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.
Katie Stevens says
Giving a 5 because I’m sure it’s something I have done because I have loved all your other recipes but this one seemed like a flop for me 🙁 I put the dough together last night let it rest the 8-12 hours overnight. (May have been over 12 which might have been my issue) Could this cause them not to rise as much? I flattened out the dough and cut with a 3 inch biscuit cutter then let them rise again for 1 hour but they were still so tiny. They are adorable and taste amazing but what did I do wrong haha!?
Christine Davis says
These are great. Still figuring out how to get nooks and crannies. Question, what do you do with all the scraps after you cut out the English muffins? I hate wasting.
Kerianne Riley says
I came here for the answer to this!
Mimi says
Just. Gather the scraps into a ball, press them out and cut more muffins
Patti says
I just cut the rectangle into squares with a knife. You can round them a bit by hand once cut.
Kona says
I mushed together the scraps into a flat ball, and formed 2 more muffins. They cooked up just as beautifully as the cut ones. Couldn't really tell the difference after they were cooked.
Linley says
My husband said these were the best English muffins he’s ever had! Thank you for the great recipe!
Christine says
Help! Please! The recipe for your english muffin bread is gone and it’s my absolute favorite! Can you repost it?
Amy says
I'm seeing it on my end. Are you still having trouble?
Pam says
I would love to check out the English Muffin Bread, but even in the search box, nothing comes up when searching for it. Thanks!
Crystal Freeman says
I was wonderfully surprised how these turned out,the family loved them ,an with the wonderfully airy inside , with the crunchy outside, it all flowed together so good , Thankyou for sharing this recipe
Dan Wegh says
I had some starter after making bread so decided to make these… ran out of regular flour so added whole wheat and oat flour. Still turned out great!
Debi says
This recipe is quite good although I would appreciate advice given about re-rolling scraps and a disclaimer about stove temperature varying and the type of pan making a difference, too. My electric stove is 2.4 for a ceramic nonstick skillet and about 2 for cast iron. "Low" with this one is for melting butter and keeping finished soup warm, not cooking. But, I figured it out and succeeded. Thank you!
Iris says
My starter typically will peak about 4-6 hours after feeding, if I wait 12 hours, my starter will probably pretty acidic. Do I not want to use peak starter for this recipe?
Amy says
Yes use peak starter. You will need to time when you want to mix your dough with the 4-6 hour window.
Faith says
Wow, these were very easy to make and I am SO HAPPY with the results!! Thank you so much! I will definitely be keeping this recipe. ❤️
Allison James says
These were fantastic! My dough had a hard crust over the top in the morning after rising. Does this mean the towel I had over the bowl was too loose? Should I use Saran Wrap over the bowl next time do you think? Thanks!
Marian Junkman says
I use cheap shower caps I buy at dollar store or Walmart. Saran wrap is fine though.
sam says
If you slightly dampen your towel it will alleviate this problem.
Debi says
I used a bowl with a snap on lid and the moisture level was perfect. If your bowl doesn't have a lid, I would set a plate on top. Save the towel for after they are cut.