# Why the fault lines in my english muffins? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 27, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fault-lines-in-my-english-muffins/393921 "2007-02-27T20:06:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fault-lines-in-my-english-muffins/393921/1 "2007-02-27T20:06:07Z")
Why do so many of my english muffins contain fault lines on the bottom portion? I toast, I put on the toppings, I make a nice sandwich out of it, and suddenly the bottom half separates in two due to a previously unnoted crease, or “fault line”. It’s never on the top half! And it seems to happen to at least half of my muffin bottoms, if not more! What’s up with that? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fault-lines-in-my-english-muffins/393921/2 "2007-02-27T20:30:58Z")
Turn them over. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fault-lines-in-my-english-muffins/393921/3 "2007-02-27T20:39:19Z")
Band name: Fractured Muffin Bottoms. Hang on **QTM** , someone’s going to drop by with a serious answer any moment now… ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fault-lines-in-my-english-muffins/393921/4 "2007-02-27T21:09:22Z")
Thermal stresses that couldn’t be relieved by expansion or through heat transfer to the surroundings? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fault-lines-in-my-english-muffins/393921/5 "2007-02-27T21:09:35Z")
We’ll need some more information here. Are they normal, reverse or strike slip faults? Oh oh oh… en echelon? ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fault-lines-in-my-english-muffins/393921/6 "2007-02-27T21:18:06Z")
The marmite that you put on it eats straight through the bottom slice. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fault-lines-in-my-english-muffins/393921/7 "2007-02-28T01:22:22Z")
It’s to do with how they’re made. Dough is folded onto itself to form a smooth top which leaves creases in the bottom. It’s much easier to demonstrate than explain. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fault-lines-in-my-english-muffins/393921/8 "2007-02-28T01:49:55Z")
[QUOTE=Shalmanese] It’s to do with how they’re made. Dough is folded onto itself to form a smooth top which leaves creases in the bottom. It’s much easier to demonstrate than explain. [/QUOTE] OK, come on over and show me. We can hit the hot tub after. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fault-lines-in-my-english-muffins/393921/9 "2007-02-28T04:31:30Z")
Don’t buy the name brands ones with crooks and nannies, the top part is always too thin. I have found the store brands usually hold together better and have a more even division between top and bottom and I haven’t had the bottoms fall apart on me either. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-fault-lines-in-my-english-muffins/393921/10 "2007-02-28T04:42:26Z")
I have never in my life had an english muffin split like you described. You are separating the halfs horizontally, right? 🙂