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    Home » Recipes » Bread & Biscuits

    Published: Aug 31, 2017 · Modified: May 30, 2022 by Melanie McDonald · This post contains affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 67 Comments

    Homemade English Muffins

    JUMP TO RECIPE PIN WATCH VIDEO
    4.79 from 47 votes
    Homemade English Muffins. Nothing can beat them straight off the griddle or gently toasted. They are soft, slightly chewy & perfect for breakfast or snacks. No oven is required & they are so much nicer than store bought!

    Homemade English Muffins. Nothing can beat them straight off the griddle or gently toasted.  They are soft, slightly chewy & perfect for breakfast or snacks. No oven is required & they are so much nicer than store-bought!

    Homemade English Muffins on cooling rack

    Picture for one minute, one of these homemade English Muffins, straight off the griddle, spread thickly with my Easy Vegan Butter and topped with a dollop of vegan lemon curd ......

    I have been eating these English Muffins like they are going out of fashion recently and even I stopped in my tracks at the thought. They are quite simply, irresistible.

    They really aren't all that difficult to make either. They do however take a bit of time but almost all of that is hands off time and it is so, SO, worth the wait. See my video below for a step by step guide.

    Homemade English Muffins on a plate. One split and spread with butter and jam.

    You can also make the dough for these English Muffins in a bread machine if you have one. Directions are given below.

    No oven is required. They get cooked on a griddle or in a skillet. That's what gives them their beautifully golden tops and bottoms. And those beautifully golden tops and bottoms give them their distinctive chewiness. Watching them grow on the griddle is so fun too. They really are like little puffy clouds!

    They are just perfect while very fresh, eaten just as they are. Nothing can beat them right off the griddle! However, they really come into their English Muffin-ness properly when split and toasted. Their little nooks and crannies get all crispy and golden and they are the perfect vehicle for all sorts of toppings.

    Close up Shot of Homemade English Muffins on a plate. Split, spread with drippy jam with a bite taken out.

    Serving Suggestions

    Vegan butter and jam is my favourite topping for these muffins, but they also work incredibly well with all sorts of other accompaniments. Try them:

    • Topped with your favourite tofu scramble
    • Used as a base for a vegan eggs benny (there is a recipe in my cookbook)
    • Turned into mini pizzas for the kiddos
    • Used instead of bread for sandwiches or as an alternative to burger buns
    • Toast and top with your favourite toast toppings (avocado, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms etc).
    Homemade English Muffins from above. One a plate with butter and jam.

    Fork splitting

    What the heck is fork splitting? Well, if you want maximum nooks and crannies for superior butter catching, use a fork to split your muffins rather than using a knife. I really should have shown you how in my video but I didn't think about it until afterwards. I might make a quick add-on next time I make them but until then, here is a pretty rudimentary video that shows how.

    More English style recipes

    • Vegan Ham
    • Vegan Sausage Recipe
    • Vegan Sausage Casserole
    • Vegan Pea Soup

    Recipe video

    Homemade English Muffins on cooling rack

    Homemade English Muffins

    Author: Melanie McDonald
    4.79 from 47 votes
    Homemade English Muffins. Nothing can beat them straight off the griddle or gently toasted. They are soft, slightly chewy & perfect for breakfast or snacks. No oven is required & they are so much nicer than store bought!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!
    PREP TIME: 45 minutes
    COOK TIME: 15 minutes
    Rising Time 1 hour 40 minutes
    TOTAL TIME: 2 hours 10 minutes
    Servings: 8 muffins

    Ingredients
      

    • 375g / 3 cup all purpose white flour (strong white flour in the UK) , you can also sub half of this for wholewheat flour. No more than half though as otherwise they will end up heavy
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoons sugar
    • 2 teaspoons instant yeast , sometimes called quick or fast action yeast
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 30mls / 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil , measure in liquid form and make sure it is at room temperature when added. You can sub this for any other flavourless oil or vegan butter
    • Approx 200 mls / ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons tepid water , you might need a little more
    • some extra flour for kneading and rolling
    • Optional cornmeal for dusting

    RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT

    • Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, add all ingredients (except the cornmeal) to the bowl and mix for around 7 - 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. My Kitchen Aid Pro suggests using setting 2 for dough. Once it starts coming together after a minute or two in the mixer, give it a little poke and add a drop or two more water if it feels dry, giving it a chance to mix in between additions, until it is a very slightly tacky to touch dough. 
    • If you do not have a stand mixer, add all of the dry ingredients to a large bowl.  (See recipe notes for bread machine advice). 
    • Pour in the water and liquid (but room temperature) oil then stir briefly to combine and absorb the dry flour. Add a little more water as required to make a very slightly tacky dough.
    • Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 10 minutes until the dough is completely smooth and elastic. If after a few minutes of kneading it feels sticky, add a tablespoon of flour at a time, kneading in between additions. It should be slightly tacky but not sticky. 
    • When kneaded properly, if you put your hands either side of the ball of dough and squeeze inwards, it should bounce back slowly when you let go.
    • Once the dough is kneaded adequately and is smooth and elastic, place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Use a bowl cover,  damp clean dish towel or cling wrap.  Leave in a draft free area until it has doubled in size (around 1 hour although this will vary depending on how warm the environment is). You will get the best flavour by not rushing it so I advise just leaving it on the kitchen counter and not moving it somewhere really warm to speed it up. 
    • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle it with cornmeal or flour if you don't have cornmeal.
    • Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin until it is about 1 inch thick. Make sure it is even all over.
    • Use a cookie cutter (about 3 inches in diameter is good) to cut rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheet. If you don't have a cookie cutter use the top of a glass or a mason jar lid. Be sure to cut carefully and get as many as you can out of the first batch of rolled dough because the muffins from the first batch are always slightly better than those made with the remaining dough.
    • When you have cut as many as you can, ball up the remaining dough as gently as you can and re-roll it then cut out the remaining muffins. 
    • Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with more cornmeal (or flour) then cover and leave again until almost doubled in size. It won't take as long this time. Usually about 30 - 40 minutes. 
    • If you have a griddle, heat it to a medium low heat. I have an electric Cuisinart Griddler and set mine to 350°F. If you don’t have a griddle you can use a heavy frying pan or skillet instead.
    • When the griddle is to temperature, or when your skillet is preheated, place as many muffins as will fit comfortably (with sufficient room to turn them easily), VERY gently on the griddle. It’s important to be as gentle as possible because you don’t want to knock any of the air out of them.
    • Cook for 5 -7  minutes until beautifully golden on the bottom, then VERY gently turn them over and cook for another 5- 7 minutes.
    • Remove and place on a cooling rack.

    NOTES

    As with all bread and baked goods, I highly recommend you use a digital scale when weighing the flour for this recipe. Exact measurements are really important for a good result and cups are not an accurate enough measure. 
    If you would like to make this recipe in a bread machine, add all of the ingredients to the pan in the order specified by your manual. I think most like the water to go in first, followed by the flour then the other things. Set to the dough setting. When finished remove and follow my instructions from step 8. 
    These muffins keep for around a week. They are good just as they are for the first day or two, then are best toasted.
    The recipe can easily be doubled and muffins freeze very well. 

    NUTRITION

    Serving: 1muffinCalories: 196kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 5gFat: 3.9gSodium: 370mgFiber: 1.6gSugar: 1.2gCalcium: 10mgIron: 2mg

    Nutritional information is provided for convenience. The data is a computer generated estimate and should be used as a guide only.

    Tried this recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #avirtualvegan

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Jess says

      January 13, 2022 at 2:44 pm

      can you use gluten free all-purpose?

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        January 13, 2022 at 2:48 pm

        I've never tried making them with gluten-free flour so I don't know how well they would turn out.

        Reply
    2. Jessica Gibbon says

      December 29, 2021 at 3:09 pm

      5 stars
      these look amazing!! quick question, should i oil the griddle or the skillet? or cook it dry? thanks for the recipe! :)

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        December 29, 2021 at 6:32 pm

        I never do. They should be fine without. Enjoy!

        Reply
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