Easy Sourdough English Muffins
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Perfect for your breakfast table or any time, this sourdough English muffins recipe is very easy to make. Fill the nooks and crannies with your favorite spread – so delicious!
Are you trying to replace commercial yeast in your recipes? Are you looking to gain the health benefits of fermented foods? If so, this recipe is a must-try!
Sourdough English Muffins Recipe
It took me a bit to tweak the recipe to perfection, but now we can’t eat enough of them! I am sure you will find them equally addictive! I started with a classic English muffins recipe and converted it to sourdough with an easy formula.
Why you’ll love this recipe
the ingredients
You only need a few ingredients to make this sourdough English muffin recipe:
- warm water: using warm water will jumpstart your sourdough
- flour: for consistent results, I recommend using regular all-purpose flour
- butter: just a bit of melted butter adds a nice flavor
- honey: this adds a bit of sweetness, while also increasing the activity of your sourdough starter
- salt: I love using sea salt for my recipes
- sourdough starter: if you don’t already have an active sourdough starter, you can learn more about my super simple way to make one
- cornmeal: I use cornmeal to prevent the muffins from sticking to the cookie sheet, and to give them their distinct appearance
- cooking oil: you only need a small amount of a high smoke point oil such as avocado oil, coconut oil, or canola oil
ingredient substitutions and recipe variations
- flour: While white flour produces light and fluffy muffins, you can use spelt, einkorn, bread flour, or whole wheat flour. To make this recipe gluten-free, use any 1:1 variety of gluten-free all-purpose flour. Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur Flour both make one.
- butter: For dairy-free or vegan English muffins, use any neutral flavor of cooking oil or a plant-based butter substitute.
- honey: Feel free to use maple syrup as a substitute for the honey.
- sourdough starter: You can make sourdough English muffins using either a starter or sourdough discard.
baking soda: I don’t think this is necessary, but you can add 1 teaspoon of baking soda for fluffier English muffins (add this after the bulk fermentation).
Useful kitchen tools and equipment
Here are my favorite tools for making English muffins:
- Large mixing bowl: I use a big mixing bowl to mix the dough
- Danish dough hook: this recipe is quick enough that a Danish dough hook is perfect. It’s really nice not to have to pull out a heavy stand mixer, but you certainly can use one if you prefer it.
- Rolling pin: using a wooden rolling pin ensures that the muffins have a nice smooth surface and are all the same height.
- Round cutter: you can either use a biscuit cutter, round cookie cutter, or English muffin rings to create the round shape
- Cookie sheets: these are helpful for the second rise
- Cast iron skillet: I love using a 12″ cast iron pan but any large frying pan with a lid works.
- Spatula: this tool makes flipping your muffins a breeze
- Wire rack: Using a cooling rack prevents the bottoms from getting soggy.
Serving suggestions
We enjoy sourdough English muffins for breakfast. Sometimes, we just spread homemade butter and jam on them. Or peanut butter and jelly. You can also use them for your favorite eggs benedict recipe.
Additionally, they are also perfect for sandwiches or as burger buns.
Make ahead of time?
You can make the dough and let it sit in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
I think these sourdough English muffins taste best fresh. What we don’t eat right away, we store in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days at room temperature. If they get too dry, you can crisp them up in the toaster.
For longer storage, you can also freeze them while they’re still slightly warm for 3-4 months. Let them thaw at room temperature before serving or warm them up in the toaster.
Other sourdough recipes you might like
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How to make sourdough English muffins
This is a summary of the steps involved in making the recipe. For the full instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Make the dough and let it rise in the fridge. The dough will look shaggy and be fairly sticky, and that’s perfectly fine. Cover the bowl with a beeswax wrap or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight for the first rise.
- Roll and cut the dough to a thickness of 3/4 inch. Cut as many circles out of the dough as possible.
Helpful Recipe Tips
- When cutting circles of dough, I like to gather and re-roll the scraps, then cut out more muffins. They may not look quite as nice, but will still taste great!
