheat Griddle
First Side
Second Side
Burning before cooked through means your heat is too high. Pull it back, give it more time, and finish in the oven if you have to.
Baking Methods
The classic method. Even heat, beautiful crust.
Equipment: Cast iron skillet or griddle, medium-low heat
Preheat
Medium-low for 10 minutes.
Grease lightly
Thin layer of neutral oil.
Cook 6–8 min per side
Until deep golden and 205–210°F / 96–99°C internal.
Fork-Split
Cool and Fork-Split
45 minutes cool
Never cut with a knife. Pry open with a fork — that's how you keep the nooks and crannies.
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Cool on a rack
Transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before splitting — about 45 minutes.
Fork-split, never knife-cut
Insert a fork into the side at the equator and work your way around, poking every quarter inch. Pry the halves apart. The nooks and crannies are the whole point. A knife crushes them.
Toast and load up
Toast cut-side until golden. Butter, jam, honey, eggs, breakfast sandwiches — whatever you're into.
Pro Tip
Best the day they're made. Fork-split, freeze the rest, toast directly from frozen.
Precise Timers
Use these interactive timers to track your stages.
Cool Before Splitting
Nutrition Facts
Per 1 muffin (about 80g) • 10-12 servings per recipe
* Values are estimates based on standard ingredients; actual values vary by brands and portion size.
Storage
Room Temperature
2 to 3 days in a paper bag or bread box. They stale faster than a sandwich loaf because of the high hydration.
Refrigerated
Up to 5 days, tightly wrapped. Bring to room temperature or warm briefly before serving.
Frozen
Up to 3 months. Fork-split before freezing so you can toast straight from frozen. Store in a zip-top bag with the air pressed out.
Refresh
Warm at 325°F (165°C) for 8-10 minutes, or microwave individual portions for 15-20 seconds.
💡 Toast from frozen or thawed. Don't try to re-bake them in the oven — the toaster is the right tool.
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Troubleshooting
Baker's Notes
Common questions and solutions for perfect results
If you're serious about scoring, you need the right blade in your hand. Wire Monkey makes handcrafted bread lames from black walnut — built to last, balanced in the hand, and sharp enough to glide through cold dough cleanly every single time. No dragging, no hesitation marks. Just a clean cut.
Wire Monkey Handcrafted Bread Lames
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