Bread Machine English Muffins (Honey Whole Wheat)

These chewy, flavorful muffins are made in the bread machine and finished with a stovetop brown + oven bake combo for perfect texture.

10 muffins

Bread Machine English Muffins piled on a serving plate.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Time for mixing, kneading, shaping, and rising 3

Total Time 3 30

Ingredients

1⅓ cup (295 g) milk (11 ounces)
2 Tablespoons (42 g) honey
1¼ teaspoon sea or table salt
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, chopped
1 cup (113 g) white whole wheat flour - (or whole wheat flour)
1⅞ cups (225 g) all-purpose unbleached flour - (organic is nice, if you have it)
2 teaspoons instant yeast

Instructions

Add Ingredients to Bread Machine Pan: Add 1⅓ cup milk (11 ounces) , 2 Tablespoons honey, 1¼ teaspoon sea or table salt, 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, chopped, 1 cup white whole wheat flour, 1⅞ cups all-purpose unbleached flour, and 2 teaspoons instant yeast to the bread machine pan in the order listed. Select the DOUGH cycle and press START.
Check Dough Early: Open lid in the first minute to ensure mixing has started. Dough should clump but remain sticky.
Optional: As soon as all ingredients are mixed and moistened, stop the machine and let the ingredients rest for about 20 minutes. This will improve the texture of the dough. Then restart the DOUGH cycle.
Check 15 minutes into the kneading phase again: Adjust moisture level if needed: If dough is overly sticky, add a tablespoon of flour at a time, but remember, you want the dough to be a little sticky or it will be too dry to develop the nooks and crannies characteristic of English muffins.
If the dough is too dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time.
Read more about this trick that experienced breadmakers use to make good bread.
End of DOUGH cycle: The dough should be doubled. If not, give it more rise time until it is. Restart the DOUGH cycle and knead for 5-10 seconds to deflate the dough. Stop the machine and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, shape into a smooth ball, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes.
Shape Into Balls: Divide dough into 10 pieces. Shape into smooth balls by pulling the edges and pinching them at the top. Wet hands help with stickiness.
Flatten and Prepare for Rise: Place dough balls on a parchment- or silicone-lined tray sprinkled with cornmeal. Flip each to coat both sides. Flatten to about ¾-inch thickness. Cover with greased plastic wrap, then lay another tray on top (do not press). Let rise until nearly doubled.
Brown the Muffins: Preheat skillet or griddle to medium. Cook muffins 2–3 minutes per side until golden brown. Adjust muffins as needed to brown evenly.
Bake to Finish: Return muffins to tray. Bake at 375°F for 8 minutes or until internal temp reaches 205–210°F. Cool on a rack. Use a fork to split before toasting.

Notes

Heads-up: Avoid doubling this recipe. Most bread machines cannot adequately knead more than 4½–5 cups of flour and may overheat. More details here.

Make Ahead: Dough can be refrigerated after the DOUGH cycle or shaped first and chilled overnight. Let rise until soft and puffy before baking.

Freezing Options:

Unbaked dough: Freeze after the DOUGH cycle or after shaping (before final rise). Defrost in the fridge overnight.
Baked bread: Double-wrap and freeze up to one month. Reheat gently.

Storage tips: Cool completely before storing. Keep unsliced in a plastic bag or bread box. Avoid refrigerating—bread molds faster in humid cold.

Alternative Mixing Methods:

Stand Mixer: Mix until moistened, then knead with a dough hook (speed 2–3) until smooth and elastic (5–10 minutes). Let rise, deflate, and shape as directed.

Making the dough by hand: Not recommended because the dough is difficult to knead by hand--too sticky.

Yeast Notes: Active dry yeast may be substituted. Use about ¼ teaspoon more than instant yeast. Dissolving first is optional.

Nutritional Information