Nooks and crannies guys. Nooks.And.Crannies.
You know you love them. You know you love them more when they’re filled with butter and jam.
Or just butter. Because really, when you have a great einkorn English muffin, jam just complicates things. Let’s keep it simple for now.
But wait. Do you think a bacon and fried egg breakfast sandwich on a freshly baked einkorn English muffin is simple?
What about mini pizzas with fresh mozzarella, a leaf or two of fresh basil and tomatoes just picked from the garden?
Okay fine, let’s skip the simple and keep it real.
Real good with real food that’s really possible to make at home because I have literally exhausted every possible way you can make these muffins and I’m giving you the bestest, easiest way to make them turn out really awesome, every time. Pinky swear.
See those muffins up there? Those pats of awesomeness are made with love and whole grain einkorn flour, so let’s talk about that for a moment.
First, the love. Anyone who makes you homemade english muffins loves you. A lot. They’re making something from scratch they can easily buy from the store, and they’re not adding sugar. Sugar-free love? Yes, please.
Second, the whole grain einkorn flour. Einkorn (rhymes with “fine corn) is the unmodified, unhybridized ancestor to modern wheat. It’s much older than spelt (another common whole grain) and lucky for us, Jovial Foods is now the largest grower of einkorn in the world.
Not sure where to buy Einkorn?
- I buy whole einkorn berries from Young Living because they have the cheapest price! Just $2.93 per pound.
- The second best price are these einkorn berries on Amazon.
- If you shop at Vitacost, einkorn berries are $4.49/lb. (Crumbs readers save 20% when you sign up for their newsletter!)
- Try Jovial Foods. You can save 10% off all items in the store with exclusions on special promotional items such as cookbooks and new harvest oil when you use coupon code DWCRUMBS. Also, there’s free shipping over $99.
- If you don’t have a grain mill to grind your own flour, you can buy whole wheat einkorn flour. Thrive Market has it for $2.99/lb (Crumbs readers get a 25% off + Free 30-Day Trial Membership ) or this 3-pack on Amazon.
- Here’s the all-purpose Einkorn flour I use. You can find it on Amazon.
Those struggling with digestive issues will find comfort in knowing einkorn is easier to digest than modern wheat and is even tolerated by some people who are typically sensitive to gluten. It also tastes better than wheat, in my opinion, and a great option for families who aren’t big fans of the “wheat-y” flavor of whole wheat.
Whole grain einkorn, sugar-free homemade English muffin love? Oh my nooks and crannies.
If you’ve never baked with einkorn flour before, these great tips from the einkorn pros are golden. I could sum it up for you though with one sentence: Einkorn flour breaks all the rules.
- You should knead the dough for a long time to “fully activate the gluten.”
- The dough is ready when it’s “smooth and elastic.”
- It’s supposed to rise “until doubled in size.”
- You can “add more flour” to prevent stickiness.
You’ve heard of these phrases before, yes? Ignore.These.Rules.
These rules are perfect for modern wheat. But these rules do NOT apply to einkorn flour. In fact, working with einkorn is exactly the opposite.
- Knead the dough just until it’s combined and hydrated.
- The dough will be wet and sticky.
- “Doubling in size” will likely ruin your muffin.
- Adding more flour will make the muffin dense and dry.
Don’t fret friends – I’ve taken all this into consideration with this einkorn English muffin recipe. Follow my lead and you’ll have your own batch of beauties ready in no time.
Einkorn English Muffins
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup warm milk (105-110F)
- 1 tsp yeast
- 1–2 Tbsp honey
- 1 1/2 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 1/4– 2 1/2 cups whole grain einkorn flour (from whole einkorn berries)*
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl, whisk together warm milk, yeast and honey. Allow yeast to proof and bloom until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Add butter, salt, egg and 2 1/4 cups flour and mix on low, or knead by hand, until the flour is fully hydrated and the ingredients are incorporated well, about 5 minutes. The dough will be wet and sticky, but should pull back slightly from the edge of the bowl while kneading. If the dough doesn’t do this, you can add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour and knead to hydrate.
- Cover with a towel and allow the dough to sit in a warm place to rise until puffy, 60-75 minutes. The dough will not double in size.
- Gently deflate dough with a spatula and preheat a cast iron skillet to medium low, or a griddle to 250F.
- Wet your hands and pull off a piece of dough about 1 1/2 times the size of a golf ball. Gently shape into a ball, and then flatten it in your hands. Lay the flattened dough on the cooking surface.
