diff --git a/src/createStore.js b/src/createStore.js
index a06c60cf26..c774b3329c 100644
--- a/src/createStore.js
+++ b/src/createStore.js
@@ -1,42 +1,18 @@
 import Store from './Store';
 import composeReducers from './utils/composeReducers';
-import composeMiddleware from './utils/composeMiddleware';
-import thunkMiddleware from './middleware/thunk';
-
-const defaultMiddlewares = ({ dispatch, getState }) => [
-  thunkMiddleware({ dispatch, getState })
-];
 
 export default function createStore(
   reducer,
-  initialState,
-  middlewares = defaultMiddlewares
+  initialState
 ) {
   const finalReducer = typeof reducer === 'function' ?
     reducer :
     composeReducers(reducer);
 
   const store = new Store(finalReducer, initialState);
-  const getState = ::store.getState;
-
-  const rawDispatch = ::store.dispatch;
-  let cookedDispatch = null;
-
-  function dispatch(action) {
-    return cookedDispatch(action);
-  }
-
-  const finalMiddlewares = typeof middlewares === 'function' ?
-    middlewares({ dispatch, getState }) :
-    middlewares;
-
-  cookedDispatch = composeMiddleware(
-    ...finalMiddlewares,
-    rawDispatch
-  );
 
   return {
-    dispatch: cookedDispatch,
+    dispatch: ::store.dispatch,
     subscribe: ::store.subscribe,
     getState: ::store.getState,
     getReducer: ::store.getReducer,
diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index 6ba367c91c..a8569ec2f2 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -2,13 +2,17 @@
 import createStore from './createStore';
 
 // Utilities
-import composeMiddleware from './utils/composeMiddleware';
+import compose from './utils/compose';
 import composeReducers from './utils/composeReducers';
 import bindActionCreators from './utils/bindActionCreators';
+import applyMiddleware from './utils/applyMiddleware';
+import composeMiddleware from './utils/composeMiddleware';
 
 export {
   createStore,
-  composeMiddleware,
+  compose,
   composeReducers,
-  bindActionCreators
+  bindActionCreators,
+  applyMiddleware,
+  composeMiddleware
 };
diff --git a/src/middleware/thunk.js b/src/middleware/thunk.js
index 14e92df5c2..e6638cdb06 100644
--- a/src/middleware/thunk.js
+++ b/src/middleware/thunk.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 export default function thunkMiddleware({ dispatch, getState }) {
-  return (next) => (action) =>
+  return next => action =>
     typeof action === 'function' ?
       action(dispatch, getState) :
       next(action);
diff --git a/src/utils/applyMiddleware.js b/src/utils/applyMiddleware.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e6c63ad0bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/applyMiddleware.js
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import compose from './compose';
+import composeMiddleware from './composeMiddleware';
+import thunk from '../middleware/thunk';
+
+/**
+ * Creates a higher-order store that applies middleware to a store's dispatch.
+ * Because middleware is potentially asynchronous, this should be the first
+ * higher-order store in the composition chain.
+ * @param {...Function} ...middlewares
+ * @return {Function} A higher-order store
+ */
+export default function applyMiddleware(...middlewares) {
+  const finalMiddlewares = middlewares.length ?
+    middlewares :
+    [thunk];
+
+  return next => (...args) => {
+    const store = next(...args);
+    const methods = {
+      dispatch: store.dispatch,
+      getState: store.getState
+    };
+    return {
+      ...store,
+      dispatch: compose(
+        composeMiddleware(...finalMiddlewares)(methods),
+        store.dispatch
+      )
+    };
+  };
+}
diff --git a/src/utils/compose.js b/src/utils/compose.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4db0884d3b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/compose.js
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+/**
+ * Composes functions from left to right
+ * @param  {...Function} funcs - Functions to compose
+ * @return {Function}
+ */
+export default function compose(...funcs) {
+  return funcs.reduceRight((composed, f) => f(composed));
+}
diff --git a/src/utils/composeMiddleware.js b/src/utils/composeMiddleware.js
index 596403919d..bf702aae30 100644
--- a/src/utils/composeMiddleware.js
+++ b/src/utils/composeMiddleware.js
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+import compose from './compose';
+
+/**
+ * Compose middleware from left to right
+ * @param  {...Function} middlewares
+ * @return {Function}
+ */
 export default function composeMiddleware(...middlewares) {
-  return middlewares.reduceRight((composed, m) => m(composed));
+  return methods => next => compose(...middlewares.map(m => m(methods)), next);
 }
diff --git a/test/applyMiddleware.spec.js b/test/applyMiddleware.spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..73229837f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/applyMiddleware.spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+import expect from 'expect';
+import { createStore, applyMiddleware } from '../src/index';
+import * as reducers from './helpers/reducers';
+import { addTodo, addTodoAsync, addTodoIfEmpty } from './helpers/actionCreators';
+import thunk from '../src/middleware/thunk';
+
+describe('applyMiddleware', () => {
+  it('wraps dispatch method with middleware', () => {
+    function test(spy) {
+      return methods => next => action => {
+        spy(methods);
+        return next(action);
+      };
+    }
+
+    const spy = expect.createSpy(() => {});
+    const store = applyMiddleware(test(spy), thunk)(createStore)(reducers.todos);
+    store.dispatch(addTodo('Use Redux'));
+
+    expect(Object.keys(spy.calls[0].arguments[0])).toEqual([
+      'dispatch',
+      'getState'
+    ]);
+    expect(store.getState()).toEqual([ { id: 1, text: 'Use Redux' } ]);
+  });
+
+  it('uses thunk middleware by default', done => {
+    const store = applyMiddleware()(createStore)(reducers.todos);
+
+    store.dispatch(addTodoIfEmpty('Hello'));
+    expect(store.getState()).toEqual([{
+      id: 1,
+      text: 'Hello'
+    }]);
+
+    store.dispatch(addTodoIfEmpty('Hello'));
+    expect(store.getState()).toEqual([{
+      id: 1,
+      text: 'Hello'
+    }]);
+
+    store.dispatch(addTodo('World'));
+    expect(store.getState()).toEqual([{
+      id: 1,
+      text: 'Hello'
+    }, {
+      id: 2,
+      text: 'World'
+    }]);
+
+    store.dispatch(addTodoAsync('Maybe')).then(() => {
+      expect(store.getState()).toEqual([{
+        id: 1,
+        text: 'Hello'
+      }, {
+        id: 2,
+        text: 'World'
+      }, {
+        id: 3,
+        text: 'Maybe'
+      }]);
+      done();
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/test/compose.spec.js b/test/compose.spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..92a574d371
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/compose.spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+import expect from 'expect';
+import { compose } from '../src';
+
+describe('Utils', () => {
+  describe('compose', () => {
+    it('composes functions from left to right', () => {
+      const a = next => x => next(x + 'a');
+      const b = next => x => next(x + 'b');
+      const c = next => x => next(x + 'c');
+      const final = x => x;
+
+      expect(compose(a, b, c, final)('')).toBe('abc');
+      expect(compose(b, c, a, final)('')).toBe('bca');
+      expect(compose(c, a, b, final)('')).toBe('cab');
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/test/composeMiddleware.spec.js b/test/composeMiddleware.spec.js
index 5e39b08eab..4d291f4816 100644
--- a/test/composeMiddleware.spec.js
+++ b/test/composeMiddleware.spec.js
@@ -3,15 +3,15 @@ import { composeMiddleware } from '../src';
 
