English Muffin Bread (Easy Homemade Recipe)
This easy homemade English muffin bread has all those craggy, nooked-and-crannied holes you love, no kneading required, just toast and slather with butter.
The Secret to Real Homemade English Muffins Bread
If you have ever pulled apart a store bought English muffin and marveled at all those little nooks and crannies just waiting to soak up butter and jam, you are going to love this recipe. This is genuinely the best English muffin bread recipe I have made, and the wildest part is that there is no kneading involved at all. You mix a sticky batter, let it rise once in the pan, and bake. That is it.
This homemade English muffin bread recipe has been a reader favorite for years, and once you understand why, you will never buy the packaged stuff again. It toasts up with a satisfying crunch on the outside while staying soft and chewy inside, with that unmistakable tangy, yeasty flavor everyone loves about a good English muffin.
Before we get cooking, the right tools and ingredients make a real difference here. A sturdy set of loaf pans, a reliable stand mixer or hand mixer, and good quality active dry yeast will set you up for the craggiest, best textured loaf possible. These are the products that genuinely help this recipe shine:
Why This Is Basically a Batter, Not a Dough
Most bread recipes ask you to knead for ten minutes and develop a smooth, elastic dough. This one does not. English muffin bread is technically a batter bread, meaning it stays loose and sticky the entire time. That stickiness is exactly what creates those famous holes once it bakes and rises.
So if you are wondering whether you did something wrong because your dough looks more like thick pancake batter than bread dough, you did everything right. Resist the urge to add more flour to make it easier to handle. The wetter the batter, the better the texture.
Chef's Tip: Dust your loaf pans generously with cornmeal instead of just flour. It creates that classic English muffin crust texture on the bottom and sides, and it is a small detail that makes a big difference.
Tips for the Best Rise
A few small details separate an average loaf from a truly great one when you're learning how to make sourdough style English muffin bread texture without an actual sourdough starter.
- Make sure your milk and water mixture is warm, not hot. Anything over 130 degrees F can kill the yeast before it has a chance to work.
- Let the batter rise somewhere warm and draft free, like an unheated oven with the light on.
- Watch the dough, not the clock. Rise times can vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Resist opening the oven door while it bakes, since a sudden temperature drop can cause the loaf to sink slightly in the middle.
This method also works beautifully as homemade English muffins bread machine friendly, since you can let your machine handle the mixing and single rise, then finish baking the loaf in your regular oven for the best crust.
Ready to Bake?
Once your batter has risen and your oven is hot, you are just about 25 minutes away from two golden loaves of homemade goodness. This is one of those easy homemade English muffin bread recipes that looks impressive but is honestly foolproof once you get the hang of the sticky batter texture.
Ready to make it? Here is the full step-by-step recipe:
English Muffin Bread (Easy Homemade Recipe)
This easy homemade English muffin bread has all those craggy, nooked-and-crannied holes you love, no kneading required, just toast and slather with butter.
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting pans
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast, one standard packet
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp cornmeal, for dusting the pans
Instruction
Generously grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans, then dust the inside of each pan with cornmeal, tapping out the excess.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and active dry yeast until well combined.
In a small saucepan, warm the milk and water together until the mixture reaches about 120 to 130 degrees F (49 to 54 degrees C). It should feel hot to the touch but not scalding.
Pour the warm milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Beat with a wooden spoon or hand mixer on low speed for about 1 minute, until you have a thick, sticky, wet batter. Do not knead, this is a batter bread.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans, smoothing the tops with a wet spatula.
Sprinkle the tops lightly with a little extra cornmeal.
Cover the pans loosely with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot for 30 to 45 minutes, until the batter has risen almost to the top of the pans.
While the dough rises, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are deeply golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when tapped.
Remove immediately from the pans and let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing, at least 45 minutes.
Slice and toast each piece before serving, since this bread is meant to be enjoyed toasted rather than fresh from the oven.
Equipment
- Two 8x4 inch loaf pans
- Large mixing bowl
- Small saucepan
- Wooden spoon or hand mixer
- Wire cooling rack
- Kitchen towel
Notes
How to Serve and Store It
The number one rule of English muffin bread: always toast it before eating. Unlike regular sandwich bread, this loaf is meant to be sliced and popped straight into the toaster, where the heat crisps up the exterior and brings out all those little pockets perfect for holding melted butter, honey, or your favorite jam.
It also makes an incredible base for breakfast sandwiches, avocado toast, or even as a stand in for English muffins in a classic eggs Benedict. Once you try this English muffin bread recipe breadmaker or oven method, you will keep a loaf in your freezer at all times.
To store, let the bread cool completely, then keep it in a sealed bag at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, slice the entire loaf first and freeze it, so you can pull out exactly the number of slices you need for the toaster.
Chef's Tip: Cutting the bread while it is still warm can cause it to compress and lose that classic open crumb. Be patient and let it cool fully before slicing for the best texture.
However you serve it, this bread maker English muffin bread recipe proves that some of the best homemade baking projects are also the simplest. No kneading, no fuss, just a warm kitchen, a little patience, and two beautiful loaves of toastable, buttery goodness.
