English Muffins are one of my absolute favorite things to make with my sourdough starter! These are as easy to make as pancakes, and so delicious. I’m a firm believer in “things are better when they’re homemade”, but there really is nothing like a Sourdough English Muffin. Once you make them homemade, store bought will never taste the same.

โค๏ธ Why You’ll Love Sourdough English Muffins

I’m not over exaggerating when I say that English muffins are as simple to make as pancakes, you just mix up the ingredients the night before and can wake up to beautifully fermented dough that’s ready to be cut and cooked!

๐Ÿฒ Ingredients

Sourdough Starter – This recipe takes quite a bit of sourdough starter, so it is best to feed your starter a larger amount. (example: 50 grams starter + 200grams flour + 200 grams water). The starter is one of the leavening agents in the English muffins, and also what gives it the special sourdough flavor.

Water – Filtered water is best.

Flour – Unbleached all-purpose flour.

Salt – We use pink Himalayan salt for all of our recipes but use what you have.

Honey – This really rounds out the flavor to ensure that these English muffins have the perfect balance of sour, salty, and sweet!

๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿณ How to Make English Muffins

  • In the morning, feed your sourdough starter.
  • In the afternoon, when it’s bubbly and at its peak, assemble your dough.
  • Whisk together the starter, honey, and water until the starter has fully dissolved and turns into a milky liquid. Add the flour and salt and mix together until a shaggy dough forms. (OPTIONAL: perform 2 – 4 stretch and folds every 30 minutes to one hour apart to develop strength in the gluten and create a smooth surface on the dough)
  • Cover with a damp bowl cover or tea towel and leave it on the counter to rest overnight for 12 – 18 hours.
  • The next morning, turn your dough over onto a lightly floured work surface
  • Roll the dough out to about 1/2-inch thickness. Using a wide mouth mason jar ring or biscuit cutter, cut out your English muffins. Transfer to a floured or cornmeal covered baking sheet to rise for 1 – 2 more hours.
  • While you are cutting the dough, preheat your cast iron on the stove.
  • This recipe makes 12 – 15 English muffins depending on how thick you roll out your dough, and how you cut the muffins out.
  • Make sure your cast iron is well seasoned by smearing a little bit of coconut oil or bacon grease to the pan while it is preheating.
  • Turn the heat up on the stove to a medium heat, sprinkle the English muffins with a little bit of corn meal and place top down on the pan. Turn the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the heat back up to medium, flip the muffins over, turn the heat back to low, cover and cook for an additional 4 – 5 minutes.
  • If you are using a cast iron and don’t have a lid for it, bake the muffins in a 350-degree oven for 4-5 minutes until the middles are cooked through.
  • Transfer the English muffins to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.
  • Pierce the edges of the English muffin with a fork all the way around, serve with butter, jelly, as a sandwich – literally anything, and enjoy!

๐Ÿช„ Troubleshooting

  • Flat Muffins: If your muffins spread too much and donโ€™t rise, your dough may have been too wet or not enough gluten was developed during kneading or fermentation.
  • Dense Texture: If the muffins are too dense, make sure your starter is active and that you’re allowing enough fermentation time for the dough to rise properly.
  • Over-proofing: Keep an eye on fermentation time. Over-proofed dough can lead to muffins that collapse or have a gummy texture.

๐Ÿ—’ Variations

I’ve also mad English muffins with a miniature biscuit cutter to make tiny breakfast sandwiches for my family and it was such a hit!


๐Ÿ—’ Bakers Schedule

8 am: Feed your sourdough starter, and let it rise all day.

6 pm: In the afternoon, while making dinner, mix together your ingredients.

7 pm: stretch and fold

8 am: Cut out your English muffins and let rest

9 am: cook and enjoy!

It really is that simple.


๐Ÿ—’ Best served with

  • Breakfast with Jelly
  • Lunch Sandwiches
  • Side to Dinner

๐Ÿ‘ How to Store Leftovers

These make a lot of English Muffins, because I love to be able to save them! These store and reheat really well. You can keep them in a Ziplock bag on the counter for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. I also like to make premade breakfast sandwiches with bacon, eggs, and cheese, and freeze them that way!

๐Ÿค” Common Questions

Do I need a stand mixer?

Absolutely not! I’ve made these plenty of times without a stand mixer and they just take a tiny bit more effort. If you’re using your hands, don’t be afraid of using extra flour while working with the dough because it does tend to get sticky.

