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Breads & Doughs

No-Knead Homemade English Muffins (No Oven Needed)

4.67 from 1279 votes
All the nooks and crannies you love made right at home with my Homemade English Muffins recipe!
By Gemma Stafford | | 1125

Last updated on January 20, 2023

A basket of English Muffins made without an oven.

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHAT YOU GET: This is a simple recipe for no-knead English muffins that, surprisingly, don’t need an oven to make! 

I’m so excited to introduce you the yet another no-knead bread recipe! Similar to making sourdough, this too is a fermented dough. You get an amazing crust, flavor, and bubbly texture, BUT you don’t need a starter! The result is a dough that is perfect for making into many different kinds of bread — including ENGLISH MUFFINS! Don’t forget that I also have a recipe for Sourdough English Muffins, too.

If you thought English Muffins involve a lot of technique and baking experience, watch and learn as I show you how easy it can be!

What Gives English Muffins Their “Nooks and Crannies?”

English Muffins are all about the big pockets of air, that create the “nooks and crannies” inside the bread. If you’re like me you love loading yours up with butter, as it just seeps right into those nooks, making for the most comforting breakfast. In this recipe what creates these pockets of air are the bubbles formed during fermentation.

The longer you leave your dough before baking, the more bubbles you will create an even better flavor.

Finished english muffin recipe, full batch.

How To Store English Muffins

After you make these from scratch, you will not feel the same about buying them at the store! I like to cover and store them at room temp for 3-4 days. Even better, make a big batch and freeze for them for up to 8 weeks, so you always have them for breakfast and brunch!

Why Is My Dough So Sticky?

No bag of flour is the same from country to country or even town to town. This means, your flour can absorb liquid differently from my flour. So, when making ANY bread doughs you always need to hold back liquid until you get the consistency that I show you.

This is a sticky dough, but it should not be really wet. Watch the video (down below on the page) for a visual reference of the dough.

Is An English Muffin A Muffin Or Bread?

Ok, so these are bread, not a muffin. They were originally called “English” muffins to distinguish them from the sweeter cupcake-like muffins that originated in the United States.

Simple english muffin recipe, cut to show texture.

Tips and Tricks to making Homemade English Muffins:

  • Use 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 all-purpose flour for whole wheat English muffins
  • If you live in a cold climate and are worried your dough might not proof, heat your oven then turn it off and leave the door open to warm up your kitchen and create a warmer environment for proofing
  • Use dairy-free milk and coconut oil instead of butter for vegan English Muffins
  • You can bake these in the oven, but you’ll get a different result
  • These cannot be made in the microwave
  • Coat the bottom and top of your English Muffins in fine cornmeal before cooking off for a crispy textured crust
  • Wrap them up and freeze for up to 8 weeks. Defrost at room temperature, toast up and enjoy!
  • After the 18 hour fermentation period you can put your dough in the fridge for up to 3 days

Need A Topping?

Make your own Cream Cheese with my Homemade Cream Cheese recipe! I also have recipes for Homemade Butter, Microwave Jam, and more.

Try My Other No-Knead Recipes

Love sourdough ? Enjoy my Sourdough English Muffins!

Want more easy bread recipes? Check out my new cookbook, Bigger Bolder Baking Every Day!

Try These Recipes!

Watch The Recipe Video!

Homemade English Muffins Recipe

4.67 from 1279 votes
Print Recipe
All the nooks and crannies you love made right at home with my Homemade English Muffins recipe!
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 8 English Muffins
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
All the nooks and crannies you love made right at home with my Homemade English Muffins recipe!
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 8 English Muffins

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2oz /355g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cups (5floz/142ml) milk
  • 1/2 cups (4floz/115ml) water
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, add the flour, yeast, and salt. Mix briefly.
  • In a separate jug, add the milk, water, and butter. Pop it into the microwave for 15-30 seconds or until it's lukewarm and the butter has melted. Take care not to let it get too hot.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until you form a dough. The dough will be quite soft and a little sticky. (NOTE: See the video about holding back liquid until you get the right consistency of dough).
  • Once the dough has come together, just scrape down the sides of the bowl and cover tightly with cling wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Now let it sit at room temperature for a minimum of 12-18 hours. (If you want to cook off your muffins at a later time then pop the dough in the fridge after 18 hours) 
  • The next morning, the dough will have doubled in size. Turn it out onto a floured surface.  Cover with cling wrap and a kitchen towel and let rest for just 10 minutes.
  • After resting, the gluten will have relaxed. You can now roll it out to about 2 cm or slightly under an inch in thickness. (In the video I said roll to 1 cm however I found this to be very thin later)
  • Using a 3-inch cookie cutter dusted in flour, cut out rounds and transfer them to another baking tray lined with parchment. Any scraps can you re-rolled and made into another muffin. Note: At this point, you can place the muffins in the fridge to be cooked off later.
  • Cover the muffins with plastic wrap and a tea towel and let them rest for about 40-45 minutes. After 45 minutes, the dough circles will have puffed up a little. Proceed to cook!

