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
- â…“ 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.
Faith says
Can I use oat milk instead of regular milk?
Amy says
Yes you can!
Tina says
I’ve wondered the same. I have not tried it though I do make a fluffy pancake recipe with soured oat milk and they come out beautifully.
Jenn says
Can the dough be put in the fridge over night instead of the long rest at room temperature?
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!
David says
I haven't made this particular recipe, but probably not. Sourdough just doesn't produce enough gas in the refrigerator. You'll need to let it rise at room temperature. For many recipes, you can refrigerate the dough once it's partially risen, but I don't know if that will work for English muffins. You'd probably have to refrigerate, then bring back to room temperature to shape. Some experimentation will be required if you choose to go that route.
Chelsea says
I have let them rise outside of the fridge then put sharped them before putting them in the fridge. I let them come to room temperature and they turned out just as well as when I didn’t put them in the fridge. I don’t think you’ll be able to put them straight in the fridge with no rise time at a higher temperature though.
Teresa says
This is my go to recipe for english muffins. Easy to follow recipe that turns out perfect each time. Can't go back to store bought. Thank you
Kerrie in Aus says
First time to your sight, thanks foe this recipe. I’ve made lots of yeasted eng muffins, v happy to have found this sourdough version. I love that’s it’s a super quick mix, I used my stand mixer so I could whip them up while I made dinner and leave to rise overnight. I’ve used buttermilk instead of milk, haven’t tasted them yet but they look and smell YUM!
Amy says
I love these! And I make them sometimes as often as once a week! On one occasion I was short some milk so I substituted some buttermilk and now I think they are even more delicious! Could be my imagination LOL but I have used buttermilk now on three occasions.
My question is can I make these with spelt flour?I have a family member that is sensitive to wheat flour but with spelt there are no problems. Has anyone tried making these with Spelt? Thank you so much I love all your recipes!
Amy says
Hi Amy, I'm pretty sure you can make these with spelt flour with no problems. I would add the water in slowly to make sure that the flour can absorb as much water as called for in the recipe. Different flours require different amounts of hydration. It's always easy to add more if needed!
Michelle says
I tried a Bon Appetit recipe first and it kept not working out. Then I tried this one and it is perfect. Thank you!
Jen says
These are fantastic! I made them two days in a row, because they are easy to throw together, and they disappeared quickly! I made slight modifications each time. The first time I made them, I used full fat canned coconut milk, and instead of cutting them out, I shaped them into balls and flattened as an earlier commenter had suggested. The next time I made them, I used part full fat canned coconut milk and part water, and after kneading, I refrigerated the dough overnight before setting it out the next day to warm up and rise. I again shaped into balls and flattened instead of cutting them out. Finally, I cooked each set in a pre-heated cast iron skillet coated in coconut oil, covering with a glass lid while cooking. I really appreciated the flexibility and relative ease of the recipe, and highly recommend it!
Emily says
Can I make these cinnamon raisin English muffins?
Mari says
They turned out exactly like the picture but were slightly underdone. Next time will make flatter What should be internal temp guide at completion. II do think aterctoadting they’ll be perfect.
Selena says
So light, fluffy and delicious! Love this recipe so much!