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.
I grew up eating this bread. My grandmother always makes it for me. She has been making it for as long as I can remember. It is my all time FAVORITE bread, hands down! She is coming up to visit in a few months and we are going to make a couple loaves with my kids (tradition) I cant wait!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Just pulled it out of the oven and could not wait. Delicious with my homemade cherry jam!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I didn’t (couldn’t) read through all the comments, but do you have any way to make the recipes printable? Or am I missing it?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Highlight the recipe section shown in center of post called Carole’s English Muffin Bread. Right click on your mouse and choose copy command. Open your word processing program. On blank page, right click and select paste command. Save the file.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Can’t wait to try the recipe! I don’t have 4 loaf pans though – would a bundt pan work??
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My first attempt at making bread and it was a success! I toasted it, spread butter on it and slathered it with homemade strawberry jam! Even better is when my hubby tasted it he said it taste like his mother’s bread! This touched my heart cause I didn’t get her bread recipe before she passed away and now I’m glad this recipe entered my life. Kiss your mom for me!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.can i use self rising flour?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made this today and it was very good! To answer the questions about rising: I didn’t have quick rise yeast, so I did the double rise method. The first rise took 1 hour. For the second rise I heated the oven to warm to speed up the process, so it only took 30 minutes. I would say that you should expect the rise to take 45 mins to 1 hour depending on how warm or cold your house is. Good luck!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Just had to share a cute story. I’ve made this several times & always share with family/friends. Made a 1/2 batch last nite (short on flour). My 6 yo grandson said this morning-Oma, please don’t give away all our bread this time. LOL. Our fav way to enjoy it is with butter, garlic powder & parm cheese under the broiler till toasty, DIY Texas Toast. Thanks to you & your Mom for sharing the recipe!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That IS a cute story! Thanks for sharing Linda.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just made this!!! my first ever from scratch bread recipe!! they came out beautifulllll !!
I only made 2 loafs though, had to half it and worked great
2 3/4 C warm water
Please log in or create a free account to comment.1 1/2 packs of the yeast
1 Tbs salt
1 Tbs + 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
5 1/2 C flour
( in case someone was wondering :) ) THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING ONCE AGAIN <3
I liked the idea of using whole wheat so I decided to half the recipe and I used 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat. Thought this might be lighter than just using all whole wheat. It’s rising now…I’ll let you know how it turns out! Hoping for the best!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made this wonderful bread today and it was so simple and so incredibly good. I just used a big bowl to mix it in and it worked great. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My kitchen smells wonderful while the bread is rising. I can’t wait to get to the finished product! We have house guests coming tomorrow and they buy English Muffin bread all the time. It will be fun to see their reaction. Thanks for sharing!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hello. I really wanna try this recipe, however, I’ve never made anything with yeast. If I use the rapid rise, how long would I need to let it rise? An hour or so? I read though the comments and I did see several people ask but I didn’t see the answer. I don’t want to go out and buy the ingredients and mess it all up and waste the items and money. Thank you.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m looking forward to making this tomorrow and sharing 2 loaves with my inlaws who are having some house guests in a few days. I use rapid rise yeast in the jar (I make pizza dough and regular WW bread weekly or more). I’m sitting here staring at the jar and trying to do the conversion from packets to the jar- thankfully its on the label
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is absolutely the best tasting English Muffin bread ever! I was a little nervous making it, but it went so smoothly, I won’t hesitate to make it again!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.OH MY GOSH – this is absolutely the BEST toast EVER ! The only reason I stopped eating it was because my husband was in the room and I knew that he would wonder how I ate an entire loaf on my own ! Other three are in the freezer. So yummy
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is the most amazing bread ever! Used to buy this at Wally World, used to. Never again. Easiest bread I’ve ever made! Taste is unmatched by any store bought brand of English Muffins! I used 8 cups of all purpose flour and the rest just Pillsbury Bread Flour. Greased my loaf pans with Crisco and used yellow corn meal to coat them. Out of 4 loaf pans I used only 2 were identical and non-stick. Used one smaller dark non-stick one and one glass one. Put light flour sack dishtowels over two at time to rise. Took about an hour to rise. Baked all at once and the bread is out of this world!!! Just topped mine with butter and homemade blueberry refrigerator jam that I made a few days ago. Amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing your mom’s receipe with us! Making 4 more loaves now for family and neighbors. Love, love, love this bread!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sorry, meant used only two loaf pans that were identical…. lol
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Two thumbs up!! I made this recipe yesterday and it turned out great! My mother used to make home-made English muffins for us every Christmas before her stroke. My nephew called them “circle bread”! They were so good.. My sister and her son began making them from our Mother’s recipe and I joined them a couple of years ago. We do this a few days before Christmas. It’s an all-day affair–very labor intensive and time consuming, but SO worth the final product! As you can imagine–the muffins are gone in just a few days. So this bread is a perfect “fix” for the rest of the year!! So excited to have run across this recipe. I, too, sprinkled some cornmeal on tip of the loaves after spooning the dough in the pans, because that is included in the muffin recipe. Getting ready to make eggs and bacon for breakfast to eat along side the toast. Yummy!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yay for “two thumbs up”! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just made this bread this morning and it is incredible how easy and good it is! I halved the recipe because I only have two bread pans and I did use two full packets of the rapid yeast because I had two that were a few months past the date on them. The bread still turned out great though it does have a bit of a yeast flavor but that is fine with me.
Thank you for sharing this with all of us, this is a recipe that is a keeper and one that I will pass on to my daughters as well.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You are very welcome Crystal. So glad you liked it! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I was wondering if I could toss 1/2 of the batter in the fridge while I let 2 loaves rise and then when they go into the oven, take it back out to go to room temp, go into the pans when they are free of the loaves they just baked and then let it rise the 2nd time then? Does that make sense? I would like to make 4 loaves at once, but like most folks who have commented, I am limited by the number of pans I own. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Lisa….that actually sounds like it would work just fine. Please let us know it turns out. :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.So glad I came across this recipe! Use to make this years ago and give them out as gifts at Christmas. Everyone loved it and it’s so easy. I agree, with butter and a smidge of honey or jam….perfection!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Made this bread on Friday and all I can say is YUMMY!!! I normally eat an English Muffin each morning for breakfast, now this is my breakfast of choice…Thank you so much
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Well…my loafs were ok…tasty enuf to eat. But I found a recipe further up on the comments page, so Im gonna try that recipe another time..Does anyone have an easy recipe for English toasting bread, I thought this was for that kinda of bread….these are english muffins! One that doesnt need kneading….!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I did a mix of all pourpose flour and whole wheat flour and found came out REALLY dense but still tasty. I also pre cut the loafs and put them in the freezer so I could grab just a few at a time (4 loafs is alot for one person:) ) I pulls a couple out this morning and they tasted fine!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.What went wrong….? I dont have an Oster mixer, so I used my hand mixer….it turned out like icing but very sticky…I spooned it into 2 loaf pans, quarter way to the top….it double in size and ran over the top….so I spooned some into muffin pans(only have two loaf pans)…I even 3rd the recipe…3 2/3 C warm water,2 pkg rapid rise yeast, 2/3 tsp salt, 2 Tblsp sugar and 7 1/3 C all-purpose flour. They are in the oven as I write but look and feel like two bricks…what did I do wrong? Was it the conversion of the recipe? I wasted all that flour!
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