If you are looking for the easiest, softest, and quickest homemade English muffin bread recipe, you are at the right place! This recipe calls for a handful of simple ingredients and baking them, and your homemade hygienic bread is ready!
The dough for this English breakfast bread is somewhat unique in that it benefits from being minimally worked. So rather than making it in a stand mixer, I always reach for my Danish dough whisk, which makes it easy to combine the ingredients without over-mixing.
There’s so much to love about homemade English muffin bread — it’s quick and easy to make, the ingredients are inexpensive, and it’s delicious to boot! The recipe makes 4 loaves of English muffin bread, so you’ll have plenty to share (or not… your secret will be safe with me!)
Table Of Contents
English Muffin Bread Ingredients
- Warm water: Warm water is added to combine and dissolve all the ingredients of the bread, including sugar, salt, and yeast, and form a dough. It helps hydrate the yeast, activates fermentation, and adds moisture to the dough.
- Instant yeast: Sometimes called “rapid rise” or “quick rise” yeast, instant yeast makes the dough rise and gives this bread its signature air pockets. (If you want to use active yeast instead, you’ll need to let the dough rise twice — once in the bowl until doubled in size, and again in the loaf pans until the dough reaches the lip of the pan.)
- Sugar: Sugar serves as a food source for the yeast and gives the bread a slightly sweet flavor.
- Salt: Salt is a crucial ingredient in bread, lending flavor and improving its structure.
- All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour makes up the bulk of this dough, yielding loaves with a tender, chewy crumb reminiscent of English muffins.
How To Make English Muffin Bread
Ingredients:
- 5 1/2 cups warm water
- 3 envelopes (3/4 oz) instant yeast
- 3 Tbsp salt
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 11 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
Add the water, yeast, salt, sugar, and flour to a large bowl and stir just until combined.
As I mentioned, a Danish dough whisk is an ideal tool for this task, because it incorporates the ingredients more effectively than other utensils using fewer strokes. (Other types of bread need to be kneaded thoroughly, but too much mixing makes English muffin bread tough rather than tender and chewy.)
Divide the dough evenly between 4 well-greased loaf pans, then let it rise until it’s just above the top edge of the pans.
Bake the loaves at 350 degrees F for 35-45 minutes, or until the tops are light golden brown.
Right after you take the bread out of the oven, turn the loaves out of the pans and place them on a cooling rack. Use a pastry brush to brush softened or melted butter over the top of each loaf, then leave them to cool completely before slicing.
“I love this bread! It has become a favorite in my house and I make it at least once a month. It is great with just butter or honey, and makes for a wonderful toast for breakfast sandwiches. […] Thank you for sharing this recipe!”
– OGT Reader Robin
How to Enjoy Leftovers
To store leftover English muffin bread, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or seal it in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 2 days (or a few days longer in your fridge).
You can also tightly wrap English muffin bread in plastic wrap or seal into an airtight freezer bag and freeze it for up to 1 month.
To enjoy refrigerated or frozen English muffin bread, let it come to room temperature on your countertop or reheat individual slices in your microwave or toaster oven.
More Ideas You'll Love
Serving Suggestions
You can have English muffin bread for breakfast or as an afternoon snack with tea, coffee, or creamy hot chocolate. As a big fan of late-night toast, I can confirm that it also makes a great late-night snack! Try it with these toppings:
- Butter
- Jam
- Honey
- Honey butter
- Peanut butter
- Chocolate spread
- Cinnamon sugar
- Fresh fruit and whipped cream
This English toasting bread makes a wonderful gift too! Pair it with homemade butter for a gift the recipient won’t soon forget.
Further Reading
For more delicious bread recipes and the like, check out:
- Impress yourself and your loved ones with a loaf of No-Fail Easy Overnight Bread —no kneading required!
- Make a delicious batch of Instant Pot Strawberry Jam to enjoy with your English muffin bread.
- Take a look at my favorite bread maker and learn why you might want one for yourself.
Get The Best Whisk For English Muffin Bread
There’s no substitute for using the right tool for the job, including when you’re making English muffin bread. A Danish dough whisk is the best tool for the job, hands down!
Take it from Patty, a fellow OGT reader:
“How did I go my first 53 years of life without Jillee’s Danish Whisk? This piece is amazing. I cannot believe I waited so long to buy it. It glides smoothly through the dough and doesn’t need to be shaken or tapped against the side of the bowl when mixing eggs as a traditional whisk requires. I call it my wonder whisk!”
