The English muffins are commonly served as a part of breakfast. These are round, flat, and small rolls made from sourdough and are cut horizontally. The muffins are toasted before they are served. Many people spread butter, jam, or honey on the muffins or serve it as a part of egg benedict.
An English muffin has an airy and light texture, which makes it suitable for people who prefer light breakfasts. However, it’s not readily available, which is why we are listing down some alternatives!
English Muffin Alternatives
- Ciabatta
Ciabatta is an Italian bread that’s prepared with white flour and basic yeast. It is prepared from lean yeast dough, which helps create a crispy crust and chewy bread. It is a popular choice for people who need a low-sugar option, and you can prepare sandwiches and burgers.
In addition, sourdough starter or biga can be used in bread, which results in a slightly sour flavor and open crumb texture. It is usually used for savory recipes, and you can serve it with dips. Moreover, the dried-out Ciabatta bread can be used to prepare croutons.
- Croissant
This is an Austrian pastry with a buttery and flaky texture. It has a crescent shape and is prepared by layering the dough. Also, it’s leavened with yeast and is prepared with sugar, which develops a sweet flavor.
It’s usually served at breakfast and is sometimes filled with jam, jellies, and chocolates as well. On the other hand, plain croissants can be used for preparing sandwiches.
It has a crispy and flaky texture and is prepared with a mixture of flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. The layers of dough and fat are created to give it a distinct shape.
Brioche bread is native to France and is made with high egg and butter content, which results in a rich flavor. The bread has a light and puffy texture since it’s prepared with milk, butter, and eggs. It is a yeasted bread.
It’s commonly served as breakfast bread but can be used to prepare French toast as well. You can also spread jam or butter on the bread. Brioche bread should be consumed when it’s still fresh and can be frozen for over two months.
The frozen brioche bread can be thawed at room temperature, or you can reheat it in the oven. Furthermore, brioche bread can be served with whipped cream and fresh fruit for snacking.
The challah bread is flavored with eggs and sugar, which gives it a slightly sweet flavor. It has a chewy yet light texture, which makes it a reliable alternative for English muffins. It can be served in breakfast in sliced form, or you can make French toast.
In addition, challah bread doesn’t have milk in it, making it a suitable choice for lactose-intolerant people. Challah bread has a braided texture and is prepared with eggs, water, sugar, fine white flour, yeast, and salt.
In addition to white flour, spelled flour, whole wheat flour, or oat flour can also be used. However, water challah bread is also available that’s made without eggs – this version is suitable for people who follow vegan diets.
- Potato Rolls
Another option is to use potato rolls because they have an airy and light texture. Potato rolls are extremely popular in the US. As compared to English muffins and regular bread, it has a thicker texture and yellowish color.
To prepare potato rolls, dehydrated potatoes are used, which means there is a slight potato-ish flavor as well. Potato rolls also have starch, which creates a moist texture and increases the shelf life. As far as the usage is concerned, potato rolls can be used to prepare egg and bacon wraps for breakfast.
- Pain De Mie
Commonly known as Pullman loaf, it’s a delicious bread that’s usually used for preparing Croque Monsieur and French toast. It has a fine-grained crumb and light texture, which is why it’s served for breakfast. It has a mild sweet flavor.
These bread loaves are available in a rectangular shape, making them suitable for preparing sandwiches. It is prepared with white wheat flour, oil, sugar, water, and salt, which helps achieve a delicate and light texture.
The bread can be used in the preparation of croutons and bread crumbs. In addition, it can be served with tea in toasted form.
- Hawaiian Bread
This bread is also known as Portuguese sweet bread and is easily available in the United States. As compared to English muffins, this bread can be sweeter, which is why it’s used to prepare desserts and ice cream sandwiches.
It has an airy, soft, and stretchy texture. Since it’s prepared from yeast, it has slight tanginess as well.
- Panettone
This is an Italian cake bread that’s known for its cylindrical shape. It has a richer and sweeter flavor as compared to English muffins. You can use Panettone to prepare French toast and trifle, or you can bake the bread to make croutons.
This bread is readily available at grocery stores, and you will be able to purchase different flavors as well. If you want to serve Panettone bread for breakfast, you can purchase the one with candied orange and raisins.
- Pai Bao
It is commonly known as the Hong Kong bread bun – it is basically a sweet bun that’s prepared with eggs, which results in a rich and milky texture. In particular, these buns have a fluffy and soft texture.
They can be served as a part of breakfast, or you can make burgers as well. Also, when stored at room temperature, pai bao will remain fresh and fluffy for a week.
- Shokupan
This is a Japanese milk bread that’s known for its fluffy and soft texture. It has a mildly sweet flavor because sugar is added. It’s prepared with butter, which helps create a bouncy texture.
Shokupan is shaped liked a rectangular block with cloud-like and soft fluffiness. The best thing about Shokupan is that it has a longer shelf life at room temperature.
- Puff Pastry
Puff pastry is prepared from laminated dough and has higher butter content, which creates a moist yet flaky and airy texture. Puff pastry has a crispy exterior but melts in the mouth. The puff pastry can be used to prepare beef wellington, croissants, and galettes.
- Gugelhuph
This is a yeast-based bread and is baked in a special Bundt mold. It’s popular in Europe and is flavored with almonds, raisins, and kirschwasser. It has a texture similar to brioche bread and is widely used in the preparation of sweet dishes and puddings.
Gugelhuph is leavened with yeast and is available in three forms, including plain, cocoa, and marbled. The plain gugelhuph can be used to replace the English muffin, but the other two forms are served as desserts.
- Bagel
These are yeast-leavened and donut-shaped rolls with shiny and crispy crusts. They have a dense interior and are commonly served in breakfast buffets. However, the bagels are served with smoked salmon and cream cheese for snacking.
It is prepared from flour, sweetener, yeast, and salt. In particular, high-gluten flour is used to achieve a chewy and spongy texture. Usually, whole wheat flour is used, but some people use rye flour as well. However, some people add butter or eggs to the dough, which creates a flaky and light texture.
Bagels are prepared by baking, but milk or beaten egg yolk glaze is applied to create a shiny crust. In addition to plain bagels, flavored bagels are also available, which are made with fruits, nuts, and veggies.
The Bottom Line
English muffins are a great addition to breakfast tables, but they aren’t always available in grocery stores. The alternatives in this article will help replace the English muffins, irrespective of whether you want to prepare desserts or a sweet and savory breakfast.