Vegan English Muffins

Instructions

1. Add your flour, instant dry yeast, salt, and sugar to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, and mix until just combined (in a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment on the lowest speed). Add vegan butter and almond milk to dry ingredients and continue to mix until you have a shaggy dough (I use speed setting #2 on the stand mixer). It’s okay if it’s a little sticky at this stage.

2. Transfer the dough to a well-oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour.

3. After an hour, bring the dough out and either knead it by hand on the counter, or place it back in the stand mixer bowl and knead using the dough hook attachment on medium-low speed (I use the 3rd speed). Knead until the dough is smooth, about 4-6 minutes in a stand mixer.

4. Shape your dough into a ball, then return it to the oiled bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

5. The next day, line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Then, place your dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll it out to about 1/4-inch (6-mm) thick. Use a biscuit cutter (or the top of a glass) that’s about a 3 1/2-inch (9-cm) diameter circle to cut your muffins. You can re-roll remaining scraps of dough, however they may not come together as well as the first roll-out.*

6. Prepare a small bowl with some cornmeal or semolina flour. Dip the top and bottom of each muffin in cornmeal to coat (avoid the sides), then place the muffins on the parchment-lined baking trays. Leave space between the muffins, as they may expand. Cover the muffins with a kitchen towel, then let the dough rise until the muffins are puffy, about 1-2 hours.

7. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Then heat a cast-iron pan over medium-low heat (on my stove, that’s somewhere around the 3rd or 4th notch). You can use a regular stainless steel pan as well, if you don’t have a cast-iron pan. As you cook your muffins, you may need to adjust your heat. If your muffins are turning golden brown before 4-5 minutes, then your pan is too hot. If they’re not turning color at all within 5 minutes, then your pan is too cool.

8. Dust your muffins with some additional cornmeal or semolina, then use a spatula to place a few of them in your pre-heated pan, leaving space between them. Transfer them as carefully as possible to help maintain the shape, but don’t worry if they don’t look perfect when they hit the pan. They’ll still puff up and regain their shape while they’re cooking. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the bottoms of the muffins are just golden brown. Turn the muffins and press down a bit with the spatula to ensure the bottoms are flat, and cook on the other side for 5 minutes more. Return the muffins to the baking tray and repeat with the remaining dough.

9. When you have a full tray of cooked muffins, place them in your preheated oven for about 5 minutes to ensure they’re cooked all the way through.

10. Transfer the fully-baked muffins to a wire rack to cool, then split each muffin with the prongs of a fork, all the way around, and pull the muffin apart. Toast and serve with vegan butter and jelly (or any toppings you like)! Enjoy!

Double check that your yeast is instant dry yeast, which does not require mixing with warm water.

Instead of using a biscuit cutter to cut circles, you can just divide your dough and roll each piece into a ball, then flatten it. You won't have to re-roll any dough, but your muffins won't be perfect circles.

For best results, use a digital scale to weigh your flour and vegan butter.

Using another flour, like bread flour or whole wheat flour will also work in this recipe, but different flours will result in different textures.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze in a freezer bag for longer storage.