If you’re looking for a straightforward way to bake with all-purpose einkorn flour, these einkorn English muffins are a reliable place to start. You will be pleasantly surprised at how easy these English muffins are to make from scratch. The overnight rise gives so much flavor, and also makes them a breeze to whip up in the morning. My family loves them toasted with a spread of butter and fresh jam.
This recipe uses a small amount of yeast, a long fermentation, and gentle handling to highlight einkorn’s natural strengths. The result is a soft, tender English muffin with a lightly crisp exterior. This is a dependable, beginner-friendly recipe I developed with accessibility in mind, using everyday ingredients and techniques that consistently produce good results.
My approach to einkorn baking has always been to work with the flour, not force it to behave like modern wheat. When einkorn dough is handled gently and given time to hydrate, it produces beautifully soft, flavorful baked goods. Recipes like this one reflect my belief that baking with ancient grains can be both nourishing and delicious.
Baking with Einkorn Flour: Why These Einkorn English Muffins Work
Einkorn is one of the oldest forms of wheat still in use today. Its genetic structure is quite different from modern wheat flour, so it behaves quite differently. Understanding those differences is key to successful einkorn baking. When treated properly, einkorn flour produces exceptionally tender, flavorful foods.
Learning to bake with einkorn flour can take some adjustment, but I choose it because it aligns with how I want to bake and feed my family. As an ancient grain, Einkorn hasn’t been hybridized like modern wheat, and because of its gluten structure, many people find it easier to digest. It has a naturally rich flavor and is higher in protein and micronutrients than conventional all-purpose flour, contributing to both the structure and taste of these einkorn English muffins. For us, einkorn offers a balance of nourishment and enjoyment that’s hard to beat.
Einkorn-Specific Techniques for English Muffins
This recipe is designed specifically to support the unique properties of einkorn flour. A few einkorn-specific techniques make all the difference in achieving the right taste and texture.
- Long Rest Time – To boost the flavor of the English muffins, this recipe uses minimal yeast and a long rest period, giving it a rich flavor profile. Einkorn flour also absorbs liquid more slowly than modern wheat, so the long rest time also provides the flour with a chance to fully soak up the liquid, creating a stronger dough.
- Minimal Kneading – Einkorn does contain gluten, but it is much more delicate than the gluten found in modern wheat. Minimal kneading is usually the right move for einkorn. The dough is usually a bit more sticky and tender rather than strong and elastic. This quality makes einkorn especially well-suited for recipes like English muffins, where a soft crumb and delicate structure are exactly what you want.
These kinds of adjustments are simple but make all of the difference when it comes to learning to bake with Einkorn.
Learn More About Baking With Einkorn
These einkorn English muffins are one of the recipes featured in my new cookbook, The Essential Einkorn Cookbook, created for bakers who want clear guidance and dependable results when working with einkorn flour. The book is perfect for anyone new to baking with einkorn, with 70 recipes developed specifically for all-purpose einkorn flour, 7 recipes for whole grain einkorn flour, and techniques that complement how this ancient grain naturally behaves.
If you’ve found this recipe helpful, the cookbook includes more breads, breakfast staples, desserts, and everyday recipes, along with foundational information to help you feel confident using einkorn in your kitchen, meant to be both a practical resource and a source of inspiration for baking food that’s nourishing, satisfying, and meant to be shared.
Einkorn English Muffins FAQ
Can I use regular all-purpose flour instead of einkorn?
This recipe is developed specifically for einkorn flour. For best results, I recommend using a recipe written for modern wheat if that’s what you have on hand.
Why is einkorn dough stickier than other bread doughs?
Einkorn flour absorbs water more slowly, and its gluten structure is different from modern wheat. Allowing the dough to rest reduces stickiness, but einkorn dough will never pull together as tightly as conventional bread dough—and that’s expected.
Is einkorn flour healthier than modern wheat flour?
Einkorn is more nutritionally dense than modern wheat, with higher levels of certain micronutrients and protein. It also lacks some proteins that can be difficult for some people to digest.
Einkorn English Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 cups 360 g all-purpose einkorn flour
- 1/4 teaspoon yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup 120 g whole milk
- 1/2 cup 120 g water
- 2 tablespoons 28 g butter, melted
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast, and salt. Add in the milk, water, and melted butter. Stir to combine until you have a soft, sticky dough.
- Scrape down the sides, incorporate any extra bits of flour, and cover with plastic wrap.
- Let rise at room temperature for 8-12 hours, or overnight.
- The next morning, turn out the dough onto a generously floured surface.
- Press out the dough to ¾ inches tall. Using a floured 3 inch cutter, cut out rounds and transfer to a floured cookie sheet.
- A bench scraper is helpful for this step, as the dough is fairly sticky.
- Cover and let rise for 30-45 minutes, or until the rounds start to look slightly puffy and rounded.
- Preheat a large cast iron skillet or non-stick frying pan on low-medium low heat.
- Place rounds into the pan 1 inch apart and cover with a lid.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the bottoms are deep golden and the sides are matte. Carefully flip the dough onto the other side and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes. Repeat with the other dough rounds.
- Let the muffins cool on a wire rack until room temperature before slicing in half and toasting. If you slice one and it seems doughy in the middle, place them in a 350° F oven until they are cooked through.
