These easy sourdough English muffins cook up light and fluffy, with a delicious sourdough flavor!
Mix everything the night before and wake up to a beautiful dough that's ready to be cut out and cooked to "nook and cranny" perfection!
Do you know what I love about this sourdough English muffin recipe? Everything!
The taste. The texture. The ease!
Enjoy them slathered with homemade butter and a little cinnamon sugar for a quick breakfast or an afternoon snack.
They are very filling when turned into little breakfast sandwiches with eggs, ham, and cheese.
We even serve them as a side at dinner instead of rolls.
Cook a batch to eat right away or freeze it for later!
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Step-by-step instructions
These sourdough English muffins are simple to make, so let's dive straight into the details!
1. Feed your sourdough starter 12 hours prior to mixing dough so that it's active and bubbly.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix all of the ingredients together with your hands until they are fully combined. Cover the bowl and let rest for 30-60 minutes.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes with your hands. (This step can also be done in a stand mixer, using a dough hook, on low speed for 5 minutes.)
4. Place the dough back into the bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature for 8-12 hours at 65-70 degrees. (It will double in size.)
5. Turn the dough onto a floured surface, flour the top of it, and press it out to a 1" thickness, using your fingertips.
6. Cut out 3" rounds and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet that's been sprinkled with cornmeal.
7. Sprinkle the tops with cornmeal. Cover with a tea towel and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
8. Preheat a non-stick skillet over LOW heat. Place 4 muffins into the skillet, making sure there is 2" of space in between each one. Cover and cook for 4 minutes per side. (No need to add oil to the pan before cooking.)
9. Place the muffins back onto the parchment paper to cool before slicing them in half.
Tips for success
The sourdough English muffins should be cooked over a very low heat, and covered, for best results. This will allow the inside to cook evenly while the outside does not burn.
A good quality all-purpose flour works best in this recipe. I always test my recipes with King Arthur brand for consistent results.
Don't have a kitchen scale to measure flour?
Use the scoop and level technique to measure your flour if you do not have a kitchen scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour in the bag. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until it is heaped on top. Take a butterknife and level off the top. This should give you the most accurate measurement for flour.
Because flour is measured by weight in these recipes, if the flour is scooped straight out of the bag with the measuring cup, there will be more flour than is called for in the recipe.
If you do not want to knead the dough by hand, use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Mix at the lowest speed for 5 minutes.
If you live in a very warm or humid environment, you may need to adjust the recipe. I recommend reducing the milk by 30g and using granulated sugar instead of honey to help the dough from being too sticky to work with. Add more liquid if the dough is too stiff.
How to store and freeze
- These sourdough English muffins can be frozen after they have been cooked for up to 3 months.
- Store them in a container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Make sure you try these sourdough English muffins toasted with a slab of honey butter melted on top!
Other recipes you may like:
- sourdough berry sweet rolls
- sourdough coffee cake
- sourdough biscuits
- sourdough bagels
- sourdough cinnamon rolls
Did you make this recipe? I'd love to know how it turned out!
Leave us a message in the comment section below. And don't forget to rate the recipe!
Sourdough English Muffins Recipe
EQUIPMENT
- Mixing Bowl
- Stand Mixer (optional)
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Tea towel
- Non-stick skillet with cover
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients to make ½ cup (100 g) of Active Sourdough Starter
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) sourdough starter
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (50 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ tablespoons (50) water
Dough Ingredients
- ½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter
- 1 tablespoon (20 g) honey (sugar or maple syrup)
- 1 cup (240 g) milk
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) fine sea salt
- ¼ cup (40 g) cornmeal (for sprinkling)
INSTRUCTIONS
Feed Your Sourdough Starter
- 12 hours before you plan to mix the dough, add the ingredients to make ½ cup (100 g) of active sourdough starter to a clean jar. Stir until combined, loosely cover the jar and let the starter rise at room temperature. (The ingredients will create a total of 115 g active starter but, because some of it will stick to the sides of the jar during the transfer, we are making a little more than needed.) The sourdough starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and there are plenty of bubbles on the surface and sides of the jar.
Make the Dough
- Add 100g of the active starter and the rest of the ingredients (except corn meal) to a large bowl and use your hands to mix until well combined. Cover and let rest 30-60 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead the dough by hand for 5 minutes. (A stand mixer with a dough hook attachment can be used on the lowest speed.)
