These gluten-free English muffins are beautifully fluffy, light and so tasty. They're delicious toasted and a fantastic homemade option for breakfast!
I'm on a mission, friends. A mission to make delicious gluten-free baked goods that taste even better than their gluten-filled counterparts. And with these gluten-free English muffins, I nailed it. Guys, like seriously. I totally nailed it.
Admittedly, I do have my fair share of kitchen blunders – cookies that lack sweetness, bread that doesn't bake through, muffins that are too crumbly to eat, pizza crust that sticks to the pan – but it's the successes that make me feel proud and give me just the slightest sense that I actually know what I'm doing.
But more importantly, these gluten-free baking successes mean I get to share them with you. And I know that you'll be just as excited as I am.
Gluten-Free English Muffin Ingredients
Like most gluten-free baked goods, we are using a combo of flours. The reason is that each grain performs a bit differently and to get a good replication of classic all-purpose flour, you need to use multiple flours.
But I also like to keep as simple as possible, so here's what we've got:
- Sorghum flour: I love this flour because it's light and a teeny bit sweet
- Almond flour: one of my all-time favorites because it's not only high in protein and healthy fats, but it helps add an amazing crumb to baked goods
- Tapioca starch: most gf blends need a starch so that it lightens things up, but also helps to bind things together
- Quinoa flour: and of course, the GOAT of gf flours! High in protein, a tad bitter (unless you toast), and just so awesome in pretty much everything. (GOAT if you don't know stands for greatest of all time 😉)
And then for the rise, we're using some instant yeast, baking soda and an egg! (more on this process in a moment)
Other than that, all you will need is a pinch of salt, xanthan gum (again for binding), some warm water and a bit of honey!
How to Make Gluten-Free English Muffins
While these homemade English muffins are pretty simple to make, there are a few steps in the process.
STEP ONE: The Yeast
The first step is to get our yeast nice and fluffy. You'll mix it with some warm water, along with the honey, and set it in a warm spot to do its thing. Blooming the yeast just makes sure that it's active and also helps us speed up the rise.
STEP TWO: The Batter
Once your yeast is bloomed, you can make your batter. Mix all your dry ingredients together, then pour in the wet and mix it all together. Mix it vigorously to activate the xanthan gum. It should look similar to a thick muffin batter.
STEP THREE: The Rise
Once you've got your batter, transfer it into your English muffin rings. If you don't have these, you can use cleaned out tuna cans (but the regular rings are better). Then cover them with a cloth towel and set them in a warm spot to rise.
STEP FOUR: The Bake
Once the muffins have doubled in size they're ready to bake. Pop them in your oven for about 20 – 25 minutes. If they start to brown too quickly, cover them with some tinfoil, and continue baking.
And that's it!!
Substitution Ideas for this Recipe
Now I know that you might not have all these flours (or ingredients) on hand and might be curious about substitutions. If you want to make substations, here's a list of what I would recommend:
- Sorghum flour: brown rice flour or quinoa flour
- Almond flour: another nut flour or I think you could try oat
- Tapioca starch: arrowroot powder, cornstarch or potato starch all work
- Quinoa flour: oat flour is the best sub!
- Xanthan gum: guar gum or maybe psyllium husks. I wouldn't leave this out though as your muffins might be kind of crumbly.
- Honey: maple syrup or another sweetener
Unfortunately, I don't think you'll be able to substitute the yeast or egg in this recipe.
Why You'll Love these Homemade English Muffins
You guys. These gluten-free English muffins are perfect. Like totally, absolutely, undoubtedly perfect.
They're…
soft and pillowy
super light
gorgeous when toasted
And they have a gentle flavor and beautiful texture. The flour combination I used has a very subtle sweetness that pairs perfectly with jam but isn't overpowering at all. I like to toast them up for my morning breakfast and make a quick PB+J. It's delish!
Oh and one other amazing bonus? These babies would also make great burger buns or sandwiches!
More Classic Gluten-Free Baked Goods to try:
- High Protein Quinoa Bread
- Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread
- Vegan Quinoa Flour Tahini Brownies
- Quick & Easy Almond Butter Blondies
- Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gluten-Free English Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sorghum flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup quinoa flour (or flakes)
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup warm water 80 - 90 degrees F
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large egg at room temperature
Instructions
- Turn on the oven for a few minutes, then turn it off keeping the door closed (If you have a nice warm spot in your house that these can rise, you can skip this part). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, grease four English muffin rings and arrange them on the baking sheet. Set aside.
- In a small glass measuring cup, add the warm water, honey and yeast. Stir gently until incorporated and set aside to proof. After about 5 - 8 minutes, the yeast should have grown and become puffy. If not, your yeast is likely not active, or you water wasn't the right temperature.
- Meanwhile, whisk the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, beat the wet ingredients together. Add the wet ingredients, followed by the proofed and mix until combined. Don't overmix the dough.
- Divide it between the four prepared English muffin rings. Place them in the warm oven (or in a warm spot in your house) and let them rise for at least 20 minutes until they're puffy and nearly doubled in size.
- If you're proofing them in the oven, take them out then preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes. If they start to brown too quickly, cover the tray with aluminum foil to finish.
- Cool on a wire rack until completely cool. Slice in half and toast.
Nutrition
