From Scratch English Muffins Cooked in the Air Fryer
These homemade English muffins are made from a soft yeasted dough and cooked in the air fryer until lightly golden with a soft middle and classic nooks and crannies inside. They are gently enriched with milk and butter. The result is a small batch of homemade English muffins that split nicely and toast beautifully.
About these air fryer English muffins
English muffins are such a versatile little bread bun. Perfect for breakfast sandwiches or eggs bennie, or toasted with butter! I love using them as mini pizza bases too. These are yeast raised, made from a soft, lightly enriched dough. A bit of butter and milk keeps the crumb lovely and tender without losing structure, so they roll, cut, and proof neatly.
English muffins are traditionally cooked on a flat pan, but I sometimes like to use the air fryer instead because it’s less hands on. There is no standing at the stove watching and turning, and the results are just as delicious. The one thing to note though is that the air fryer doesn’t make the English muffin as evenly shaped as the pan. The muffins can puff a little unevenly and end up slightly lopsided, but I promise that’s purely cosmetic.
You can make a sourdough english muffin version too!
Just a few ingredients
English muffins are traditionally split with a fork rather than sliced with a knife. Piercing around the edge and gently pulling them apart lets the crumb to tear naturally, creating those uneven nooks and crannies they are known for. Cutting straight through with a knife gives a smoother surface, but splitting them by hand keeps the texture that toasts so well and holds butter.
Method
- The dough is really easy to make, and it can be done by hand or in a stand mixer with a dough hook.
- Mix the water, milk, butter, yeast, sugar, flour, and salt into a soft dough.
- Knead until smooth and elastic, then cover and let rise until doubled.
- Punch down the dough and roll it out.
- Cut it into rounds and let them proof again.
- Transfer carefully to the air fryer basket with a splash of water.
- Bake on one side until golden.
- Flip and air fry on the other side.
- Let them cool slightly before splitting.
FAQs
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Homemade English Muffins in the Air Fryer (From Scratch)
Ingredients
- 120 g water
- 120 g milk
- 30 g unsalted butter melted
- 7 g instant yeast
- 20 g granulated sugar
- 405 g all-purpose flour
- 5 g salt
- Semolina or cornmeal for dusting optional
Instructions
- Add all the dough ingredients to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
- Mix or knead the dough for around 8 minutes until soft and smooth. Add to a clean bowl and cover with a lid or damp towel. Let it rise until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough and pull it onto a lightly floured work surface.
- Push the dough out with your finger tips until it’s around 3/4 inch (2cm thick). Use a round cookie cutter (3-4 inches in diameter) to cut out circles from the dough. Alternatively, divide the dough into 10 equal portions. Gently roll each portion into a smooth ball. Press each ball into a flat, round disc about 3/4 inch thick.
- Lightly dust each side of the disc or dough circle with cornmeal or semolina. Let them rise another 30 minutes until lightly puffed.
- Add 2 tablespoons of water to the bottom of an air fryer. Line the fryer with a sheet of parchment paper cut with holes and place around 4-5 English muffins on. The remaining English muffins can be placed in the refrigerator while the first lot cooks to stop them rising too much.
- Cook the muffins at 320°F/160°C for 8 minutes. Remove the air fryer basket and discard any remaining water.
- Flip the muffins and cook a further 5 minutes.
- Let them cool on a wire rack and repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
- Leftover English muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Air fryer models vary, so check early the first time you make these.
- For the best texture, always split with a fork rather than slicing.
- Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for longer storage.
