This English muffin bread bakes up with all the nooks and crannies you love-just like the real thing, but without all the fuss. It's no-knead, stirs together in minutes, and slices up into the perfect toast: crispy, golden edges with soft, airy middles that soak up butter like a sponge.
🎧 Listen to the recipe
Not in the mood to read all this? Hit play below and I'll walk you through the audio version of this English muffin bread recipe with all the sass, tips, and biscuit-loving charm you've come to expect from me.
Table of Contents
- 🎧 Listen to the recipe
- 🎥 Video: English muffin bread
- Reasons to love this english muffin bread
- 📋 English muffin bread ingredients
- 📖 Recipe
- 🔪 How to make English muffin bread step by step
- 🔍 What should the dough look like? Hint: Gloopy Is Good!
- Marye's Pro Tips (They'll Save Your Loaf)
- 📚 More bread recipes you'll love
- 💬 Comments
🎥 Video: English muffin bread
Wanna know what gloopy perfection looks like? Watch this quick video to see exactly how your English muffin bread dough should look-nail the texture, and you're golden (literally).
Reader Review: (5 stars) Made this tonight, and I was a little nervous as I've never attempted bread before. Easy recipe to follow and turned out absolutely delicious!!! Was going to share my second loaf with a neighbor but I changed my mind after the first bite! ~Rachel
Reasons to love this english muffin bread
Some mornings demand real toast - crispy edges, buttery craters, and zero kneading. This loaf delivers everything you want in a slice of toast-without asking you to wrestle with a dough hook.
- No kneading required - stir by hand
- Sticky, gloopy dough = right texture, trust me. (It might look like a hot mess in the bowl, but that's the secret to those buttery craters we're all here for).
- Use cornmeal for that signature crust
- Best for toasting - crispy edges, fluffy inside
- Done in just over an hour (plus rising time)
📋 English muffin bread ingredients
You'll just need basic ingredients for this recipe - most are probably in your pantry right now.
- Yeast -You can use instant yeast instead of regular yeast - just add it in with the dry ingredients and skip the first step of proofing in water.
- Water - Make sure your water temperature isn't too hot nor too cold - it should be about 110F. This is important! Use a thermometer if you're not an experienced baker.
- Sugar - Yeast need sugar to "eat" in order to rise properly. You can substitute honey if you prefer.
- All-purpose flour - No need for bread flour for this recipe.
- Milk - Any kind of milk is fine - just make sure it's 110F.
- Butter - Salted or unsalted is fine. Whatever you have handy.
- Baking soda - Helps to make the craters.
- Salt - Is important for flavor as well as keeping the yeast under control.
- Cornmeal - Not essential but it is traditional.
🍞 Grab your Free English Muffin Kitchen Cheat Sheet for extra tips, FAQs, and more.
📖 Recipe
English Muffin Bread Recipe
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 4 ½ cups flour, you may need less or a little more
- 2 tablespoons yeast, or 2 packets
- 1 tablespoon honey, or sugar
- ¼ cup warm water, 110F
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ¼ cups warm milk, 110F
- Butter and cornmeal for greasing and dusting the pans
Instructions
- Mix the yeast, honey, and water. Set aside.
- Stir the salt, baking soda, and 1 cup of flour together.
- Add the milk to the yeast mixture.
- Blend well.
- Add the remaining flour, OR ENOUGH TO GIVE YOU A SOFT GOOPY DOUGH and beat.
- You should have a very soft, goopy dough. Yes. I said goopy. See the video for a visual.
- Spoon the dough into 2 8-inch (or 1 9-inch) loaf pans that have been greased and dusted with the cornmeal.
- Set aside in a warm place until the batter has doubled and is at the top of the pans, or a little above. This may take 30 to 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425F
- Dust the tops of the loaves with cornmeal and bake for 15 minutes or so. Loaf will sound hollow when tapped. Interior should register 190F-200F on an instant-read thermometer stuck in the center.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes if you want a crisper, more golden crust.
- Cool and slice.
Notes
- Just use all-purpose flour in this recipe. No need for bread flour.
- The batter should be very loose and gloopy. If you add too much flour you won't have those lovely nooks and crannies.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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🔪 How to make English muffin bread step by step
This is an easy, no-knead yeast loaf. You don't need a mixer or a breadmaker - just a big wooden spoon and some patience. In about an hour you'll have a loaf that's perfect for toasting.
- Butter two 8x4-inch bread pans, or one 9x5-inch
- Dust with cornmeal.
- Add the sugar to the water in small bowl.
- Stir in the yeast.
- Set aside until foamy.
- Blend the dry ingredients.
