Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, these AIP English Muffins have a wonderful texture! The inside is chewy but not gummy and the bottom get’s a lovely crunch. Green plantain lends a natural sweetness to the bread, while the tigernut gives that traditional English muffin grainy finish. This paleo and allergen free recipe can double as a bread roll or burger bun too!
Table of Contents
Bread on the Autoimmune Protocol
Bread can be elusive on AIP. Baking without grains is hard, baking without grains or eggs it’s REALLY hard. For one, you need to set realistic expectations. It’s not going to exactly like the wheat version. However, a lot of AIP bread creations get really close. I’ve heard this AIP Sourdough by Eat Beautiful is great and I think it looks legit. I have AIP Plantain Tortillas and an AIP Plantain Flatbread recipe! Also check out my AIP Crispy Waffles, so crispy!
How well your AIP breads turn out depend on how well you follow instructions and your skill level. Baking takes practice! Don’t give up. I am REALLY happy with how this recipe turned out. I was actually aiming for a burger bun, and these AIP English Muffins can definitely moonlight as a bun or roll, but their texture is very English Muffin. A toasty exterior with a hole-y and soft inside. Very delicious!
About the Ingredients
When it comes to AIP baking it’s important to stick to the ingredients listed. We’re making English muffins without grains, eggs, nuts, or dairy. We’re using plantains. It’s going to get weird. AIP baking is the epitome of food science and science is specific. Cooking is art, baking is science. Stick to the script.
If you’re going to make AIP English Muffins be sure to have the following on hand.
- A very green plantain, a yellow plantain will be too sweet. I love using whole ingredients in baking and plantains, specifically green ones have a lot of benefits like prebiotic starch.
- Arrowroot starch, this adds stretch to the dough.
- Tigernut flour for body and texture.
- Pastured beef gelatin for nutrition and consistency.
- Apple cider vinegar also aids in rising.
- AIP baking powder which consists of equal parts cream of tartar, baking soda, and arrowroot starch sifted together. Recipe here.
Tips and Tricks
I want you to be successful making this recipe, I want that for all my recipes. I take a lot of time creating them and I feel a great responsibility to my readers. I don’t want to waste your time or your money. So here are my tips and tricks for AIP English Muffin success!
- Measure all your ingredients out ahead of time. This is called mise en place (meez ahn plahs) is a French term for setting up before you cook. It will help things go smoothly and frankly make it more fun.
- Pick the right plantain. You want a big one that is light green, not yellow or blackening.
- Go slow! Don’t rush, there are no time restraints on this recipe.
- If you don’t have a high-powered blender, use your food processor to blend up the plantain.
- Always sift your flours before using in grain-free baking.
- Let them cool before cutting them open!
Frequently Asked Questions
Tapioca starch might not hold up with the apple cider vinegar in the recipe. Arrowroot has the benefit that acids don’t break it down.
Unfortunately no, it’s not the same. Using the whole plantain is imperative for this recipe.
The produce sections at Wegman’s, Safeway, and Whole Foods where I am now, Alexandria, VA carry plantains. Latin markets will always have them on hand too!
I haven’t tested that, and as finicky as AIP baking is, I’m not sure it’s worth it.
I would like to find a replacement for it, so this recipe would be coconut free. But I haven’t tried an alternative yet. I will have to think about it.
They are quite big, yes, you can easily make 6 or 8 mini AIP English Muffins. Bake time will vary. Watch them. When they are lightly golden and firm to the touch, they’re ready.
Process of Making AIP English Muffins
You want to start by mixing the vinegar with the coconut cream (coconut milk) and set it aside. This will make a buttermilk. Then whisk together the dry ingredients. Blend the plantain with the buttermilk and olive oil. Then fold the wet mix into the dry mix.
Use a spatula to scrape all the of the plantain mix into the bowl with the flour mix and tilt the bowl with one hand while you fold with the other. Once the mix is fully incorporated, meaning there are no more pockets of dry flour left, let it rest for 10 minutes in a warm place in the kitchen (by the pre-heated oven is good).
After 10 minutes you will notice the mix firmed up into a dough and got a little fluffy. Touch it with your finger, you will notice it’s a little sticky. Add 2 tablespoons of arrowroot starch to the mix and fold in, it get a nice stretchy dough consistency. With dusted hands grab some and roll it in to a ball. Place on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 350F on the middle rack. The AIP English Muffins will be lightly golden and firm to the touch when done.
