Healthy English Muffins Recipe
These healthy English muffins are perfect for breakfast!
I do love a good English Muffin. When I have one, I always feel like I should be at a fancy tea party somewhere, sipping tea with my pinky finger sticking straight up in the air as I tip my cup.
But the sad truth is, English Muffins bought in most stores are anything but clean. It’s amazing what most companies will add to these very simple muffins!
Thankfully, while they do take a little time, they are actually quite easy to make yourself! They make great burger buns too!
Healthy English Muffins Recipe Supplies
- 2 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper
- An oil sprayer/mister is very helpful
- A non-stick pan or a heavy-duty pan such as cast iron
Healthy English Muffins Recipe Ingredients
4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (+ 1 cup on reserve) – If you can’t get your hands on 5 cups of whole wheat pastry flour, you can substitute white whole wheat flour. It’s still whole grain, it’s just a different type of wheat. It’s more readily available at the grocery store.
1 tsp. salt – I use pink Himalayan salt, but use whatever salt you normally use in the kitchen.
1 tbsp. oil – Any oil you feel is healthy will work here. I used olive oil.
2 cups milk – Any type. I used unsweetened almond milk. The only milk I would avoid is full fat coconut milk. Light coconut milk is fine. (Canned, not in the carton)
¾ oz. packet active dry yeast
¼ cup brown rice flour (or cornmeal) – This will give your English muffins that telltale gritty texture on the outside.
How To Make Healthy English Muffins
Warm the milk (I did this in the glass measuring cup), and pour in the yeast. Set aside and allow to foam a bit before using.
In a large mixing bowl, blend the 4 cups of flour and salt. Add the oil, but don’t bother stirring until you are ready add the milk.
When you have a nice bit of foam on top of the milk, pour the milk and foam into the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until it gets too thick to stir.
Knead.
The goal with this dough is to get a, “just-barely” sticky dough that is smooth and soft in texture. Your dough will still be pretty sticky at this point. Add that extra 1 cup of flour, ¼ cup at a time, kneading after every addition. DO NOT dump in the entire cup because you may not need it all (though you most likely will). Plus, doing a 1/4 cup at a time allows for the necessary amount of kneading.
When you have a nice, soft ball of dough, cover it with a nice, thin coat of olive oil to keep it from drying out while it rises.
Put it back in the mixing bowl, cover with a towel and let sit in a warm area for 1 hour. (I put mine in my stove – heat OFF)
Punch the dough down and give it another brief kneading. Just a few flops of the dough are fine.
Sprinkle the rice flour or cornmeal lightly over your work surface. Put your dough on the work surface and roll with a rolling pin until it’s about ½ inch thick.
Cut out the muffins. I used one of Mini Chef’s plastic cups, but you can also buy cutters that do this.
Place the cut out muffins on a cookie sheet, spray them with a very light coat of olive oil, sprinkle tops with a light dusting of rice flour or cornmeal, cover with a towel and allow to rise for another 30 minutes in a warm area.
Using an UNgreased pan, place as many muffins as you can comfortably fit, in the pan.
IMPORTANT: These cook on your STOVE TOP on LOW heat for a long time. Do NOT raise the heat to try and cook them faster. All you will get are burnt outsides and raw insides. Time is key. I cooked mine for about 15-20 minutes on each side. Test yours to adjust cooking time as needed.
Need Recipe Supplies?
More Healthy Bread Recipes
SUBSCRIBE
Remember to subscribe to my free newsletter to receive all my latest recipes in your inbox. Click here to sign up!
Healthy English Muffins Recipe
Healthy English Muffins
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (+ 1 cup on reserve)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 cups milk (any type – I used almond milk) – warmed to between 105-115 degrees F.
- ¾ oz. packet active dry yeast
- ¼ cup brown rice flour (or cornmeal)
Instructions
- Warm the milk (I did this in the glass measuring cup), and pour in the yeast. Set aside and allow to foam a bit before using.
- In a large mixing bowl, blend the 4 cups of flour and salt. Add the oil, but don’t bother stirring until you are ready add the milk.
- When you have a nice bit of foam on top of the milk, pour the milk and foam into the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until it gets too thick to stir.
- Knead.
- The goal with this dough is to get a, "just-barely" sticky dough that is smooth and soft in texture. Your dough will still be pretty sticky at this point. Add that extra 1 cup of flour, ¼ cup at a time, kneading after every addition. DO NOT dump in the entire cup because you may not need it all (though you most likely will). Plus, doing a 1/4 cup at a time allows for the necessary amount of kneading.
- When you have a nice, soft ball of dough, cover it with a nice, thin coat of olive oil to keep it from drying out while it rises.
- Put it back in the mixing bowl, cover with a towel and let sit in a warm area for 1 hour. (I put mine in my stove – heat OFF)
- Punch the dough down and give it another brief kneading. Just a few flops of the dough are fine.
- Sprinkle the rice flour or cornmeal lightly over your work surface. Put your dough on the work surface and roll with a rolling pin until it's about ½ inch thick.
- Cut out the muffins. I used one of Mini Chef’s plastic cups, but you can also buy cutters that do this.