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Make Gluten-Free English Muffin Bread?
While many baking and bread recipes are fairly easy to make gluten-free, English muffin bread isn’t one of them. Unfortunately, all my attempts to make gluten-free English muffin bread have yielded disappointing results. (I recommend trying my favorite gluten-free bread recipe instead!)
How Long Does English Muffin Bread Last?
At room temperature, English muffin bread stays fresh for about 2-3 days, or 5-7 days if you wrap it tightly and store it in the fridge. Frozen English muffin bread can last for 1-2 months.
How Can I Keep English Muffin Bread Fresh?
After baking English muffin bread, it’s important to let it cool completely before storing it. It’s also important to protect it from drying out, which you can do by wrapping it in plastic wrap or storing it in a ziplock bag or airtight container. Doing these two things will help keep your bread fresh!
More Ideas You'll Love
Conclusion
This English muffin bread recipe makes a versatile anytime snack you can pair with sweet or savory toppings. It’s also an easy way to enjoy the delights of freshly baked bread without spending all day in the kitchen!
What would you put on a slice of English muffin bread?
English Muffin Bread Recipe
Video
Equipment
- 4 loaf pans
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 cups warm water
- 3 envelopes instant yeast
- 2 Tablespoons salt
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 11 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Add the water, yeast, salt, sugar, and flour to a mixing bowl and stir until just combined.
- Divide the dough between four greased loaf pans.
- Let the dough rise until it reaches the top edge of the pans.
- Bake the loaves at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove the finished loaves from the pans, place them on a cooling rack, and brush the top of each loaf with melted butter.
- Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.
So I quatered this recipe and then baked in muffin tins for 30mins instead of 45mins. It turned out great except it was really salty. I would definitely make it again but take out the salt and maybe experiement with whole wheat flour.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Got this recipe from pinterest & thought hrmm simple easy bread, must try. Well I took that challenge on yesterday. LOL Challenge #1 only had 2 regular sized loaf pans & 1 smaller wider one not the 4 as recommended, Challenge #2 trying to half the recipe then boo-booing and adding too much water, Challenge #3 not a big enough bowl LOL BUT after all those challenge’s I ended up with 3 loaves of GREAT english muffin bread. Oh my gosh this is soooo delicious toasted–I fixed up some slices this morning to see what I liked best; just toasted w/ butter, butter & honey, cheese, & or peach jam. Well after testing a half slice of each I must admit your toasted with butter & honey and my cabot seriously sharp cheese were out of the best–VERY DELISH thank you for sharing this recipe!! Even my new sister-in-law loves it :D
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sooo made some more & this time I halved the recipe–yes I know bad mistake because I know it will be all ate up with in easily the next 24-48hours. Thank you soooo much for sharing this wonderful recipe. For all those reading through the comments & trying to figure out measurements for halving AND also if you have a jar instead of packets here ya & hope it helps! :)
Halved Recipe
Please log in or create a free account to comment.2 3/4C(cup) Warm Water
3 3/8tsp(teaspoon) OR 1 1/2 packets of Rapid Rise or Regular Active Dry Yeast
1Tbsp(tablespoon) Salt
1 1/2Tbsp(tablespoon) Sugar
5 1/2C(cup) Flour
I made this bread a few days ago….amazing! Since I do not have a large freezer, I gave a loaf to my son’s family and my daughter’s family. I even received a text from my granddaughter about how much she LOVED the bread. A big hit with all….warms my heart to share with my chicks. BTW, hubby was happy,too!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I had my doubts about this bread. No fat, milk or eggs. I thought it would be bland. Plus I rarely eat English muffins, not a fan. My DH had put on a pot of fifteen bean soup so I thought I would try it. I only made one and my yeast was a couple weeks out of date but it turned out fine. I was surprised at how light it turned out. Easy to make and tasty. Thanks for the recipe.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.LOVE this bread!!! Sending some love from pinterest!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made this yeasterday. So very easy and so very good!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you for such a great recipe.