- Place the dough back into the bowl, cover and let ferment on the counter at room temperature 8-12 hours. (Room temperature is 65-70°F)
Cut and Cook
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, flour the top of the dough and press it out using your fingertips until it is 1" in thickness.
- Use a 3" biscuit cutter to cut rounds and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet that's been sprinkled with cornmeal. Sprinkle the tops with cornmeal, cover with a tea towel and allow to rise for 1 hour at room temperature.
- Preheat your non-stick skillet over LOW heat. Place 4 muffins into the skillet spaced 2" apart, cover and cook the first side for 4 minutes. Turn the muffins over and cook for an additional 4 minutes. (When done, the center of a muffin should register about 200°F on an instant-read thermometer.)
NOTES
- Use the scoop and level technique to measure your flour if you do not have a kitchen scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour in the bag. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until it is heaped on top. Take a butterknife and level off the top. This should give you the most accurate measurement for flour.
- If you live in a very warm or humid environment, you may need to make adjustments in the recipe. I recommend reducing the milk by 30g and using granulated sugar instead of honey to help the dough from being too sticky to work with. Add more liquid if the dough is too stiff.
- Store at room temperature for up to 5 days in a container or freeze for up to 3 months.
Annelise says
This was my first time making English muffins and they came out absolutely delightful. Mine took longer to cook than 4 minutes per side but I really appreciate having an internal temperature to check. They were perfect and delicious.
Claudy says
Had to start gifting theses so I wouldn’t overeat em! I freeze
Batches that recipients re delighted with so for sure I only have one a day... But I am doomed anyway, you have such recipes for me to share with sourdough newbies who mistakenly translate the word discard into toss away!Hats off to my Sourdough(discard) Queen! Aloha from The Big Island of Hawai’i.
Gillian says
I have made this recipe 3 times and we love them but I don't know what I am doing wrong. After I let the dough proof for 8-12 hours. My dough always has a hard crust on the top 🙁 I cover it with a towel when I proof it. What can I do to avoid this happening?
Rebecca says
I haven’t ever posted a review on a recipe before because i usually tweak the recipe so much that the results are not likely representative of the original. But...i’m a novice to sourdough so followed the recipe to the letter. In a word: Amazing! The recipe was easy to follow and the muffins could not have turned out better. Of note to others, I cooked the muffins in a seasoned cast iron skillet that i let warm up for about 10 minutes. The heat was well-distributed. Thank you!!
Sonar says
This was my first attempt at baking english muffins and I was happy with the results. I initially spread the dough to about 1/4 inch thick and realized the instructions said 1 inch thick so I made two batches. The thinner ones actually baked better. The thick ones took longer and I stopped cooking even though slightly underdone to avoid burning. I will definitely make again and again! Shouldn't take long to perfect.
Rosalind says
I've tried lots of English muffin recipes and love that this is a sourdough one. It's the easiest and best tasting English muffins ever. So much flavor, soft, and light. Thank you for the recipe. It's a keeper!
Tisha says
I've made this recipe and others from your site often. Love them all! I double this one and freeze some. I also make the muffins larger, using a soup bowl as the cutter. Such a treat!
Marsha H. says
Laura, I follow the recipe but instead of cutting them out like biscuits, I shape them. I divide the dough into equal portions, then shape into a ball (see technique by Emmymade) and place on the cornmeal dusted parchment lined baking sheet and pat down to desired thickness. Then continue with the LSF instructions. LOVE this recipe!
Laura S says
Ok, the flavour is fantastic and they really aren’t hard, will definitely make again - only issue was they were difficult to cut out, getting pulled and sticking to the dough and floured surface. Some definitely ended up flat and misshapen because they stuck to me or the silpat. Proofed for 11 hours after a full 5-minute hand knead in a 67 degrees F kitchen, and 75% of them look great... just felt like something about the cutting out and the stickiness wasn’t quite right. Help? And thanks - they really are tasty!
tatiana gabitan says
Hi! I really love making sourdough boules using your sourdough country loaf recipe! I’m hoping to try making these English muffins and I’m wondering if I can bulk ferment the dough overnight in the refrigerator? Then shape and cook in the morning?