- Add the yeast mixture to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the milk.
- Add ENOUGH FLOUR TO GIVE YOU A SOFT GOOPY DOUGH.
- Spoon the dough from the large bowl into each prepared loaf pan. Try to keep the amount of batter in each one equal. Set aside in a warm place to double. Dust the tops of the dough with cornmeal and bake until the top of the loaves are golden brown.
- Cool loaves.
- Slice.
🔍 What should the dough look like? Hint: Gloopy Is Good!
I've had so many people ask what a gloopy dough is so I grabbed one of the images from the video. This is the perfect texture!
It's a very wet dough. Usually if you can't get the bumpy texture like in my pictures you've added too much flour because you're afraid of the sticky dough.
Marye's Pro Tips (They'll Save Your Loaf)
- This is an easy bread recipe to stir together by hand. I DO NOT recommend making it with an electric mixer because it will get over beaten, even on low speed, and your perfect texture will be lost.
- You can let the dough for this English muffin loaf rise overnight in the refrigerator if you want to save time in the morning or if you prefer to develop the flavor more. Spray plastic wrap with no stick spray and cover the batter so it won't dry out.
Don't forget the free English Muffin Kitchen Cheat Sheet for more.
📚 More bread recipes you'll love
🍞 Cinnamon Raisin Slow Cooker Bread - All the cozy vibes, none of the work.
🍞 Buttermilk Bread -Southern charm in a fluffy, no-fail loaf.
🍞 No-Knead Sandwich Bread - Your new go-to for toast and grilled cheese.
Once you've had a slice of this English muffin bread fresh from the toaster, I promise - you'll never go back to store-bought. Leave a rating, drop a comment, or tell me what you slathered on top (I'm a strawberry butter girl, but I don't judge). And don't forget to grab your free English muffin bread cheat sheet while you're here - it'll save your loaf more than once.
Lou says
Don’t know if I did something wrong or not but 45 minutes in and it’s not even close to doubled. Hope it doesn’t ruin it by leaving it longer to try to rise. Haven’t done yeast bread before really.
Marye says
If it's not rising then the liquid might have been too hot, the yeast might have been old, if you're using air conditioning the kitchen may have been too cool for it to rise quickly...or your water may be chemically treated - that sometimes does it.
Erin says
I noticed that when the recipe says to mix the flour, salt and baking soda there isn’t any mention about just mixing 1 cup of flour and not mixing all 4 1/2 cups of flour with the baking soda. I’m hoping for the best for my loaves but not sure how they will be since I didn’t get the full baking soda and salt in them since I didn’t need all my flour. Just wanted you to know. The video was helpful, just wish I watched it before mixing up the batter.
CAROLINE says
I had the same experience. I normally just jump to the recipe, so didn't watch the video. The recipe needs to be adjusted to give the direction to separate the flour before mixing with salt & baking soda.
Laura. Van Vliet says
My grandsons loved this bread and requested it again
the next day. It was easy to make. I do have a question about making the dough the night before. You said to put it covered in the refrigerator and I was wondering if you put it in the pans or just keep the dough in the the bowl till morning and then put it in the pans. Do you need extra cooking time because it will be cold?
Marye says
I put the dough in the pans, spray plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray, and cover. The next morning I pull the pans out of the fridge and give them 10- 15 minutes on the counter then bake as directed. You could also leave it in the bowl, add to pans in the morning and let rise for a bit.
Rachel says
I make this every week for my family's breakfast, with half whole wheat flour. It doesn't get as many nooks and crannies but it works much better with the two type 2 diabetics in the house. And we like whole wheat breads here. It's also far cheaper than buying stuff and tastes so much better.
Marye says
I'm glad you like it! You might try substituting 2 tablespoons of the flour with gluten and see if that helps with the nooks and crannies.
Misty says
I've made four loaves so far somw from the fridge and the other not they rise nicely when they cook ip they deflate so much they are half the size they should be. They taste amazing but so small. I am not sure what I am doing wrong. I keep trying though lol
Marye says
Usually if they are deflating it's because you've either let them rise too much, not used enough flour, or they aren't baked all the way through.
Steve C says
This recipe gave excellent results and gained a top mark review from my good Lady. However the slices from the loaves are smaller than I would like. Can it be made as a single large loaf without the outside burning before the inside is cooked? If so, how should the bake timings be adjusted? Keep up the brilliant work.
Marye says
Thanks Steve. Honestly I'm not sure - I've never done it that way.
Steve C says
I’m going to try it and I’ll let you know the outcome. I’m pretty confident that it will work - my Good Lady wants it as a regular feature for her daily sandwiches.