Cooking the English Muffins:

  • Heat a large nonstick frying pan over a steady, medium to medium-low heat.
  • Using a flat spatula, carefully move over the English muffins onto a nonstick frying pan and cover with a lid.
  • Leave at least 2 inches between each muffin. It makes 8-10 muffins so you will probably need to cook them off in two batches. Take extra care when moving your muffins to avoid compressing the dough and knocking out the bubbles.
  • Cook on this side for about 6-7 minutes. The steam created with the lid on will help the muffins rise and cook through fully.
  • Flip over and cook on the other side for another 3-4 minutes. 
  • Set the muffins aside to cool down before eating them fresh. These muffins also toast up really well. 
  • Store for 4 days at room temperature or freeze for up to 8 weeks. 

Recipe Notes

See video about holding back liquid until you get the right consistency of dough.
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GiaMamaMia
GiaMamaMia
3 years ago

Well, my kids fancy these English muffins so much, that now quadruple the recipe, and I call it English Muffin Day. On English Muffin Day, my eldest stops by to pick up his batch, with enough so he can freeze a bunch. My next to eldest who lives on campus pops over to pick up her batch (onion & chive), which she now must hide from her roommate, as she devoured the entire last batch, leaving just one for my daughter. The last two batches are for my younger two, and myself. Some with raisins, some onion & chive, the… Read more »

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Irem
Irem
3 years ago

Hi Gemma,

I was wondering if it would be OK to replace instant yeast with dry yeast for this one. Instead of mixing it with the dry ingredients, I was thinking of proofing it with water and then adding it in with the wet ingredients if you think that’ll work.

(Thank you so much for your lovely recipes and even lovelier demeanour!)

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Dottie Caul
Dottie Caul
3 years ago

Can I use a large cast iron skillet? Do not have large non stick

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Craig Whitley
Craig Whitley
3 years ago

Spent the last 2 weeks trying various recipes for English Muffins. Some with many long steps and yours. I’ve always had great success with the no-knead methods for other breads and this one was the BEST of the 5 recipes I tried. 100 on the Nook and Cranny scale. 100 on the ease of preparation scale 100 on the texture scale 100 on the taste scale. I thought the 1/4 tsp of salt would be too little but they sure tasted fine. More salt is not needed. The only real issue we had was the dough was wet enough to… Read more »

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Susan Carol
Susan Carol
3 years ago

Well, Gemma, you helped to make Day #5 of our enforced Stay-at-Home rule a much more pleasant one! This grandmother was a big hit yesterday morning when I provided a lovely treat to start their Saturday. DELISH! Thank you for THE perfect recipe!

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Janice
Janice
3 years ago

Can you use bread flour ( instead of all purpose). Will there be a difference?

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Alethea
Alethea
3 years ago

Can’t wait to make this! Can I use soymilk instead of regular milk?

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Julia Nugent
Julia Nugent
3 years ago

Hi Gemma, I stumbled upon your youtube video and decided to try your English muffins. I am not very confident when it comes to baking breads and such but decided to give it a try during this “COVID 19 isolation”. I was NOT disappointed and then decided to give your pizza dough a go. My husband and I were impressed, needless to say I purchased your cookbook and can’t wait for its arrival. I am now a big fan, I also have been directing my friends and family to visit your website. Thanks so… much!!! I was wondering if you… Read more »

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Jeya
Jeya
3 years ago

Hi Gemma, my dough is in the midst of being proofed atm. Does the proofing time differ if you live in a tropical country (~30 degrees Celsius)? My dough has been proofing for about 9 hours now and it appears to have doubled in size. Should I wait for 12-18 hours regardless or would waiting longer affect the outcome? Thank you.

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xxEnygma312xx
xxEnygma312xx
3 years ago

These are better and crunchier than traditional store muffins. I have family members with food allergies who get itchy after eating a welI known store brand. They loved these…and I am prepping more dough as I type this…

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About Us

Meet Gemma

About Us

Meet Gemma

Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, a cookbook author, and the creator of Bigger Bolder Baking. I want to help you bake with confidence anytime, anywhere with my trusted and tested recipes and baking tips. You may have seen one of my 500+ videos on YouTube & TikTok or as a guest judge on Nailed It! on Netflix or the Best Baker in America on Food Network. No matter your skills, my Bold Baking Team & I want to be your #1 go-to baking authority.

 

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