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.
Never thought I would have the nerve to try bread from’ scratch’ you made it sound so easy. And it really was.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.And yummy too,
Thanks for your blog and recipe. Nothing can stop me now!!!!
Carol
I just got done making and cooling this bread and took my first bite a few minutes ago and all I can say is WOW! It is so delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I am never going to buy English muffins from a store again! I halved the recipe and made 2 loaves, going to freeze one since it is just me and my husband…I can’t wait until he comes home from work in the morning and tries this! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Looks awesome. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for posting your mother’s recipe. That was very kind of you.
Closest thing in the UK would be a crumpet. But there is milk also in a crumpet, so perhaps there is some texture difference.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks, I make my own bread, and English Muffins the round, fry on sklillet way, but this looks so much easier and perfect for having more often. I pinned it and will make later this week.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Have you tried to de-gluten this one? Sounds divine!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is Awesome! I have made it several time. One time I even cut it in 1/2 and it turned out great. I do use regular yeast so I let it rise two times! Thank you so much for sharing. I have several family members that love it when I make this. Now I need to go make some more and freeze!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Best bread ever! Thank you for sharing. The first time I made it I use half white flour and half whole wheat cuz thats all I had (also only made two loafs) SO YUMMY!!! Just made it again last night w just white flour and one loaf is already gone. So delish! Thanks again!!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made this and it tastes AWESOME! My only question is it seems more dense than yours, ie. No holes in the bread and really heavy. Any ideas on why this is? Could i have over mixed? Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.i going to do this.. it looks so delicious!! thanx!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Can you tell me how long you had to wait for the loaves to rise in the pans (with rapid-rise yeast?). Also when I took my two loaves (halved the recipe) out of the pans after cooling, they were a little damp on the part that was in the pan but cooked inside & browned outside. Should I have taken them out of their pans right away? Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Bread should always be taken out of the pans immediately and cooled on a wire rack.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made 1/2 recipe, substituted 1.5 cups whole wheat flour and increased the water by 1/2 cup. Made 3 small loaves. Fantastic! One is going to the freezer (to test – planning to make a full recipe and have them ready for the busy days)… well, let’s see if makes to the freezer! The first loaf is gone, the second one is for tomorrow. The hardest part of the process was to wait for the baked loaves to cool off.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for sharing!
I just made this today! Wow! I have never made bread before, but have wanted to try in an attempt to avoid all the unnatural things showing up in commercial bread these days.
I used whole wheat flour only and I did take the above poster’s suggestion of adding more water. I only made half the recipe (as I only have 2 pans) and it turned out AMAZING! Tastes just like English muffins! I love dense bread and this recipe is perfect! I’m actually considering making more this evening to freeze some. I don’t think we will be buying bread again!
Thank you so much for sharing. Totally made my day!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hello Jillee,
First I would like to tell you how much I love your site and posts.. I found you on pinterest, love your pins too.
I can’t wait to try this bread recipe, LOVE english muffins!! LOVE home baked bread more!!! My question is: I live at a high altitude (6900 ft) not even a year yet, so I am trying to learn to adjust my baking and cooking to this. Do you recommend adding more flour or just cooking a little longer?
Kim
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Made a quarter of the recipe-ie one loaf-yesterday because we were low on flour. It is now almost gone. We ate it warm out of the oven (couldn’t help ourselves) and then with tofu salad (it’s like egg salad but with no egg), then I just ate some again for breakfast-blissfully toasted and topped with earth balance, blood orange marmelade, and honey!
A keeper!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.made this with whole wheat, and use a little less flour. It turned out AWESOME. It will be on my list of weekly bread to make. I love that it has so few ingredients, and since it is fat free, you can control the amount of butter you add to the top! we make breakfast sandwiches for my husband using sliced bread browned in butter or olive oil in the skillet, and this bread works PERFECTLY for that!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made this…and it looks, smells and tastes delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.So I made this, and am waiting for it to bake. Yay! I did half white and half whole wheat flour. I think it will be good. One thing I will do differently next time is go get a 4th loaf pan! I only have 3, but I know they are bigger than the ones you used, so I figured it would be fine without halving the recipe. When I went to check on them to see if they had risen enough, the bread was literally pouring down the sides of the pan! Lol! Now I wish I had bought 2 pans instead of 1 the last time. Oh well. It smells amazing, even uncooked! Thanks for sharing your great family recipe!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I nearly cried when I saw this recipe – my Grandma used to ALWAYS have English muffin bread when we would visit her out in Minnesota. I cannot wait to try this!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made this recipe and thought it was terrific. My husband eats english muffins everyday and he said this was even better. I sent a loaf with my daughter to her teacher and she said she at the whole loaf without sharing. I sliced it and ate chicken salad on it and was in heaven. I am definetly going to make this again but will try cinnamon and raisins in it. Thank you for the recipe.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Well, that is high praise indeed from an every day english muffin eater! Should save you some $$ too. :-) Thanks for sharing!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Can you do it without salt or substitute it with Anything? I’m on a low-sodium diet so there’s not much breads I can eat, I have to make my own.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Britt,
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I did it without salt. It worked out fine.
I tried it twice so far…and it always falls in the middle once i put it in the oven…any thoughts from fellow bakers out there??
Please log in or create a free account to comment.KKortney44 2 tsp of bulk yeast = 1 packet(envelope)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Second attempt rising as we speak. First attempt..fail! I think I had my water too hot and killed the yeast! Crossing my fingers!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.So, I just have a jar of rapid rise yeast…not packages. Do you know how much yeast I should put in from my jar? This looks great! I am so excited to try it! =D
Please log in or create a free account to comment.2 tsp yeast (from the jar) = 1 packette
i use bulk yeast too.. hths
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My jar (Fleischmann’s Quick-Rise Instant Yeast) tells me that 2 1/4 teaspoons (11 ml) = one 8 g package.
Wow – this looks scrumptious! Many thanks for the PDF! Happy Trails-
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