I know I'll get some grief from the made-from-scratch bakers in the audience, and I'm prepared to take it with dignity and humility. Because these aren't really English muffins, they're pizza dough shaped and cooked the way English muffins are. But they're fresh, delicious, packed with craggy nooks and crannies, a heck of a lot better than what you buy at the supermarket and, most importantly, they're easy.

Traditional English muffins occupy this interesting middle ground between baked bread and griddled flatbread. Unlike most sandwich loaves or dinner rolls, they’re usually cooked almost entirely on a griddle rather than baked in an oven, which gives them their signature thin crust, tender chew, and soft interior full of nooks and crannies. A classic English muffin dough is generally wetter and softer than pizza dough, often enriched with milk or butter, and relies on a slow rise and gentle handling to create that distinctive texture.

If you're after a true English muffin experience, you can't go wrong with my friend Stella Parks' recipe from over on Serious Eats.

But for the rest of us who want to jump ahead without weighing ingredients and mixing and fermenting dough, I turn to pizza dough. Whether store-bought or leftover from a pizza night, leftover pizza dough might be one of the best “bonus ingredients” in the kitchen. It can turn itself into excellent sandwiches. You can use it to make pull-apart pepperoni garlic knots. And if you want a breakfast treat, you can easily turn it into English muffins!

Pizza dough makes especially good English muffins because it already has strong gluten development and long fermentation behind it, which means great chew, complex flavor, and lots of airy pockets inside.

The process is dead simple: Divide the dough into muffin-sized portions (about 3 ounces / 75g each), shape into tight balls, flatten them slightly, then let them proof on a cornmeal- or semolina-dusted sheet pan at room temperature overnight. Cook them low and slow on a dry skillet or griddle until deeply browned on both sides and cooked through.

Split them open, toast them, top with butter and jam, make breakfast sandwiches, or do what I do and stand over the counter eating one plain while the coffee brews.

And what do you do with leftover pizza dough English muffins? Why, make Leftover Leftover Pizza Dough English Muffin English Muffin Pizzas, of course. (I promise, that sentence makes sense).

Recipe: Pizza Dough English Muffins

Every recipe I publish here is personally tested, tasted, and approved.

What I love about this recipe:

Using pre-made or leftover pizza dough makes making craggy, tender English muffins easy.

An overnight rest lets you griddle the English muffins for breakfast.

Yield: 6 English muffinsActive Time: 30 minutesTotal Time: 6 1/2 to 12 1/2 hours (including the overnight rest)Notes: Corn meal will give a crunchier finish to the exterior of the English muffins. Semolina will keep them softer.

Ingredients

1 cup semolina flour or cornmeal

1 pound (450g) pizza dough

Salted butter, for serving

Method

Divide and Rise: Line a rimmed baking sheet or proofing container with parchment paper. Spread half the semolina or cornmeal in an even layer on top of it. Divide the dough into 6 even pieces, about 75 grams each. Form each into a tight ball. Space the balls out on the baking sheet then sprinkle with remaining semolina or corn meal. Lightly flatten each ball with a flat hand. Cover with a second overturned baking sheet or plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature overnight (between 6 to 12 hours).

To Griddle and Serve: Preheat a large cast iron, carbon steel, or non-stick skillet over medium-low heat for five minutes, or use an electric griddle set to 325°F (160°C). Working three muffins at a time, lightly flatten them once more, then transfer them to the skillet or griddle using a spatula. Let them cook until the first side is nicely browned and the muffins are rising, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip the muffins, press down gently with a spatula to ensure the second side is flat, and cook until browned on the second side, 6 to 8 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining muffins. Cooked and cooled muffins can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week before toasting.

To Serve: Split and toast the muffins and spread with butter.