Upgrade your morning breakfast routine with this speedy and straightforward English Muffin bread! Get all the flavor plus the nooks and crannies of an English muffin in A straightforward to bake loaf. With no kneading, one rise time, and less than 30 minutes to bake, this bread is the reliable way to start your day!

Sliced english muffin bread on a cutting board.

English muffins have long been one of our favorite breakfast foods. Our dad loved them, and so we always had them in the house growing up. He enjoyed his toasted and slathered with butter and his favorite jelly while we preferred ours toasted with peanut butter and jelly.

During college, we got away from eating English muffins for breakfast, but a few years back our husband and we went on an English muffin kick. We tackled from-scratch English muffins and stumbled across a recipe for English muffin bread. It has all the flavor and texture of English muffins, in A straightforward-to-make bread. Win-win!

What is English Muffin Bread?

English muffin bread is the loaf version of English muffins. The traditional English muffin we know today was invented in the 1800’s by Samuel Bath Thomas. These round savory muffins are soft and chewy with nooks and crannies that are reliable for pockets of butter and jam to pool into.

Also called English toasting bread, this straightforward English muffin bread takes everything you love about English muffins and turns it into a soft loaf reliable for your morning breakfast, sandwich bread, or an afternoon snack!

What Makes English Muffins Different from English Muffin Bread?

Some of the most notable differences between English muffins and English muffin bread include:

Shape – Traditional English muffins are round, fluffy discs of bread while English Muffin bread is a loaf.
Kneading – English muffins require kneading to activate the gluten while this bread is a no-knead masterpiece.
Rising – It takes two rise times for English muffins while the English muffin bread requires only one.
Baking – You cook English muffins on a griddle and this loaf bakes in the oven.

While they may have a few differences there is one huge similarity – those craggily nooks and crannies!

How to Make English Muffin Bread

This bread takes less than 30 minutes to bake, so you can easily have it completely done, start to finish, in less than 2 hours. You pretty much can't beat that for a loaf of from-scratch, yeast-based bread.

Gather Your Ingredients

With just a few pantry staple ingredients you can have a loaf of this bread on your table in no time!

Flour – Use all-purpose flour for this bread recipe.
Sugar + Salt – The sugar feeds the yeast to help the dough rise and the salt gives a little flavor to the loaf.
Instant Yeast – This acts as the leavening agent in the bread which allows the loaf to rise and creates air pockets that bake into the nooks and crannies.
Baking soda – A small amount of baking soda helps brown the crust in this bread recipe.
Milk, water, oil – Warmed together to activate the yeast and provides a liquid that turns the dry ingredients into a soft dough.
Cornmeal – For sprinkling in the pan and giving the bread the same finish as a traditional English muffin.

The ingredients of english muffin bread in bowls and plates.

How to Make the Bread

A standby part about this bread is how relatively speedy and straightforward it is to throw together. Here’s how you make it:

Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and instant dry yeast in a large mixing bowl.
Combine milk, water, and oil in a separate microwave-safe bowl.
Heat the liquid mixture to between 120°F and 130°F. Stir together well before measuring the temperature to get an accurate reading.
Pour the hot liquid over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl.

Side by side process photos on the left a white bowl the the dry ingredients and on the right the liquid ingredients being added to the dry.

Beat at a high speed for 1 minute. The dough will be soft.
Lightly grease an 8½” x 4½” loaf pan, and sprinkle the bottom and sides with cornmeal.
Scoop the soft dough into the pan, leveling it in the pan as much as possible.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick spray and let the dough rise until just barely crowned over the rim. This will take about 45 minutes to 1 hour, if the liquid was heated to the correct temperature and the kitchen isn’t cold.

Preheat the oven to 400°F, while the dough rises.
Once risen, remove the plastic wrap and bake the bread for 22-27 minutes, until it’s golden brown and the interior temperature is 190°F.
Remove from the oven, and after 5 minutes, turn the pan onto a cooling rack. Allow bread to cool completely before slicing.

What are the benefits of English Muffin Bread?