 describe('Utils', () => {
   describe('composeMiddleware', () => {
-    it('should return the combined middleware that executes from left to right', () => {
-      const a = next => action => next(action + 'a');
-      const b = next => action => next(action + 'b');
-      const c = next => action => next(action + 'c');
+    it('should return combined middleware that executes from left to right', () => {
+      const a = () => next => action => next(action + 'a');
+      const b = () => next => action => next(action + 'b');
+      const c = () => next => action => next(action + 'c');
       const dispatch = action => action;
 
-      expect(composeMiddleware(a, b, c, dispatch)('')).toBe('abc');
-      expect(composeMiddleware(b, c, a, dispatch)('')).toBe('bca');
-      expect(composeMiddleware(c, a, b, dispatch)('')).toBe('cab');
+      expect(composeMiddleware(a, b, c)()(dispatch)('')).toBe('abc');
+      expect(composeMiddleware(b, c, a)()(dispatch)('')).toBe('bca');
+      expect(composeMiddleware(c, a, b)()(dispatch)('')).toBe('cab');
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/test/createStore.spec.js b/test/createStore.spec.js
index 6d2d72d7c8..20f22e0566 100644
--- a/test/createStore.spec.js
+++ b/test/createStore.spec.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import expect from 'expect';
 import { createStore } from '../src/index';
 import * as reducers from './helpers/reducers';
-import { addTodo, addTodoIfEmpty, addTodoAsync } from './helpers/actionCreators';
+import { addTodo, addTodoAsync } from './helpers/actionCreators';
 
 describe('createStore', () => {
   it('should expose the public API', () => {
@@ -35,44 +35,6 @@ describe('createStore', () => {
     }]);
   });
 
-  it('should provide the thunk middleware by default', done => {
-    const store = createStore(reducers.todos);
-    store.dispatch(addTodoIfEmpty('Hello'));
-    expect(store.getState()).toEqual([{
-      id: 1,
-      text: 'Hello'
-    }]);
-
-    store.dispatch(addTodoIfEmpty('Hello'));
-    expect(store.getState()).toEqual([{
-      id: 1,
-      text: 'Hello'
-    }]);
-
-    store.dispatch(addTodo('World'));
-    expect(store.getState()).toEqual([{
-      id: 1,
-      text: 'Hello'
-    }, {
-      id: 2,
-      text: 'World'
-    }]);
-
-    store.dispatch(addTodoAsync('Maybe')).then(() => {
-      expect(store.getState()).toEqual([{
-        id: 1,
-        text: 'Hello'
-      }, {
-        id: 2,
-        text: 'World'
-      }, {
-        id: 3,
-        text: 'Maybe'
-      }]);
-      done();
-    });
-  });
-
   it('should dispatch the raw action without the middleware', () => {
     const store = createStore(reducers.todos, undefined, []);
     store.dispatch(addTodo('Hello'));
@@ -110,39 +72,4 @@ describe('createStore', () => {
       bar: 2
     });
   });
-
-  it('should support custom dumb middleware', done => {
-    const doneMiddleware = next => action => {
-      next(action);
-      done();
-    };
-
-    const store = createStore(
-      reducers.todos,
-      undefined,
-      [doneMiddleware]
-    );
-    store.dispatch(addTodo('Hello'));
-  });
-
-  it('should support custom smart middleware', done => {
-    function doneMiddleware({ getState, dispatch }) {
-      return next => action => {
-        next(action);
-
-        if (getState().length < 10) {
-          dispatch(action);
-        } else {
-          done();
-        }
-      };
-    }
-
-    const store = createStore(
-      reducers.todos,
-      undefined,
-      ({ getState, dispatch }) => [doneMiddleware({ getState, dispatch })]
-    );
-    store.dispatch(addTodo('Hello'));
-  });
 });