Sourdough English Muffins from Scratch

This sourdough English muffin recipe will wow your breakfast crew. You’re going to need some butter for these crunchy, homemade English muffins!

This one bowl sourdough banana bread is always a hit, too.

cut in half english muffin with a pat of butter, stack of muffins behind.

 

There is just something about the crunch of English muffins that make them perfect for pairing with butter and jam. You might not have ever thought of making your own at home, though! Truth be told, it’s pretty easy and the results are amazing. 

Sourdough English Muffin Recipe

You’ll need to plan ahead before getting started on these sourdough English muffins. The dough needs to sit overnight. You’ll also need an active sourdough starter before beginning. Be sure to feed it 4-12 hours before you’re ready to begin so that it’s active and bubbly.

[Looking for a bread recipe that you can make right NOW? Try this French bread recipe or Grandma’s Portuguese sweet bread.]

Ingredients

Flour When I bake with all-purpose flour I opt for the unbleached version. Bleached flour is very white, but it’s also treated with bleaching agents that I don’t really need in my food.

Sourdough starter Use a starter that has been recently fed and is active. This is the main leavening in these English muffins. Click over here to make a sourdough starter. (Baking soda gives the recipe a little boost before cooking.)

Honey Adding a little sweetener gives the microbes more to consume. If you don’t have honey, granulated sugar will work. 

Milk Use whatever type you typically keep on hand. The addition of milk helps the muffins brown nicely. You can certainly use nut milk if you prefer. 

Cornmeal This helps prevent sticking, and it also gives these sourdough English muffins the appearance of store bought muffins. (Seriously, these look SO PRO and they are SO EASY!) Corn is one of the most genetically modified crops on the market; I opt for organic, non-GMO corn products.

cut in half english muffin with a pat of butter.

Making the Muffins

The night before you plan to make the muffins, you’ll combine the bulk of the ingredients. You can do this by hand or with a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook. Let the dough sit at room temperature overnight. It will become quite bubbly by morning. 

muffin dough ready for baking.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface (I use a large tile that was a discard from a tile shop many years ago) and sprinkle with salt and baking soda. Knead for five minutes or until the dough forms a nice smooth ball.

smooth bread dough ball, and after being rolled out with a rolling pin.

Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about a half-inch thickness. This might seem too thin, but they will rise in the cooking process. Cut into rounds with a cookie cutter, a highball glass, or a canning ring. It helps if you push and twist the cutter. 

cutting dough into circles with a canning ring.

Lightly sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal and transfer cut dough to the sheet. (Definitely re-roll the leftover dough and cut more circles!) Sprinkle more cornmeal on top of the dough and press lightly. 

uncooked English muffins sprinkled with cornmeal.

Cover lightly with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for about an hour or until doubled in size. 

The characteristic browned tops and bottoms of English muffins comes from cooking them in a hot frying pan before baking them. Cast iron is great for this — use a skillet or a griddle if you have one.

Cook for five minutes on each side, and transfer to a baking sheet for baking in the oven. 

browned english muffins in a cast iron skillet.

Once done, slice them open and top with butter and your favorite jam. 

cut in half english muffin with a pat of butter.

 

★ Did you make this sourdough English muffin recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!

cut in half english muffin with a pat of butter.

Sourdough English Muffin Recipe

Yield: 15
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Inactive Time: 12 hours
Total Time: 13 hours 5 minutes

You won't find this flavor in the store! Learn just how easy English muffins can be.

Ingredients

Instructions

Preparing the sourdough English muffin dough

  1. The night before, combine the sourdough starter, honey, milk, and 2 cups of the flour in a mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) until just combined. Add 2 more cups of flour, 1 cup at at time. Allow to sit at room temperature for 12-16 hours, or overnight. The dough will double in bulk and become bubbly. 
  2. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Sprinkle with baking soda and salt.  Knead for about five minutes or until a smooth ball is formed, adding flour as necessary to prevent sticking. The dough should be soft but not sticking to your hands.
  3. With a rolling pin, roll dough out to 1/2” thickness, sprinkling with flour as necessary to prevent sticking.
  4. Use a 3” cookie cutter (or wide canning ring) to cut dough into circles. 
  5. Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal and place cut dough on tray; sprinkle tops with more cornmeal, pressing it into the dough gently. Cover with a light towel an allow to rest for an hour or until doubled in size. 

