100% Whole Wheat English Muffins
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Homemade English Muffins: Yes. You. Can. Make this batter at night; then griddle away in the morning. These make the best egg sandwiches and eggs Benedict, but they are also a treat simply spread with softened butter and jam. 🍞🍞🍞
This post is sponsored by King Arthur Flour. Thank you for your support!
A year ago, a friend and excellent baker mentioned she had stopped using all white flour in her bread recipes. It just felt wrong to her not to throw some whole wheat flour into the mix.
I’m embarrassed to admit that before this conversation I had never thought twice about the many all-white flour loaves I turn out on a daily basis. My friend’s comment made me think about how much bread my family eats — morning toast, midday sandwiches, bread with dinner — and that maybe I, too, should start working some whole grains into our daily bread.
I soon began doing the same thing as my friend: replacing a cup of all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour in whatever bread I was baking and gradually increasing the proportion from there.
Today, I often bake the peasant bread with 50% whole wheat flour (see photos below), and most recently I’ve had excellent results using King Arthur Flour’s white whole wheat flour.
What is White Whole Wheat Flour?
King Arthur Flour’s white whole wheat flour is …
- … milled from white winter wheat seeds which lack some of the pigmentation in the bran layer contained in the red wheat berry (from which traditional whole wheat flour is milled).
- … lighter in color and milder in taste — the pigment from red wheat carries a bolder flavor. (Read more about wheat varieties here.)
- … grown from certified seeds that are selected through field and baking tests for optimal performance in the kitchen.
- … as nutritious as traditional whole wheat flour.
What’s more, the farmers who are growing the wheat for KAF employ sustainable farming practices that include no till, crop rotation, and water conservation.
White Whole Wheat English Muffins
In addition to the peasant bread, I’ve been using KAF’s white whole wheat flour in Peter Reinhart’s English muffins and have actually had great success using 100% white whole wheat flour in this recipe.
This recipe is a little fussier — it requires an overnight rise and English muffin rings (see notes below) because the dough is so wet — but it is fun to make and the reward of a homemade egg sandwich or eggs benedict or simply a warm muffin spread with butter and jam is well worth the planning and effort.
Substituting white whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour is pretty straightforward but if you’re looking for a little more direction, King Arthur Flour came up with this handy guide.
And to learn more about King Arthur Flour’s identity-preserved white whole wheat flour, read this or watch this video. King Arthur Flour is dedicated to providing more traceability and transparency to their consumers and their identity-preserved white whole wheat flour is just their first step.
Thank you King Arthur Flour for sponsoring this post!
A 1/3-cup measure is great for portioning the dough into the rings:
Love my retro bread bin:
Peasant Bread made with 50% White Whole Wheat flour:
100% Whole Wheat English Muffins
- Total Time: 18 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 10 muffins
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Adapted from Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Bread Every Day
- This dough is very wet, like batter, so you will need English muffin rings or something similar (empty tuna cans, Ball jar rings, etc.) to constrain the dough.
- The key with this recipe is to be sure to portion the dough into 10 rings. I only have 8 English muffin rings, and twice I’ve divided the batter into those 8 rings, and twice I’ve been disappointed — it’s very hard to cook the muffins all the way through on the griddle when they are on the large size. Use two Ball jar rings or empty tuna cans or be patient and reuse two of your rings to ensure you get 10 muffins out of the batter. You will doubt the need to divide the dough into 10 rings as you portion it out — I do every time — but the dough spreads and fills the rings as it cooks slowly on the griddle.
- With 100% white whole wheat flour, the texture isn’t quite like that of a Thomas’ English muffin (see photo of halved muffin above), but it is still light and airy.
Ingredients
- 2⅔ cups (12 oz | 340 g) King Arthur Flour White Whole Wheat flour
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1½ cups (12 oz | 340 g) lukewarm whole or nonfat milk
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon oil, such as olive, grapeseed, canola or vegetable
For finishing:
- 3 tablespoons warm water
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- cornmeal for dusting
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and instant yeast. Add the milk to the bowl followed by the honey and oil. Stir with a rubber spatula until combined. Cover bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator overnight or up to 4 days. (Note: I have not tested storing the dough longer than 1 day.)
- On baking day: remove the dough from the refrigerator 2 hours before you plan to bake the English muffins. After the 2 hours, dissolve the baking soda in the warm water. Add it to the batter and stir to combine. Let the dough rest 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a griddle or cast iron skillet (or other skillet) over medium heat. Mist the griddle and the inside of the rings with spray oil, then dust the inside of the rings with cornmeal (I dunked each ring into the bag of cornmeal.) Cover the cooking surface with as many rings as it will hold, then dust the pan inside the rings with more cornmeal. Lower the heat to low to medium-low — you’ll have to use trial and error to find the right temperature.
- Using a ⅓ cup measure, scoop dough into the rings. It’s OK if the dough doesn’t fill the ring completely initially — it will spread and rise as it cooks. Sprinkle tops of dough with more cornmeal. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, peeking underneath with a spatula every so often to ensure griddle is not too hot. If muffins are browning too quickly, turn the griddle down. Flip muffins, and cook for another 10 to 12 minutes. (This will feel interminable. Be sure to have a crossword puzzle nearby.) When both sides are evenly golden brown and crisp, transfer muffins to cooling rack. Let cool briefly (enough for rings to cool), then pop out rings. Let the muffins cool for at least 20 minutes before splitting them open with a fork.
