Oven bottom muffins are my favourite type of ‘bun’, ‘bread roll’, or ‘barmcake’. I grew up in Lancashire where oven bottoms were a staple… it wasn’t until we moved from the area I realised the rest of the UK tend to use ‘fluffer’ bread rolls, and they have 101 different names for them!
To this day, oven bottom muffins are my favourite style of bread bun – they’re the perfect mix between a slice of bread and a bun, meaning they’re perfect for almost any sandwich – especially chip or fish finger buttys.
Oven bottom muffins are now available nationwide (I think!?) in supermarkets… but honestly, those aren’t real oven bottom muffins. The texture is all off, they’re basically a white roll marketed as an oven bottom. A true oven bottom is flatter, yet soft and fluffy still! The texture of the inside reminds me of a white loaf rather than wide air bubbles which are present in the likes of a burger bun.
If you’ve not yet tried making oven bottoms at home – give them a go! They’re enjoyable to make and I’ve detailed the step by step below. This is a recipe I’ve had written on a tatty piece of paper for about 10 years – it’s lovely to finally share it!
How to make oven bottom muffins at home
Scroll down to the bottom for full ingredient list and recipe. Please reference below step by step photos before beginning.
I use my stand mixer to make the dough – with the dough hook attached. You can do this by hand, but if you have a stand mixer I recommend you use it 🙂
1. Add the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, butter and oil into the mixing bowl
2. Use your hand to mix together and form a very rough crumb
3. Next pour in the milk and warm water
4. Use the dough hook to knead on the lowest speed, for 5 minutes – the dough should be slightly sticky and hold its shape when the hook is raised
5. Remove the dough from the hook and place gently back into the bowl
6. Cover with a lid, or clingfilm and set in a warm place to double in size for an hour (thankfully today was a sunny day!)
7. One the dough has risen, lightly grease a baking tray (you might need 2, depending on their size)
8. Flour a clean work surface and place the dough out onto the flour
9. Divide the dough into six equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball
10. Take a clean chopping board (or similar flat surface) and lightly flour it, then press it down onto one of the balls
11. You’re looking to squish the dough into a flat, round
12. Then place the round dough onto the greased baking sheet – repeat this for each of the dough pieces
13. Cover with a clean tea towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes
14. After half an hour, take your chopping board (or you might need a smaller flat surface) and again, press down on the dough until it’s flatter
15. Take your thumb and press an indent into the centre of each – like this:
16. Bake in the oven for 16 minutes – turning halfway through cooking – then they’re done! Keep your eye on them during cooking as timings can vary depending on your oven and how ‘well done’ you like them
Yield: 6 Muffins
My favourite type of bread bun - a traditional Lancashire oven bottom muffin!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Additional Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 55 minutes
Ingredients
- 400g strong bread flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 7g instant dried yeast
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 85 ml milk
- 170 ml warm water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- To a large mixing bowl (or your stand mixer bowl) add the flour, sugar, salt and yeast, butter and oil and combine using your hands until rough crumbs form
- Next, pour in the warm water and milk and continue to knead/mix for 5 minutes - until all well combined and a dough has formed
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover with some cling film - allow to rise in a warm place for an hour - until doubled in size
- Whilst the dough is rising, grease a baking tray with butter (you might need two trays, depending on their size and if you want 6 or 8 muffins)
- Once the dough has risen for an hour, lightly flour your work surface
- Tip the dough onto the floured surface and divide into 6 even pieces
- Roll each of the pieces into a round ball, then, use a chopping board (or similar flat surface) to squish each of them into a round disk (see photos above for reference) you might have to press quite hard!
- Once each of your muffins are squished down, place onto the greased cooking tray(s), cover loosely with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for a further half an hour
- Preheat your oven to 200C whilst they're resting
- After half an hour, repeat the step of pushing down on the pieces (using the floured chopping tray, or similar - until the muffins are about half their thickness)
- Use your thumb to press a dent into the centre of each muffin
- Place the trays of muffins into the oven and cook for 15 minutes (turning halfway through cooking)
- Once cooked, allow to cool before serving. You can freeze these muffins for up to a month, or they keep fresh for 3 days.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1
Amount Per ServingCalories 204Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 5mgSodium 19mgCarbohydrates 38gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 7g
Nutritional data provided here is only an estimate. If you're tracking these things for medical purposes please consult an outside, trusted source. Thanks!
See more: British Recipes, By Ingredient, Recipes, Sides
