English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches

Behold: beautifully browned English muffins!

Ok, I know that English muffins aren't exactly the most exciting thing ever, but work with me here. Give it a chance. Read through this entry first and then decide to write it off or not. This way, you can rest assured that you're making an informed decision!

Truthfully, I've never really given these a lot of thought. I always preferred other breakfast items and only on occasion would we buy a pack of them. They never seemed like anything special to me and there were so many better things to consume for breakfast... like lattes and pastries.

But recently, we've had an obsession with Dahlia's Bakery, a Tom Douglas restaurant that's super famous in Seattle. If you'll remember, the Coconut Cream Pie that I recently did was one of his amazing recipes. On a few consecutive Sundays, we've driven all the way out to Seattle and back just to have breakfast there. It's worth the effort!

Hubby has been obsessed with one of their breakfast sandwiches (and with good reason). It's the most amazing thing ever and quickly became one of our favorites.


It's a freshly baked and toasted English muffin sandwich with melted cheddar, a fried egg, crispy bacon, and fresh arugula. Mmmm... now there's something to wake up to!

I never thought I'd be inspired by something as mundane as an English muffin. But I guess if anyone could turn the mundane into inspiration, I shouldn't be surprised that it would be Tom Douglas!

I found a great recipe on Tracey's Culinary Adventures. I was surprised at how fun it is to make these! The recipe is actually pretty involved, for something that's so seemingly plain. I felt like I was reading a suspense novel, with lots of unexpected twists and turns! Ok, I exaggerate. But only a little.

I used the paddle attachment for this one.

Combine sugar, flour, salt, and yeast.

Mix in butter and milk until all of the dry ingredients have been combined.


Knead the dough for about 10 minutes on a floured surface until it passes the window pane test. (Click on the link I've provided for more information on this test. They explain it better than I can and have pictures to illustrate.) Basically, your dough should look like a thin window pane when pulled apart. You can also test it via temperature. Your thermometer should register between 71 and 88 degrees F. If it passes either one of these tests, that means you've kneaded the dough enough and you can allow it to rest and rise.


Once you've kneaded it to perfection, lightly oil a bowl and roll the dough to coat. Cover it in plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm place. The "warm place" part is crucial, as I figured out the hard way! My house was really cold and there was a draft from someone leaving the sliding glass door open, so I had to let it sit twice as long, and I even turned on a burner near it.

But don't worry, it'll eventually rise! Double, in fact!

Sprinkle a parchment lined pan with corn meal.

Flatten your dough into a rectangular disk and cut into 6 equal pieces.

Roll each piece of dough into a ball and place them on the pan. Make sure to space them evenly apart because they will rise again! Sprinkle with more corn meal on top and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow them to sit in a warm place until they've doubled in size.

Ta-da! They turned out to be huge!

Ok, here's where it gets interesting! Transfer them onto an oiled skillet and brown both sides. What I tell ya? Exciting, is it not??


This won't cook them completely through, but it will give it the beautiful brown crust that English muffins are known for!


After you've browned them on both sides, place them on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 5-8 minutes.


They turned out so beautifully! I agree with Tracey, they were definitely super light, fluffy, and oh-so-delicious! Have you ever had one straight out of the oven with warm melted butter?! Now there's something to get excited about! I've been missing out all these years with the store-bought kind. Maybe that's why I've always been luke-warm about them- I've never had a homemade one! It's amazing with jam too!

Anyway, onto this Tom Douglas sandwich! It's super easy to make.


Fry an egg in olive oil so that you have a little "egg patty." Brown up some crispy bacon! I like to use thick cut, center sliced bacon. It's the best!


Cut an English muffin in half, then butter and toast it with a slice of cheddar on top, so that it melts and becomes deliciously gooey!

Top with the crispy bacon...

...add your fried egg patty...

...and finish it off with some fresh arugula!

Only one thing to do when you've go something this amazing in front of you: PIG OUT!

I'd like to encourage everyone to give these a try! It's super easy and fun to make. Everyone deserves to know what a real English muffin should taste like! You'd be surprised at how much of a difference it makes!

Click HERE for the English Muffin Recipe!