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!
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.
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.
HOW TO SERVE ENGLISH MUFFINS
Butter and jam is the most obvious 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
- 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).
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.
For more English style vegan recipes, check out these great options:
- Vegan English Pancakes
- Vegan Digestive Biscuits
- Bubble & Squeak
- Vegan Yorkshire Puddings
- Baked Strawberry Semolina Pudding
And if you love this recipe, please do check out my cookbook, and subscribe to my email list for a fabulous FREE eCookbook featuring my top 10 recipes. Being on the list means you will be first to see my new recipes and you’ll be kept in the loop on all things new and exciting too!
Homemade English Muffins
Ingredients
- 375g / 3 cup all purpose unbleached 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 ½ teaspoons 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
- 200 mls / ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoon tepid water
- some extra flour for kneading and rolling
- Optional cornmeal for dusting
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 forms a ball, give it a poke and check it's not too sticky. If it is add a tablespoon of flour at time, giving it a chance to mix in between additions, until it is just very slightly tacky to touch.
- 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.
- 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
Estimated nutrition per serving:
Long time vegan, creator of A Virtual Vegan & author of the book 
Brandy Jones says
I love these – I have never made any kind of bread before and even though my first go around wasn’t perfect they tasted so amazing! I am making another batch right now!
Melanie McDonald says
I’m glad you enjoyed them Brandy. Bread making, and getting to know the feel and personality of the dough, is a learning curve. You will find that every-time you make them they get a little better!
Ellen says
I am gluten intolerant. Have you ever made these with oat flour or other GF flours?
A Virtual Vegan says
No I haven’t, sorry.
Courtney says
Try Bob’s red mill gluten free flour blend! It works really well!
Jenna says
OH my soul thank you soooooo much!!! This was a perfect treat and I can’t wait for my mom to try them.
A Virtual Vegan says
I’m so pleased you enjoyed them Jenna. Hope your mom does too!
Brittany says
Thank you for the recipe! I would like to add cranberries and orange zest, but am unsure at what point I should add that to my dough. Do you think it would work out well if I added it to my bread machine before beginning the dough cycle?
A Virtual Vegan says
If you add them from the beginning you will probably find they all get broken up into little pieces. Some bread machines have an “add fruit” signal. It might even say in your manual when they recommend to add it. If it were me though, I think I would let the dough cycle finish, take the dough out, then just knead in the fruit by hand. Then carry on with the directions, shaping them and letting them rise again.
When I make fruity bread in my stand mixer I let it knead, then add the fruit in the last minute or two so it doesn’t get broken up. I don’t know if you are bale to do that in a bread machine. I haven’t used one for years.
A word of warning though with regards to using fruit, because these get cooked on a griddle or in a skillet, the surface is in direct contact with the heat which is what makes the outside so golden and lovely. If there is any fruit poking through on the outside of the dough, it might well burn while they are cooking. If you do notice it start to burn you could take them off and finish them in the oven. They would only need about 15-20 mins on 400 °F, less if they were nearly done on the griddle before. Hope that helps!
Jamie Kyle says
English muffins – my favorite bread. I use them for everything and will try your recipe this weekend in my Kitchenaid stand mixer. My mother made an english muffin bread, baked in a loaf pan in the oven. It was SO good. I would like to try your recipe in this way. Any suggestions for baking temperature and time?
A Virtual Vegan says
I have never made them as a loaf but I’m sure it would be fine. I would bake it at 400°F for maybe 25 min? It’s hard to tell without having tried it. Check it at 20 mins and see what it looks like. I would keep it on the softer side rather than let it get crusty but like all bread, when you remove it from the pan, if you tap it on the bottom it should sound hollow when done. It will definitely take no longer than 30 minutes. Hope that helps and good luck!