FoodReference.com Logo

FoodReference.com   (since 1999)

 

Home   |   FOOD ARTICLES   |   Food Trivia   |   Today_in_Food_History   |   Food_History_Timeline   |   Recipes   |   Cooking_Tips   |   Food_Videos   |   Food_Quotes   |   Who’s_Who   |   Culinary_Schools_&_Tours   |   Food_Trivia_Quizzes   |   Food_Poems   |   Free_Magazines   |   Food_Festivals_and_Events

Food Articles, News & Features Section

  You are here > 

HomeFood Articles'D' to 'O' Food History >  English Muffins

Next

 

FREE Magazines and
other Publications

An extensive selection of free food, beverage & agricultural magazines, e-books, etc.

 

See Also: Muffin History

ENGLISH MUFFINS

The story is that an English baker, a certain Samuel B. Thomas, started making these flat chewy things in America over 100 years ago, from his mother's tea cake recipe. The English deny that they ever heard or saw anything like it until they were imported from America. Today you can find Thomas' English Muffins in most English supermarkets. Imported from America.

The curious thing is that 'muffins' in the U.S. are not anything like these so-called 'English Muffins'. (Maybe this was an inexperienced English immigrant baker's attempt to make crumpets* from a half remembered recipe of his mother's.) Muffins in America are 'quick breads' that is, made with no yeast, but leavened with egg and baking powder.

‘English Muffins’ are about 3 inches round and 1 inch high, yeast raised (basically a bread dough) and baked on a griddle. To get the proper texture when split in two they should not be cut with a knife, but should be split with a fork. The resulting rough texture gives them a certain crunchiness when toasted (and helps them hold gobs of butter and preserves).
They are an essential ingredient in Eggs Benedict .

* (What's a crumpet? That's another story.)

 

 

 

 


 

Go to Top of page

 

  Home   |   About & Contact Us   |   Chef James Bio   |   Website Bibliography   |   Recipe Contests   |   Food Links  

Please feel free to link to any pages of FoodReference.com from your website.
For permission to use any of this content please E-mail: [email protected]
All contents are copyright © 1990 - 2024 James T. Ehler and www.FoodReference.com unless otherwise noted.  All rights reserved.
You may copy and use portions of this website for non-commercial, personal use only.
Any other use of these materials without prior written authorization is not very nice and violates the copyright.
Please take the time to request permission.