- Re-wet and repeat this step until your griddle or skillet is full, leaving the remaining dough in the bowl until there is room for more in the skillet or griddle.
- Cook the muffins for about 7 minutes on each side, flipping halfway through.
- Remove the muffins from the heat when they are medium brown on each side. Note that the muffins will continue to cook as they cool, so let them cool completely if you are concerned about the dough being not quite done in the middle.
- Using a fork and not a knife, separate the muffin to reveal the nooks and crannies. Toast or eat at room temperature, filling the nooks and crannies with butter or your preferred spread.
Notes
* If you don’t have a grain mill, use this method for grinding your own flour.
Additional Recipe Notes
In general:
- Resist the temptation to add more flour. It’s hard, but be strong!
- I have tested baking these in the oven WITHOUT success. I used a silpat mat, which I suspect is the reason why they did not turn out. However, if you want to try baking them in the oven, do so at your own will (and without a silpat mat).
- You might be tempted to use oil instead of water for your hands. You can do so, but the dough will absorb that oil and you’ll only add to the wetness of the dough (as opposed to the purpose of using water, which is to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands).
Substitutions:
- You can substitute the milk with non-dairy milk if you’d like.
- This recipe uses whole grain einkorn flour, not all purpose einkorn flour. Feel free to substitute with another whole grain flour if you don’t have einkorn.
Looking for more einkorn recipes?
Light and Fluffy Einkorn Dinner Rolls will sop up gravy like no other, and Naturally Sweetened (and Simple) Biscotti will gladly join you for a cup of coffee.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy an English muffin?
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These turned out so good that I immediately made a second batch! I used all-purpose einkorn, 2-1/2 cups, plus about 1/4 cup after the first mix. The water on your hands is definitely required. These were amazing!
★★★★★
Hello Sarah,
We’re so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
I made these last night and they came out really good. The water on your hands is absolutely necessary with the sticky dough, but I was so pleased with how they turned out. Also, I let them rest for about a half hour or so before sticking a fork in them and they were not crumbly. So now, .i need to try sourdough muffins🤞
★★★★★
So glad to hear you enjoyed the muffins, Cathy!
I’m excited to try this recipe soon! I sometimes use English muffins to make breakfast sandwiches to toss in the freezer for easy weekday breakfasts. Do you think these English muffins will freeze well?
Lana, most muffins should freeze well. Just make sure they are dethawed in the refrigerator for about 24 hours then eaten.
I made these today with AP einkorn flour and they were fabulous! Thanks for the recipe. We will be making again.
★★★★★
I am ecstatic to hear you liked this recipe, Rebekah!
My try came out OK taste was greatBUT the interior was crumply .
Maybe bad yeast? Or what say you?
Could be, yeast will not get foamy if it is “dead”. It could also be crumbly if not left to proof long enough, about 10 minutes.
Can you include a weight measurement please? I find especially with Einkorn recipes it is critical to getting the recipe right. Since a cup of fresh ground einkorn is lighter than a cup of preground einkorn flour. It also helps with converting the recipe to all-purpose einkorn flour.
Also, why not order einkorn wheat berries directly from Jovialfoods.com? I buy a ten pound bag of wheat berries for $25. I get my packages in about a week from them. Jovial Foods have many other wonderful products too. I will never buy Olive Oil from another source again if I can help it. It’s that good. Thank you for the recipe I am so excited to try it!
★★★★★
Please make a sourdough version. I would love to see that too!
They look delicious, but my Einkorn flour is deceiving, and you have to read the whole paragraph on the side to figure out that it is NOT whole grain. So, I wonder if yours is the same. Also, I simply don’t want to make bread ever again if the grains are not prepared property by soaking, sprouting or fermenting with homemade yeast, because many health problems are from improperly prepared grains. . Can’t wait for you to come out with an Einkorn Sourdough English Muffin recipe. You will be the first one online to figure it out! So far there is only one awesome recipe with Spelt.
Yes, I would love a sourdough version too!
Could you please put a sourdough version of this recipe ?
These looks so good. I’m allergic to eggs 🙁 Is there anything else I can use to replace the 1 egg? Applesauce? A flax or chia egg replacement?
Have you since made a cinnamon-raisin version of these?
Jasmine – you can definitely use pre-ground einkorn flour. If you use the einkorn all-purpose, add another 1/2 cup. 🙂