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!
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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 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.
This is my go-to recipe for EM. So easy and comes out perfect every time. Delicous!!!
These are awesome! I can see that I will make these often! They are delicious toasted worth all the nooks & crannies, but the homemade taste!
I made the recipe as written using Kirklands Organic AP flour. The dough was very wet and sticky so added additional flour. Muffins are dense and no nooks and crannies. Would the additional flour have caused this?
Hi Gina, if your dough is wet and sticky that means the dough is probably over proofed. What is the temp of your kitchen and how long did you let it proof for?
Can I ferment in a proofing box to cut the time down from 8-12 hours to 2-4 hrs?
Brenda
Hi Brenda, yes that should work just make sure it doesnt over proof. The dough will be very sticky
I usually make discard recipes, but my starter was looking strong, so I tried making these. Wow! Will make again and again. My dough rose up and touched the lid at some point and had dropped signifinacky in the morning, so I was concerned it had over fermented. But the muffins rose perfectly and puffed up just as they should. Not the nooks and crannies we are used to from store bought English muffins, but we don’t care. They are delicious and have only 5 ingredients! I made with nonGMO AP flour.
Love this recipe! Turns out perfectly!
My daughter can not eat dairy products. Can I make this recipe with oat or almond milk?
Yes
I’m make it with soy milk
I thought you’d get a kick out of this Message from my son,
And I’m a little mad at u for taking 40 years to make the these english muffins - they are amazing.😉
I am hopelessly addicted to these English Muffins. They are a staple in our home and especially good for 3am snacks during post menopausal early awakenings.
I have found it a bit easier to use a liberal amount of corn meal for easier handling. After the overnight bulk, I turn the dough out and divide it into 8 equal pieces using a bench knife. Then instead of using a biscuit cutter, I shape each ball using the same handling technique as in final shaping a sourdough boule, and using very little flour. I put each ball on a cornmeal lined pan, pressing gently to flatten. I had too sticky results using parchment paper or a silicone mat. It has worked well for me to use a dry cookie sheet with a liberal sprinkling of cornstarch. After 15 minutes of rest, covered with a tea towel, I press the balls a little flatter. Then rest 45 minutes covered.
I prefer cooking them in my cast iron skillet with a lid on. I've found it best to slowly preheat the iron skillet 5-7 minutes or else the first batch will take longer. I also check the bottoms after 3 minutes to see if they are overcooking in which case I turn the heat down. With the iron skillet, it seems like heat needs to be turned WAY down for the last batch. When using a non-stick skillet at a vacation kitchen, I found it may burn easier, so I use a lower heat setting. Each stove is a little different.
Thank you for sharing your tips!
Wow! Loooooooove this recipe. Did them today and turned out amazing. For sure will be part of my weekend plan. Also, very simple recipe easy to follow. Thanks ! So much
I’ve made this recipe several times and it always comes out great. Once they cool I use a fork to separate them then freeze individually.