- Be sure to use warm water, as it will assist in activating the sourdough starter.
- Dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour to prevent sticking.
- For the second rise, cover the sourdough English muffins with a tea towel (if you can keep them in a very warm place) or with some plastic wrap (if you need to let them rise longer at a lower temperature and to keep them from drying out). Let them rise until they look pillowy.
- To prevent soggy English muffins, cool them completely on a wire rack.
- Arrange the muffins on a baking sheet, and let the dough rise again. Be sure to sprinkle your baking sheet with cornmeal first.
- Cook the English muffins in a preheated cast iron skillet. Preheat the pan over medium-low heat, then turn it to low before you add the muffins.
TIP: Split the sourdough muffins with a fork for all those distinct nooks and crannies. Simply stick a fork into the side of a muffin in about 4 places around the perimeter, then gently pull it apart with your fingers.
FAQ: Sourdough English Muffins Recipe
Yes, you can absolutely mix the dough in your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. I recommend mixing it on low speed. Just know that this is a bit of a wet dough.
If your muffins are not fully cooked on the inside, you can always finish them in a 350˚F oven or until done on the inside.
Yes! You can easily cook English muffins on a hot griddle.
Every stove is a little bit different. You may have to play with the heat settings until the muffins cook evenly without getting black on the outside.
Yes, you can use a neutral oil instead of butter and cane sugar instead of honey to make them completely vegan.
Sourdough English Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups water, warm
- 4 TBSP butter, melted
- 1 TBSP honey
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup sourdough starter
- 4 cups AP flour
- cornmeal for sprinkling
- heat-proof oil for cooking
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix water, melted butter, honey, salt, and sourdough starter. Mix well.
- Add the flour and mix. The dough should be shaggy but if it's too wet, add a little more flour.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight or for 8 hours at least.
- The next day, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle it with cornmeal.
- With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out about ¾" thick. Transfer them to the prepared cookie sheet.
- With round cutters, cut out 12 muffins. Either discard the remaining dough or try to form more muffins (they may just not look quite as pretty).
- Cover the muffins with a tea towel. Let them rise for at least 2 hours or until they are visibly puffy and spongy.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Add a small amount of cooking oil to the skillet. Turn the heat to low and 3-5 muffins to the skillet. Put a lid on and cook for about 4 mins on the first side.
- Flip the muffins, cover the skillet, and cook them on the 2nd side for another 4 mins. When done, let them cool on a wire rack.
- Contine in batches until they are all cooked.
Notes
- You can make them vegan by using oil instead of butter and sugar instead of honey
- You can easily let the dough rest in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours
Nutrition
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Thank you, that’s helpful info.
Great, thank you!
I was just curious what the objective is of having it bulk ferment in the fridge rather than in room temperature. And why would you not perform any stretches and folds on the dough prior to putting it away for bulk fermentation? I’ve been making sourdough breads for 3 years now but I’m still learning. Most of my manipulations are dictated by trial and error and, I guess, intuition. I do feel a need, though, to understand some general principles of how live yeast cultures operate, so I can predict the results in advance and know what to look for in my breads. So, I’m thankful whenever someone can shed light on this topic. Thank you! I love your stuff, you’re an asset to all the bread-makers out there.
I like the bulk ferment in the fridge because it gives my muffins a deeper flavor but you can also let it rise on the counter. You can also add stretch-and-folds but it takes extra time and I don’t feel the muffins need it ~ Anja
These are so good and addictive. I make them weekly. My family prefers these to sourdough loaves!
That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you so much for sharing ~ Anja
Have you tried using fresh milled flour for this? What type of wheat berry would you use? Thanks
You can really use any fresh milled flour but you might have to make some adjustments (i.e. adding a bit more liquid) ~ Anja
These turned out perfect my first try! They’re delicious and it’s such an easy recipe to follow that fits into a busy working moms schedule! Thank you.
That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment ~ Anja
I know you’re going to LOVE this recipe, it’s definitely a family favorite — don’t forget that you can ask me all your questions in this comments section and I’ll get back to you as fast as I can.
