Perfect Steamed English Muffins

by Emily Rhodes
Date: 1 Aug 2025
Recipe
Free

Light, fluffy, and perfectly chewy, these homemade steamed English muffins are easier to make than you think. No stovetop cooking required—your steam oven does all the work!

Why you’ll love steamed English muffins

English muffins are a breakfast staple, but making them from scratch takes them to a whole new level. This recipe is surprisingly simple and uses steam to create muffins that are light, airy, and perfectly soft inside.

There’s no need for flipping or worrying about uneven cooking in a skillet—your steam oven ensures consistently great results. Plus, they freeze beautifully, so you can always have fresh muffins ready to toast!

Ingredients and substitutions

Flour – Bread flour gives these muffins a chewier texture, but all-purpose flour works well too.
Yeast – Either active dry or instant yeast can be used.
Milk – Whole milk keeps the muffins soft and flavorful.
Butter – Adds richness and a tender crumb.
Sugar and salt – Essential for balancing flavor.
Semolina or cornmeal – Used for dusting, giving that classic crunchy exterior.

Variations for English muffins

Whole wheat – Swap up to half the flour for whole wheat flour for a heartier muffin.
Sourdough-style – Let the starter sit for the full 12 hours for a deeper, tangier flavor.
Sweet muffins – Add a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup to the dough for a hint of sweetness.
Cinnamon raisin – Fold in a teaspoon of cinnamon and ½ cup of raisins before shaping.

Step-by-step: how to make steamed English muffins

Make the starter – Mix flour, water, and yeast in a bowl. Let it rest for at least an hour (or up to 12) to develop flavor.
Mix the dough – Combine the milk and yeast, then mix in the starter. Add the flour, sugar, butter, and salt, kneading until smooth.
First proof – Let the dough rise overnight in the fridge for the best texture. For a quicker version, proof in a steam oven at 86°F/30°C for about 45 minutes.
Shape the muffins – Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, rolling each into a smooth ball. Lightly coat both sides with semolina or cornmeal.
Final proof – Arrange the dough on a lined baking tray, place another tray on top, and proof in the steam oven until puffy.
Steam bake – Steam at 212°F/100°C (100% humidity) for 15-18 minutes until firm.
Brown the muffins – Remove the top tray, broil until golden on one side, then flip and repeat.
Serve – Enjoy fresh or split and toast for the best texture.

Tips for steamed English muffins success

Give the starter time – A longer fermentation creates better flavor and texture.
Use your steam oven for proofing – This ensures a consistent rise and perfectly soft muffins.
Keep the top tray on during proofing – It helps the muffins keep their classic shape.
Toast before serving – Splitting and toasting enhances the crisp edges and fluffy interior.

Serving and storage suggestions

These muffins are perfect for breakfast, whether topped with butter and jam or turned into eggs Benedict. They keep for a couple of days at room temperature, but for longer storage, freeze them split in half so they’re ready to toast straight from the freezer.

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Homemade English muffins might sound like a project, but with your steam oven, they’re easy and rewarding. Once you taste the fresh, pillowy texture, you won’t want store-bought again! Let me know how yours turn out in the comments below.

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Steamed English Muffins

Usually English muffins need to be cooked with a griddle or frypan. This method allows you to perfectly cook a dozen in one hit. Steamed, then briefly browned, they're every bit as good as their pan-cooked equivalent and easier to make.

Print Recipe

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time20

Proofing time14

Total Time15 50

Course: Afternoon Tea, Breakfast, Morning Tea

Cuisine: English

Keyword: english muffins, steam oven muffins, steamed muffins

Servings: muffins

Calories: 188kcal

Ingredients

For the starter

3/4 cup bread flour or all-purpose flour 100g
1/2 cup water lukewarm
1/2 tsp active dry yeast or instant

For the muffin dough

1 cup milk whole/full-fat
1 tsp active dry yeast or instant
3 1/4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour 400g
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
1 tsp salt
Semolina or cornmeal for dusting a few tablespoons

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Make the starter

Mix the flour, water, and yeast for the starter in a small mixing bowl, until it’s smooth. Set aside for anywhere between 1-12 hours to become active. It’ll become more and more bubbly and puffed up; you can use it after an hour or two, but the longer it sits the better your finished muffin structure will be.
3/4 cup bread flour, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Make the dough

Combine the milk and yeast for the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if you’re working by hand). Scrape the starter into the bowl and use a whisk to break it up and dissolve it. It should become quite frothy.
1 cup milk, 1 tsp active dry yeast
Add most of the flour, the sugar, melted butter, and salt to the bowl and use the paddle attachment to mix on low speed (or hand mix with a stiff spatula) until you get a shaggy dough.
3 1/4 cups bread flour, 2 Tbsp granulated sugar, 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, 1 tsp salt
With the dough hook on your stand mixer, knead the dough on low speed until it comes together in a smooth ball, 5 to 8 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, add extra flour as needed, but use caution. It will be quite a soft dough and may not completely pull away from the sides of your bowl like a regular bread dough. If you're kneading by hand, knead well on a floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. The dough is ready when it forms a smooth ball; it will feel a bit tacky to touch, but shouldn't stick to your hands.

First proof

For the best flavor and structure, cover the dough bowl and place in the fridge overnight (at least 8 and up to 24 hours). For quicker English muffins, you can proof in your steam oven and then make the muffins immediately. To do this, use the dough proving setting or steam setting at 86°F/30°C until the dough doubles in size (about 45 minutes).

Divide and shape the muffins

Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a pastry scraper to divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. If you're like me and want them all to be exactly the same size, each piece of dough should weigh around 75 grams. Roll each piece gently to shape into smooth, round balls.
Sprinkle your counter with semolina or cornmeal and press the top and bottom of each dough ball into it, for a light coating.
Semolina or cornmeal for dusting
Put the muffins, spaced a couple of inches apart, onto a lightly greased or lined rimmed baking tray. I use one that's got a rim about an inch (2.5cm) deep, which is perfect for the height of an English muffin. Put a second, flat baking sheet or tray on top of the muffins. Turn it 90 degrees so it's supported by the rim of the lower baking tray but leaves a small gap either side of the lower tray – this will allow the steam to circulate around the muffins when you cook them. As they rise, the muffins will flatten out against the top baking sheet, giving them their characteristic flat-on-both-sides shape.
Let the muffins proof until puffy, using the dough proving setting or steam setting at 86°F/30°C. For dough that was refrigerated, this will take about 45 minutes; for room temperature dough, it will take about 25-30 minutes.

Steam the muffins

Set your oven to Steam, 212°F/100°C (100% humidity). Cook the muffins for 15-18 minutes, until they’re firm and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven and take the top baking sheet away. Switch your oven to broil/grill, and briefly brown the muffins on top until they’re colored to your liking. Flip them over and repeat on the underside.
Serve the muffins warm and fresh, or split and toast. They'll keep for a couple of days at room temperature but I like to freeze them after the first day, pre-split and ready to drop into the toaster for breakfast.