- Place the cut out muffins on a cookie sheet, spray them with a very light coat of olive oil, sprinkle tops with a light dusting of rice flour or cornmeal, cover with a towel and allow to rise for another 30 minutes in a warm area.
- Using an UNgreased pan, place as many muffins as you can comfortably fit, in the pan.
- IMPORTANT: These cook on your STOVE TOP on LOW heat for a long time. Do NOT raise the heat to try and cook them faster. All you will get are burnt outsides and raw insides. Time is key. I cooked mine for about 15-20 minutes on each side. Test yours to adjust cooking time as needed.
Im sooo making these tonight!! mmmmm Thanks. I just love your stuff! Thanks again
Melissa – Thanks!! Hope you like them! 🙂
Tiffany, what temp should I cook these on? I didn’t see it on the recipe. Thanks! Can’t wait to make these today!
Kelly – There is no temp. They cook in a pan, not the oven. Just keep the pan on one of the low settings on your stove. Enjoy!
I am so happy to have found this recipe.
I am just curious, since we are in our village (on lockdown) and don’t have a cast-iron pan handy.
Is it ok if I put them in the oven, or in a non-stick pot on low heat? And is it ok to replace brown rice flour with oat flour?
Thank you
Julie – I’m happy you found it too! 😀 You don’t have to use a cast-iron pan. Any skillet will work. The only thing is that you will have to watch the heat much more carefully. Keep it low and maybe flip them a few times to keep things from burning. You’ll have to experiment a bit. You can use whatever flour you’d like to use. The main reason for the rice flour is to give the english muffins that classic “gritty” texture on the outside. If you don’t care about that, you can use whatever flour will make the dough work on your work surface. I hope that helps! Let me know how they turn out. 🙂
I’ve made homemade English muffins only a few times, thanks for the reminder to make these again, I’m going to try your version
Jenn – Fabulous! Hope you enjoy them!
I am SO making these!
I was just wondering what I was going to do for buns… and also I cannot live on clean tortillas as my only bread!
question: I have not yet found whole wheat pastry flour but I do have whole wheat bread flour….is that clean ????
Cindy – I’ve never seen it. But as long as it’s 100% whole wheat (not mixed with white flour), then it’s definitely clean!
Tiffany – I read your comment on my site – of course you can share my taco soup recipe!
Jenn – Thanks! I’ll work on it soon!
These look wonderful! I’ll be making them soon and my hubby will be sure to love them.
Tanya – Fabulous! Enjoy! 🙂
these look great. 24 is a lot for little old me, so i will probably halve the recipe.. and then still freeze them! thanks for the recipe!
Janetha – Great idea! I’m sure they freeze just fine. Enjoy!
just wondering if you are going to post the chicken t recipe. Would really like to make them. Thanks
Missie – Chicken recipe?
I am making the muffins right now my daughter is very excited as she loves eating McDonald breakfast sandwiches at home. Cannot wait to use these for eggs benedict.
Thanks!
Charlotte – What a great replacement! Hope you enjoy them!
OK so I’m gonna make these tomorrow I think – I was worried about the biscuit cutter but the idea you gave for using a plastic cup is great! I also plan to use them for buns – excited to try this one out! Thanks!
Andrea – If you want good burger buns, wait just a little bit longer for my pretzel recipe. It would make fabulous burger buns!! These are a bit too thick and dense for burgers or dinner rolls.
I really want to try these. I have a gas stove in my apartment. Even though I’ve lived here for 3 years, I’m sitll not used to cooking with it. If I set it to low, the flame is very low and narrow (concentrated in the center). I’m afraid this means the pan will be hot in the middle but now around the edges. Do you have expereince or tips for making these with a gas stove?
Crystal – If you have a good pan, the heat should spread well. But if it’s really a problem, I would just keep moving the muffins around the pan. That’s the easiest fix. Let me know how they turn out!
Crystal – If you have a good pan, the heat should spread well. But if it’s really a problem, I would just keep moving the muffins around the pan. That’s the easiest fix. Let me know how they turn out!
I really want to try these. I have a gas stove in my apartment. Even though I’ve lived here for 3 years, I’m sitll not used to cooking with it. If I set it to low, the flame is very low and narrow (concentrated in the center). I’m afraid this means the pan will be hot in the middle but now around the edges. Do you have expereince or tips for making these with a gas stove?
xrossx – Hours?????!!! Oh dear. Glad you enjoyed them at least!
Erin – Please do!
Erin – Did you change anything about the recipe?
Nothing at all! I was extremely careful with every measurement and everything was fresh. It rose very nicely, too. I know it’s not the recipe’s fault; I just have a bad streak with English muffins. I guess my problem was that 1/9 was just too low and the other batch that had been sitting at room temperature while the others were cooking had just… I don’t know, deflated. I’m going to try again! Although I messed them up, I LOVE these with peanut butter. 🙂
Erin – Might have been the yeast if it was deflated. I’ve never had dough do that unless I punched it down specifically. Glad you were able to eat them though! 🙂
Freeze them after you have cooked them.
I’ve never heard of whole wheat yeast, sorry. Worth a shot though…
A griddle is fine. Whatever cooking surface you have that is flat will do the trick.
Enjoy!