- Prep Time: 18 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Griddle, Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
97 Comments on “100% Whole Wheat English Muffins”
What yummy English muffins!!!! I have the Fox Run Muffin Rings, and it made it super easy! I made 10, and because the batter didnt go all the way to the edges for me (not a big deal, really), I might try 9 rings next time. Tastes delicious untoasted, and even better, toasted with a crunchy exterior due to the cornmeal, and a very soft nutty tasting interior! I’ve been enjoying Dave’s Killer English Muffins, but they are over $5.00 for 6 – and these are EVEN better! Thanks, Ali!
So nice to hear this, Nancy! I love the crunch of the cornmeal, too 🙂 🙂 🙂 And I know, when you think about what some bread costs at the store, it is serious motivation to bake at home. So glad you like these. Thanks, as always, for writing!!
I made a mistake that turned out well with this recipe — I didn’t notice that I’d put 1/3 cornmeal into the flour mixture instead of my usual 1/3 whole wheat. The recipe made only 8 muffins, and they were denser but rose well and were tasty. They made delicious breakfast sandwiches with Neufchâtel and smoked salmon.
And a comment about the instructions generally: while the mixture is in the 10-minute resting after the baking soda/water have been added, I heat the skillet over low heat. It’s plenty hot.
This a very good recipe. The results get rave comments, even when I was learning to adjust the skillet heat. Thank you, Ali, for posting it.
Ben
Hi Ben! Apologies for only just seeing this comment! So nice to hear. I love cornmeal in so many bread doughs, and I know I would love it here as well. Thanks so much for sharing your baking notes, too.
Hi, Ali – Here’s an update to my technique: I make these muffins in two large skillets. This morning, I tried putting a lid on them for the first side. This kept the steam in and made the muffins very puffy, even rising above the 3/4” rings I use. The muffins were very open and craggy inside. I didn’t see a reason to cover them for the second side, but might try that next time.
Ben
Thank you for this, Ben! Using the lid for the first side makes sense. I am dying to revisit this recipe since you first wrote about the addition of cornmeal. Will try soon!
Can’t wait to make these! But would you please clarify what note you meant to include WRT the milk in the recipe? I see the notation, but don’t see an actual note. Thank you!
I didn’t see a “note” about the milk either ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I’ll guess the usual lukewarm about 100-105 F…
So sorry about this! I just removed the note … it’s been so long since I posted this recipe, I have to confess I don’t know what the note would have said. I probably would have suggested boiling 1/4 of the milk and stirring it into the remaining 3/4 cold milk to create perfectly lukewarm milk. Hope they turned out OK!
No worries and thanks for clarifying. They were incredible! Will definitely be making more in the future!
Great to hear, Andrea!
Sorry for the confusion! See the comment above.
Can I sub the milk for almond milk?
Yes!
Oh wow! I dont know why I’ve never made English muffins before. I make my own sourdough and loaf breads but never these. As soon as I saw this recipe, I purchased the rings for same day delivery and set out to make these. I bought the 3.15 inch rings off Amazon. Perfect size! I cut the recipe in half and used my medium size ice cream scooper to measure out the dough into the rings. I got 6 perfectly sized English muffins. I cooked on my electric pancake griddle at 275 degrees and on the side furthest from the plug (the plug side is always way hotter). I cooked 10 minutes each side and took the advice of another commenter by placing a roasting pan over them while they cooked. Honestly, these were so easy and so good. I menu plan and have another English muffin on Thursday and cannot wait to eat it. Storing them in the freezer and will pull out as needed. Oh, since the half batch made 6, that comes out to 195 calories per EM, give or take a few. Each EM is packed with 12 grams of protein. Will make again and again and again!
Wow, amazing! So great to read all of this. Thank you for writing and sharing your notes. And also the nutritional info… I never think of bread as having protein, but of course it does! So glad these were a success.
Can’t wait to try these! How long would the rise time be if I am making these for dinner instead of breakfast?
Hello! I am trying your recipe, and I just want to make sure, you dont have to do room temperature proofing before going in the fridge?
Correct!
I’m fortunate to be able to mill my own grain so I used freshly milled organic Hard white wheat and boy am I glad I made this recipe. They are so soft on the inside, lovely texture on the outside and sooooo delicious. I’ll be making these many times to come. Thank You !
Great to hear, Jeanette! Thanks so much for writing and sharing these notes 🙂
What size english muffin rings do you recommend?
Four inch is a good size. I have these.
What’s the minimum chilling time needed for these? I noticed another person asked about making these same day later in the evening, but I don’t see a response. I’ve made them a couple times and loved them but I just threw a bowl in the fridge and am going to try to bake them at 4 am before my husband goes to work 🤣. So hopefully I can get an answer and I’ll have an update on how letting them sit in the fridge only four hours went 😜. Thanks for this recipe, whole fam loves it!
So sorry just getting to this comment AG! How did they end up turning out? I imagine your timeline would have worked out just fine. Hope it did!
It worked out just fine! Yummy as always, thanks!
Great to hear! Thanks for reporting back 🙂