There is a god! I just made this and my house smells delicious. It looks just like the pictures! I am so bread challenged and have tried many with no luck! I am making for a friend who has shattered her knee along with homemade soup.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have made this several times and everyone loaves it. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR SHARING
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Mmmmm… The first time I made it I halved it, but used all purpose flour. Yummy!! Today I made it again but with Multi-grain flour — yummy again!!! What a great recipe! I wish my mixer would fit the whole recipe, but half will slow us down on the eating (a bit). :) thanks for the great recipe!! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have tried a few bread recipes in my day and all have been a massive failure, so I had pretty much given up on ever making homemade bread (which is practically a law in my family, everyone makes homemade bread except me!). Most recipes were fairly complicated, steps that I’d mess up (probably due to chasing two young kids around while I’m trying to bake). I saw this, and thought “I dont think I can mess this up, its all one step basically and then it rises and then you bake it!”.
So here I sit, waiting on it to rise and thinking that this was far too easy – I must have done something wrong LOL! Not sure how long it has to rise for but I’ll keep my eyes on it.
Oh, and I didn’t have a mixer like I noticed others saying – I mixed it by hand with a mixing spoon and it was easy. If I do this once or twice a week, I’ll be getting a great arm workout thats for sure :)
Can’t wait to see how it turns out! Thanks for the easy recipe, and the step by step photos (wish ALL recipes came with that).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Do you know if you can safely halve this recipe? I only have 2 bread pans!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I absolutely love english muffins!! I really want to try this recipe, yet I am not sure I will. I just can’t bake bread. I have tried and tried, yet I always fail. I can make quick bread, yet if it calls for yeast I am usually just wasting my time. I would hate to try and make this and find another failure as I am drooling for it!!
Do you have a good recipe for ham and bean soup? I really would love to make some of that too!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made this last night and it was hard but I waited til this morning to try a slice…or TWO! I LOVE IT!!! I will definitely be making this on a regular basis!! Thank you so much for a fantastic recipe!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Made this and passed some along to my friends… verdict delicious. Question… can I substitute whole wheat flour for any or all of the bread flour?
Thanks
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve never tried the whole wheat flour…but I don’t see why not!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hey Jillee!
I just discovered your blog, thanks to the miracle stain remover for those lovely yellow armpit stains…it totally worked by the way! Awesome.
I try to make all of our bread products, and I can’t wait to give this recipe for the English muffin bread a try! I am wondering though if you think it would work the same with INSTANT yeast. That is usually what I use when making bread, because it also doesn’t require a first rise. It doesn’t come in packets though, it just comes in a large package. Any idea if I could substitute this kind of yeast, and if I would use the same amount?
Thanks so much!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made this bread tonight.. and oh my word!!! I love it…It was so easy and quick.. I wanted to make 2 loaves but ended up making four… this will be my go bread from now on….. thank you for sharing
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Has ANYONE tried this in their bread machine? I have a machine that makes a 2-lb loaf. If so, please share the measurement using recipe listed? Thanks a million!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Has anyone used the small disposable loaf pans? Just thinking of gifting friends with little loaves, but wasn’t sure if just dividing it among little pans would be a good idea for texture, etc.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I only had 3 regular loaf pans but have 2 small “gift” loaf pans so I used all of them. It turned out just fine in all the pans – I would probably give the disposable pans a generous coating of whatever you grease your pans with so the bread doesn’t stick in them.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.do I cover the bread while it’s rising? I have nver made homemade bread before.
Thanks
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I did.. it turned out great.. cover with a damp cloth
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Do you know if this is similar in nutrition to the english muffins?! Like fat and calorie wise?? Thank you! ITS DELICIOUS!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Can’t wait to try this recipe. We love it when we can find it in selected bakeries.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Ah! I just made this recipe, and I cut it in half, as I only have 3 loaf pans. And I should have split it into THREE loaves. I let it rise twice, as per the written instructions, since I just have regular yeast. And it got WAY too big, and overflowed in my (just cleaned) oven! The loaves are still in the oven and I expect them to taste phenomenal, but it’s good to know that I can split the half recipe into THREE and not TWO. :) Thank you!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve made this several times my family LOVES IT!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.But let me help clarify a couple things.
1) if you use yeast that is not rapid rise you should:
a) dissolve it in the warm water (bloom) before adding the rest of the ingredients.
b) allow it to rise once in the bowl first, then add it to the load pans and rise again.
One last tip, yeast in a jar vs. prepackaged. There is about 2 and a 1/4 teaspoons per package of RR yeast. You would need about 6 and 3/4 teaspoons for this recipie if you use yeast from a jar.
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipie! My son loves to make it with me! (he’s also 6!) it’s so delicious and everyone always asks if I have any when they come to my house! ;-)