English Muffins (vegan)

Soft wholesome freshly baked English muffins – perfect for toast, eggs Benedict, breakfast sandwiches, miniature pizzas, and more.

I love freshly baked bread. And I love toasted bread, hence the name of my website, Pebbles and Toast.

What I don’t love is the excessive use of salt, dough conditioners, dairy, and salt in commercially packaged baked breads. For this reason, I try to make my own bread whenever I have the chance. By making your own bread, you control precisely which ingredients and the amounts of each. Plus, your house smells amazing with the aroma of freshly baked bread. Swoon.

So far, I’ve shared plant-based and vegan recipes of Pizza Dough, Soft Flour Tortillas, Submarine Sandwich Rolls, Cornbread Muffins, Soft Hamburger Buns, and Flax Dinner Rolls. They’re all delicious and wholesome favorites. And now I’m pleased to share these splendid English Muffins.

So let’s chat about the two most important ingredients – yeast and flour. There are a few different types of yeast. I like using SAF instant yeast that I purchase in bulk at Costco but you can also get it online. I then keep a portion jarred in the refrigerator, with the remaining stored in the freezer. This helps preserve the active cultures by keeping them dormant.

You can use a variety of different flours to make these English Muffins. I prefer using whole grains as much as possible, though I do use white flour or a blend of whole grain and white flours on occasion. My favorite whole grain flour is milled and sold by King Arthur. I particularly love their whole wheat flour and white whole wheat flour.

There are many nutritional benefits for using whole grains, which includes the bran and germ. Whole wheat flour contains healthy plant-based protein, dietary fiber, and several vitamins and minerals, including iron and potassium. Just one-half cup of whole wheat flour contains 0 grams of fat, 8 grams of protein, and 8 grams of fiber! (Healthline)

Baked goods containing whole wheat flour are typically a little darker and denser than those made with white flour. But I love the look, taste, smell, and texture of whole wheat breads. If you prefer a lighter English muffin, you can use half and half. This will provide you with several of the nutritional benefits of whole wheat flour with the lighter texture from the white flour.

You can also simply use white flour. Honestly, this is a delicious and fluffy English Muffin. The softer muffin just doesn’t contain as many nutrients. When COVID-19 first reared its ugly head, I couldn’t find wheat flour anywhere. I tried every grocery store in my local area and tried to get it online, to no avail. So, I made these beautiful English Muffins without any whole grains – just plain white flour.

And I’m not gonna lie, they were AMAZING! So, being as transparent as possible, the type of flour you choose is really up to you. Regardless of what you use, you’re going to end up with a delicious English Muffin. I mean, just look at these beauties.

Salt is a natural preservative used to maintain freshness and enhance the flavor of baked goods. For this reason, I do include a very small amount as an option, though I do not add any salt when I make these English Muffins. I just don’t think it’s necessary. Instead, I split them in half and freeze them for convenience.

I also include a very small portion of vegan butter as an option, since it, too, enhances the flavor and softens the texture a little. I rarely add any butter now since I think these English Muffins are incredibly delicious without it. But if you prefer a more traditionally tasting English Muffin, you can’t go wrong with a little salt and butter.

This recipe is similar to most bread recipes. The ingredients are combined together to activate the yeast, the dough is kneaded, and the bread is baked. These English Muffins are a breeze to make in a stand mixer. I was given my Kitchen Aid stand mixer over twenty-five years ago and it still runs great. The mixer does all the work by kneading the dough to perfection. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can certainly knead the dough by hand on the counter. It just takes a little effort and a whole lot of muscle.

Once the dough is smooth and elastic, the dough needs to rest for about an hour, until it has doubled in size. This process encourages the gluten or gliadin to relax enough to transition into long protein chains that form the superstructure of bread. It also ensures that the bread isn’t flat, dense, or dry. When this process is followed, the resulting bread is wholly satisfying.

The next step involves dividing and shaping the dough into twelve round balls which are flattened into discs and placed on a lined parchment sheet that has been dusted with corn meal. There are a couple of different reasons for this. The first and most obvious reason is because the corn meal gives these English Muffins an authentic look. But it also provides some texture to the end result, while preventing the discs from sticking to the skillet.

And now this is where the method departs from standard bread making. Once the dough rests again, the discs of dough are not cooked in a traditional oven the way that traditional bread is baked. Instead, English Muffins are cooked in a covered skillet over low heat until a nice golden crust forms on each side. Pretty neat, don’t you think?

These English Muffins can be used in so many recipes, including the simplest toast to miniature pizzas, sandwiches, eggs benedict, tuna melt, and veggie burgers. Honestly, you can use these for anything you would use a bun, bread, or roll in. But my favorite way to enjoy these English Muffins is as my Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich. Once paired with Just Egg or slices of tofu and my plant-based Breakfast Patties, these darlings make an incredible breakfast treat.

I hope you enjoy these English Muffins as much as I do. 

I’m just starting out and would love to see your results. Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!   Enjoy!!   

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Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups warm water
• 1 tsp instant dry yeast*
• 1 Tbsp raw sugar or coconut sugar
• ¼ tsp salt** (optional)
• 2 Tbsp melted vegan butter or oil** (optional)
• 2½-2¾ cups flour***
• Cornmeal, for dusting

Instructions

1. Pour warm water into your mixer bowl.  Add the yeast and allow it to foam for about 10 minutes. 
2. Add in the sugar, salt (if using), oil or butter (if using), and 1 cup of flour.
3. With the dough hook, mix on low speed for 2 minutes.
4. Gradually add in the remaining flour. 
5. Continue mixing on low speed until the dough leaves the side of the bowl, about 2-3 minutes.

1. Cover the mixing bowl with saran wrap and allow the dough to rest in a warm draft-free space for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. 
2. Remove the dough and divide evenly into 10-12 pieces. 
3. Shape each piece of dough into a round ball, then flatten into a disc.
4. Sprinkle cornmeal on a parchment-lined baking sheet or lightly oiled stoneware dish and place each disc on top.  Sprinkle a little cornmeal on top, if desired.
5. Cover with a clean dish towel and allow to rest/rise for 25-30 minutes.

1. Preheat a large skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Place 3-5 discs of dough and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
3. Cook until puffy and bottoms are a golden toasty color, about 6-7 minutes.  Then flip the English muffin over and allow to cook an additional 5-6 minutes.
4. Remove from the skillet and allow to cool on a baking rack.

Notes

* I use SAF instant yeast.  If you can’t find it in your local grocery store, you can order it on Amazon via subscribe and save. I keep a small portion of yeast in the refrigerator; the rest is stored in a freezer bag or jar in the freezer.  Yeast stores and keeps extremely well in the freezer.

** When I first began making these English muffins, I added in the salt and vegan butter, but I no longer feel it’s necessary.  If you follow an oil-free sodium-free diet, you won’t miss it in these English muffins.  If you prefer the flavor of butter and salt, add it in.  It’s up to you.

*** I like to use King Arthur whole white wheat flour; but feel free to use any whole grain flour.