Cooking homemade English muffins

    1. Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat; preheat oven to 325ºF.
    2. Brush hot skillet with a light coating of oil and set muffins in pan in batches. Cook for 5 minutes on each side.
    3. Transfer cooked muffins to a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Notes

Use a sourdough starter that has been recently fed and is active.

Adding a little sweetener gives the microbes more to consume. If you don't have honey, granulated sugar will work. 

Use whatever type of milk you typically keep on hand. The addition of milk helps the muffins brown nicely. You can use nut milk if you prefer. 

When cutting the muffins into circles it helps if you push and twist the cutter. 

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 15 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 161Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 110mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 4g

Did you make this recipe?

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browned crust of bread, up close.

Originally contributed June, 2017 by Kelsey Steffen; this post and recipe have been thoroughly rewritten and edited. 

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About the author: Kris Bordessa is an award-winning National Geographic author and a certified Master Food Preserver. Read more about Kris and how she got started with this site here. If you want to send Kris a quick message, you can get in touch here.

11 comments… add one
  • Janice Nov 9, 2023 @ 4:22

    Hi, my dough seems dry. Can you convert to grams please. It is more precise for me to get it right. They have been resting for 13 hrs and have risen but are not bubbly. Hope I don’t ruin them.

  • Carol L Jan 22, 2022 @ 20:01

    Just wondering if you thought that sourdough could be made from other flours: like almond for example. I am diabetic, and most grains are out of the question due to carbs, but I love English muffins!
    I am on KETO, and there are a few flours that I can eat….almond being the most used for KETO.
    I also thought about ancient grains, as some are gluten free (not all are, though), for my daughter who has major issues with gluten intolerance.
    Just wondering if you had run across any posts or articles that mention other flours used in sourdough…
    Thanks!

  • Sam Jul 3, 2019 @ 19:33

    Hello,
    Could you add grams (or even ounces) to your recipes?
    Here in Europe we have no idea how much a “cup” is!
    Many thanks
    Best wishes

    • Kris Bordessa Jul 11, 2019 @ 17:48

      Thanks — there is a way for me to do this with my recipes. I’ll see if I can figure it out!

  • Melissa Jan 17, 2019 @ 6:37

    Oh my Lord, these English Muffins are soooo good! They are very forgiving and smell incredible while baking and later when toasting. Amazing, thank you for sharing your recipe. Now I just have to keep myself from eating them all I one fell swoop!

    • Kris Bordessa Jan 18, 2019 @ 9:25

      LOL — glad to hear it!

  • Kim Dec 30, 2018 @ 19:40

    I made these for my granddaughters and now I am officially the World’s Greatest Grandmother. Very easy recipe to follow. I actually cooked them in a. Cast iron pan for about 15 minutes on each side on about a 3 setting on electric stove.

    • Kris Bordessa Jan 5, 2019 @ 16:40

      I’ll bet you were officially the World’s Greatest Grandmother *before this, but I’m glad they liked them!

  • Michelle Mar 24, 2018 @ 18:23

    I’m definitely going to make these again. Great recipe.

  • Babs Kerns Jun 6, 2017 @ 12:56

    I looked at both your original recipe and the new one and noticed that one is finished in the oven and the other isn’t. Is this due to the changes in the recipe, or do you just make it differently now? I’d like to try it tomorrow, and I wasn’t sure how to finish it if I subbed out some ingredients in the new recipe. Thanks!

    • Kelsey Jun 13, 2017 @ 13:55

      Hi Babs, yes the directions are different (I need to go back and update the original!). I started finishing them in the oven so they wouldn’t get so dark on the outsides without fully being cooked through the middle. Finishing in the oven allows for a nice, golden brown crust! Enjoy!

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