Homemade English muffins have a reputation for being fussy, but this stovetop method proves otherwise — no oven required, just a skillet and a little patience. The dough comes together with all-purpose flour, warm milk, active dry yeast, and a touch of baking soda, which means there's no rye or rye-adjacent grain anywhere in the mix. That matters more than you'd think, since store-bought English muffins often contain rye flour or are produced on shared lines where avoiding it is nearly impossible. These are built entirely from scratch, so you know exactly what went into every batch. The cornmeal dusting gives the exterior that signature slightly gritty crust, while the fork-split technique tears the interior open to reveal all those gorgeous nooks and crannies that soak up butter like a dream. Cooking them low and slow on a dry griddle develops a deep golden crust without burning, and the result tastes genuinely bakery-worthy. Once you've made a batch of these, reaching for a plastic-wrapped package at the grocery store is going to feel like a real step down.
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Warm the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until it reaches 105–110°F (40–43°C) — it should feel warm but not hot on your wrist. Remove from heat, sprinkle in the yeast and sugar, stir briefly, and let stand for 5–10 minutes until foamy.
Whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda together in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the yeast mixture and the melted butter, then stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a shaggy, slightly sticky dough forms — it will be softer than bread dough and will not fully pull away from the bowl.
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