We love these! I make them about every 3weeks or so. The last couple batches I’ve put 1 1/2 tablespoons of chia seeds in the batter, sometimes a Meyer lemon infused olive oil. Yum. Thanks Anja.
That sounds delicious! Thank you for commenting and for sharing ~ Anja
Hi Anja,
How can I convert this recipe into grams? Thanks. Marina
I am working on having this turned on automatically so stay tuned ~ Anja
I made these this morning and they are delicious. That being said, mine didn’t have holes in them, like traditional English muffins (or like yours). They are more the texture of biscuits. What’s the trick to getting air into the dough to create the holes?
You can try to proof them longer, use more sourdough starter, and/or make sure your SD is super active ~ Anja
I was wondering if I can use Applesauce in place of the oil that is in place of the butter? I’m trying to keep them allow fat as possible…
If haven’t tried it but that should work ~ Anja
Can starter discard be used instead of active starter?
That should work but they may not rise quite as much ~ Anja
These are delicious. I’ve never made English muffins before, but as soon as my husband saw this recipe I knew I would have to try. They definitely did not disappoint. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Thank you! I am so glad to hear that ~ Anja
Thank you for teaching me how to make sourdough English muffins. I watched the video and then followed this recipe. It’s only the second thing I’ve attempted but they came out perfectly. It was a big hit with the family.
Nice! I am so happy to hear that ~ Anja
Can you let the sourdough muffins rise overnight in room temp?
If you want to let them rise overnight, I would recommend doing so in the refrigerator ~ Anja
Can I have your sourdough starter recipe, I would appreciate it
thank Linda Myers
Of course: https://ourgabledhome.com/how-to-make-your-own-sourdough-starter-from-scratch/ ~ Anja
Can you make them on electric skillet
That should work fine!
Thanks for such a an easy recipe! I had to reply about using an electric skillet. The first time I made these in my cast iron pan the heat was uneven and I had a hard time not burning them. Then I tried my electric griddle. Absolutely perfect every time! Even heat at 325 and I cook 6 muffins at a time at 4 minutes per side. I cover them with my 9 x 12 metal baking pan and it holds in the steam perfectly! Thanks again for a great recipe.
Thank you for sharing, that sounds good ~ Anja
After running across your videos, I’ve rethought my wasteful practice of discarding my starter when feeding it. This recipe was the first time I’ve used the discard, and your explanation made it so easy. The English muffins were a huge it with my family. Thank you for your great videos and recipes.
Yay! I am so happy to hear that you liked the muffins – and my sourdough method ~ Anja
If we choose to let them sit on the counter instead of the fridge how many hours would you recommend? And would we still do the second rise?
Thank you so much loved this recipe!
It depends on the temperature and humidity but I would check after 1-2 hours. If they have risen a lot, you may not need a second rise ~ Anja
Yummy! These English muffins were the second thing I made with my new sourdough starter, and they were first of all delicious and secondly easy to make! Thank you!
Yay! I am so happy to hear this ~ Anja
These look so good! Can I make them gluten-free by simply swapping out the AP flour for a 1 for 1 gluten free flour? Thanks!
I have not tried it myself but it may be worth an experiment. If you do make them with GF flour, let me know how they turned out ~ Anja
Does the dough have to rise overnight in the fridge or could you let it rise at room temperature for a shorter time?
You can absolutely shorten the fermentation time by keeping them on the counter ~ Anja
The muffins were great, with the extra dough, I made ham and cheese Stromboli, so good!
That makes me so happy to hear ~ Anja
Can I use half bread flour with half rye flour for this recipe?
Made this earlier this week and they were amazing!
That makes me so happy to hear!
Amazing! Thank you for making this easy, I’m new to sourdough and I can do it now! I have tried it before and it always seemed to be too complicated. The way you explain it I can finally understand. A great big thank you!!!
Yay! I am so glad to hear that! Happy baking ~ Anja