Sourdough English Muffins
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!
Jump to:
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 ½" 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
- 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 ½" 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.
These are great! The first time I used a 3 inch cutter, but my husband asked if I could make them larger, so I used a 4 inch cutter. Now he only has 1/2 at a time, but either way they are delicious and easy! I’m getting ready to make another batch now!
Yessssss. Finally! An english muffin recipe that has worked for me (and I followed all the directions LOL). I made another recipe of these but I accidentally rolled the dough with a rolling pin after the B-F (my mistake bc this took out ALL the holes and crannies on the inside). This time, I let them ferment overnight until like 8AM and then spread it with my hands really gently so I didn't deflate the dough before cutting. Cooked them on low like you said and the texture is PERFECT!!
Lots of holes and crannies. But.. question. How do you get yours to be perfect shape? Should I cut the dough chilled?
When cutting them warm, It was hard to keep that round shape when moving them
Hi Taylore. Yes, the dough is much easier to cut when it is cold!
Just started my sourdough journey and I had to have done something wrong cause these turned out real yuck. They tasted a little bitter. The only thing I changed was the flour, I used whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour. Would that have made them disgusting? 😅 Please help
Hi Cheyenne, yes, using only whole wheat flour will produce a very dense bread.
This is the best and easiest recipe for English muffins I have found! I can’t stop making these. The only thing I change up is I make them vegan with cashew milk. They are delicious and in a pinch I can turn the dough into a loaf and bake it. Thank you for having such a simple and user friendly recipe. It really does turn out great every time.
I love English muffins and was excited to try this recipe- they are SO delicious! My whole family loved them! I am new to sourdough baking, and this recipe was so easy. Thank you for sharing! (For anyone wondering about what kind of milk to use, I used unsweetened almond milk and they were perfect!)
I am a little concerned about bacteria growth from the milk sitting in the dough. Is this ok? I leave my sourdough out to ferment and rise but it doesn't have any milk in it.
the good bacteria in the sourdough and the fermentation process kills off any bad bacteria that could grow do to the milk being out.
Thank you for your wonderful recipes. I’ve just started my sourdough journey and am total hooked. I’m yet to have a fail with any of your recipes.
My question about this recipe is, what the best way to manage the excess dough from around the circular cutter to avoid waste but avoid over working the dough.
Hi Dona, I try to cut as close as possible to get the least amount of scraps. I like to shake off any excess flour before trying to combine them. You should only have one, maybe two english muffins from the scraps.
Just cut up your rectangle with a knife. No waste! I gently shape the squares into circles but it’s not necessary.
Excellent recipe. Easy to make, very tasty result. It was my first time making these and I will definitely make them again!
I've made these several times and they are incredible! Can I let them ferment longer in the fridge?
Yes you can let the dough rest in the fridge for a couple of days.
if we refrigerate--- how long does it need to sit out before shaping?
I let the dough sit out for about 30 minutes before I roll the dough and cut them. If you go to roll the dough and it doesn't want to stretch easily, give it some more time to come to room temperature.
Absolutely amazing!!!! This may be my favorite recipe I have ever made.
I used my hexclad pan and cooked on low heat for a bit longer than suggested.
I also used my hexclad pan for these! For my first 4 I made, the pan wasn’t preheated enough yet so they didn’t cook right since I left them on longer than the suggested time. But for the next 4 I made, the pan was preheated well and they turned out perfect!