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AIP English Muffins (grain free, egg free, nut free)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 English Muffins 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: AIP
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
AIP English Muffins with a nice crusty outisde and soft inside!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup full-fat canned coconut cream or milk (shake well)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons AIP baking powder
- 1/2 cup tigernut flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot starch, plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon gelatin
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 large green plantain
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (more for brushing)
Instructions
- Add the vinegar to the coconut cream and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly oil a sheet pan or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl whisk together the tigernut, arrowroot, gelatin, baking powder and salt.
- In a. blender puree the green plantain with the coconut milk mix and olive oil. Use a spatula to scrape that mix into the bowl with the flour.
- Fold, do mot mix. Tilt the bowl with one hand and use the other to wield the spatula, folding the flour mix into the plantain mix until fully incorporated.
- Let the dough sit for 10 minutes to thicken, set it in a warm area of the kitchen. Once it’s thickened up it will look nice and fluffly, but still feel a little sticky. Add in 2 tablespoons more arrowroot starch and use the spatula to fold it to a pliable dough, gently. Don’t over mix.
- Use dusted hands to shape 4-6 balls. Place them on the sheet pan, set 3 inches apart as they will spread.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes (depending on oven or bun size). When the English muffins are a nice golden color and very firm to the touch remove them from the oven.
- Let them cool completely before cutting open or the center will be gooey.
- Enjoy! Great with salted palm oil shortening and salt smeared on top. Store in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days.
Recipe Notes:
- Stirring and mixing both denote a more vigorous action. Folding is usually used for items where something has previously been whipped (such as egg whites or cream) or where tenderness is desired and thus less mixing is advisable (muffins & biscuits). Source
- READ THE TIPS AND TRICKS AND THE FAQ’s SECTION!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bun
- Calories: 435
- Fat: 17.1g
- Carbohydrates: 61g
- Fiber: 5.5g
- Protein: 4g
Keywords: AIP English Muffins
Patricia says
wow, these look so good…..and I cannot have eggs, so super good ! But, I cannot get plantains where I Iive. Will a very GREEN banana work?
Cristina Curp, FNTP says
Green bananas might work, but I can’t confirm that, as I haven’t tested it.
REK981 says
WOW! These look amazing! Will add them to my list for my next AIP reset. Thank you!!
Cristina Curp, FNTP says
We’ve really enjoyed them this AIP reset!
kat says
These look very yummy.. is the bake time 30 or 40 minutes? there are 2 different times listed
Cristina Curp, FNTP says
It’s 30-40 minutes. Oven temps vary, it also depends on how big you make them. If you make them smaller, which you can, because they’re quite large, getting 6-7 out of the batch, if you get 4-5 out of the recipe closer you’ll probably need to bake them all 40 min. They will be very golden and very hard to the touch on the outside when done. Let them cool completely before cutting open
kat says
Thank You 🙂
Marie says
is there any substitute for the plantain? I have a sensitivity to bananas so Im not sure if I would be able to tolerate the plantain…
Cristina Curp, FNTP says
I haven’t tested out anything else. Maybe some cooked and cooled yuca, but again, I can’t be sure.
Moulin Patel says
This recipe was amazing! I baked them for 40 minutes and they came out perfect! Could hardly believe that they were aip. Definitely going to make them again!
★★★★★
Cristina Curp, FNTP says
Thank you so much Moulin for coming by to leave a review. I appreciate it and I am trilled you loved them so!
Shirl says
The nutritional info is telling me 435 calories and 61g of carbs for ONE bun. That seems quite a lot. Is this correct?
Cristina Curp, FNTP says
If you make 4 buns, yes that’s what Cronometer said. This is AIP not low carb, anything with starchy flour is going to be really high carb. If you make 8 buns out of the recipe it will cut that in half. The 4 buns are very big, so you can definitely make them smaller.
Laura B says
I’m really enjoying getting to eat healthy sandwiches again with your AIP English Muffins!
Cristina, thank you so much for all your hard work developing your recipes…I’ve made these 3 times since you posted the recipe 3 weeks ago! Yum!
★★★★★
Cristina Curp, FNTP says
I’m so thrilled to hear that Laura! Thank you