While we have learned over the years it’s not as difficult as we once thought it was to make a batch of English Muffins, this English Muffin bread might have them beat.

It takes half the time to make this loaf of bread.
The nooks and crannies that are reliable for butter, jam, or peanut butter are still there.
A straightforward to slice loaf allows you to slice thicker or thinner pieces based on your preference.
No kneading or multiple rises makes it the reliable beginner bread!

Spread, Slather, and Serve

While you can’t beat a warm, fresh-from-the-oven slice slathered with butter, these nooks can carry so much more! Here are a few of our favorite ways to eat English muffin bread:

Top with peanut butter and jelly for an elevated PB&J.
Use it as the bread for your favorite sandwich.
Toast with butter and some fresh jam.

Recipe notes

If you don’t have a thermometer to measure the temperature of the liquid, use your index finger. The liquid will feel quite hot (hotter than lukewarm), but not so hot that you would need to pull your finger away immediately.

A standby pan to use for this English muffin bread is an 8½” x 4½” loaf pan. We like to use this one.

Some bread can be more forgiving when they are sliced while they are still warm, but this is not one of them. Allow the loaf to cool entirely before slicing with a serrated bread knife and enjoying to ensure your bread sets up correctly.

Storing, Freezing, and Reheating

Once your bread cools completely, you have a few options for storing depending on what you plan to do with the bread after it’s made.

Storing – Place the cooled English muffin bread in an airtight container or wrap tightly in plastic wrap for up to 5 days.
Freezing – we recommend pre-slicing the bread before freezing to make it easier to thaw. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe container or resealable bag for up to 3 months.
Reheating – Microwave the frozen slices for about 20 seconds to defrost, then toast according to your preference.

Try These Bread Recipes Next

Give your morning routine an upgrade with this English muffin bread! Make a warm toasted slice slathered with melted butter and jelly or try our favorite, toasted with peanut butter and jelly – you can’t go wrong!

Photography by Dee Frances

Yield: 12 servings (1 loaf)
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups ( 360 g ) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons ( 1.5 teaspoons ) salt
¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) baking soda
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 cup ( 240 ml ) milk
¼ cup ( 60 ml ) water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
Cornmeal, to sprinkle in pan

Method

Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and instant yeast in a large mixing bowl.
Combine the milk, water, and oil in a separate, microwave-safe bowl, and heat to between 120°F and 130°F. Be sure to stir the liquid well before measuring its temperature; you want an accurate reading. If you don’t have a thermometer, the liquid will feel quite hot (hotter than lukewarm), but not so hot that it would be uncomfortable as bath water.
Pour the hot liquid over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Beat at high speed for 1 minute. The dough will be soft.
Lightly grease an 8½” x 4½” loaf pan, and sprinkle the bottom and sides with cornmeal. Scoop the soft dough into the pan, leveling it in the pan as much as possible.
Spray a piece of plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray, cover the dough, and let the dough rise until it’s just barely crowned over the rim of the pan. When you look at the rim of the pan from eye level, you should see the dough, but it shouldn’t be more than ¼-inch over the rim. This will take about 45 minutes to 1 hour, if the liquid was heated to the correct temperature and the kitchen isn’t cold.
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Remove the plastic wrap, and bake the bread for 22 to 27 minutes, until it’s golden brown and its interior temperature is 190°F.
Remove the bread from the oven, and after 5 minutes, turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Equipment: 8½” x 4½” loaf pan.

Sugar: You can substitute honey for the sugar.

Milk: If you need a dairy-free alternative, you can use unsweetened almond, cashew, or oat milk.

Oil: You can substitute canola oil or olive oil for the vegetable oil.

Storing: Place the cooled English muffin bread in an airtight container (or wrap tightly in plastic wrap) for up to 5 days.

Freezing: we recommend slicing the bread into slices before freezing to make it easier to thaw. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

Reheating: Microwave frozen slices for about 20 seconds to defrost, then toast according to your preference.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

Photography by Dee Frances