4.44 from 39 votes

Sourdough English Muffins

Print recipe
These English muffins are one of my absolute favorite things to make with my sourdough starter. These will blow store bought English muffins right out of the water. These can be eaten for breakfast lunch or dinner and are SO simple to make.
Prep Time:1 hour
Cook Time:15 minutes
Fermenting Time:12 hours
Total Time:12 hours 25 minutes

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 200 grams active, bubbly sourdough starter
  • 400 grams water
  • 750 grams flour
  • 10 grams salt
  • 2 tbs honey

Instructions

  • In the morning, feed your sourdough starter.
  • In the afternoon, when it's bubbly and at its peak, assemble your dough.
  • Whisk together the starter, honey, and water until the starter has fully dissolved and turns into a milky liquid. Add the flour and salt and mix together until a shaggy dough forms. (OPTIONAL: perform 2 – 4 stretch and folds every 30 minutes to one hour apart to develop strength in the gluten and create a smooth surface on the dough)
  • Cover with a damp bowl cover or tea towel and leave it on the counter to rest overnight for 12 – 18 hours.
  • The next morning, turn your dough over onto a lightly floured work surface
  • Roll the dough out to about 1/2-inch thickness. Using a wide mouth mason jar ring or biscuit cutter, cut out your English muffins. Transfer to a floured or cornmeal covered baking sheet to rise for 1 – 2 more hours.
  • While you are cutting the dough, preheat your cast iron on the stove.
  • This recipe makes 12 – 15 English muffins depending on how thick you roll out your dough, and how you cut the muffins out.
  • Make sure your cast iron is well seasoned by smearing a little bit of coconut oil or bacon grease to the pan while it is preheating.
  • Turn the heat up on the stove to a medium heat, sprinkle the English muffins with a little bit of corn meal and place top down on the pan. Turn the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the heat back up to medium, flip the muffins over, turn the heat back to low, cover and cook for an additional 4 – 5 minutes.
  • If you are using a cast iron and don't have a lid for it, bake the muffins in a 350-degree oven for 4-5 minutes until the middles are cooked through.
  • Transfer the English muffins to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.
  • Pierce the edges of the English muffin with a fork all the way around, serve with butter, jelly, as a sandwich – literally anything, and enjoy!

Notes

If you don’t have a wide mouth mason jar ring to cut the English muffins with, use a bench scraper and cut out 15 – 18 equal sized balls and roll them like you would a dinner roll. Each piece would be between 75 – 80 grams. Then bake as instructed.ย 
Active Starter: Make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly before using it. Feed it 4-6 hours before you plan to bake to ensure itโ€™s at its peak.
Use a Cornmeal Dusting: Dust your English muffins with cornmeal (or semolina) on both sides before cooking. This prevents sticking and gives that characteristic texture.
Cooking Temperature: Cook your muffins over low to medium heat on a griddle or skillet. A hot surface will burn them on the outside before the inside is cooked.
Time and Cover: Cook for about 8-10 minutes per side, covering them with a lid for half of the cooking time to ensure they cook through while keeping the outside from browning too quickly.

Nutrition

Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 0.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 465mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: English Muffins, Sourdough, Starter
Servings: 15
Calories: 191kcal

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4.44 from 39 votes (31 ratings without comment)

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40 Comments

  1. This dough was SO sticky after the stand mixer. Couldnโ€™t roll out. Can you put it in the fridge for hours and then roll?

    1. You can definitely put it in the fridge but if it’s still too sticky you will need to add some flour. add 1/4 cup flour while you’re rolling and cutting the dough before cooking. This should mitigate some of the stickiness ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. I wanted to clarify- if we donโ€™t have a cover for our cast iron, we should skip the steps related to cooking on the stove and just put them straight into the oven from the start? Thanks!

    1. I’m sorry for the confusion! If you don’t have a cover for your cast iron, cook them evenly on both sides and then finish them in the oven to ensure that they cook all the way through.

      1. I would let the dough do the bulk ferment, shape them and then on a baking sheet, leave them in the fridge for up to another 24 hours until you’re ready to bake them!

    2. Omg ๐Ÿคฆ๐Ÿฝโ€โ™€๏ธ I misread & put them in the fridge for 12-18 hrs without a bulk ferment on the counter. Are they salvageable ?

  3. Do you cook these covered on low for 5 minutes? Step 12 mentioned a lid for the cast iron but step 11 did not mention to cover. Thanks!

    1. you’re welcome! I will fix that on the recipe now, but yes, place the muffins on a hot pan, turn the heat to low and if you can keep it covered while its cooking then it will ensure that English muffins will cook all the way through ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Canโ€™t wait to try this recipe! I have a question, for the overnight rest of 12-18hours, we keep our house at 64deg, is that too cool?

    1. Nope! There is a lot of flex room in this fermentation time so if your house runs colder, it will slow down fermentation a bit but you’ll still be good to go.

  5. Is there a substitute I can use instead of cornmeal? Would love to try this recipe but really try not to buy ingredients Iโ€™ll never use again. Thanks!

  6. I didnโ€™t notice to add the honey, Baking soda and baking powder till the next day. Will they be ruined? I added it all at once.

  7. 2 stars
    Honestly not trying to be rude, but this is the 3rd recipe of yours that Iโ€™ve followed exactly and it hasnโ€™t turned out. The dough was soooo wet and sticky after incorporating the honey etc. Couldnโ€™t be shaped. Huge waste of a TON of ingredients and time ๐Ÿ™

    1. Not rude at all! Thank you for the input, this feedback has been voiced more than once and my recipes are for you guys so I want them to work for you! I just tweaked the recipe to hopefully help with the stickiness of the dough. I’m sorry you were unsuccessful this time, but I’m hoping the changes that were made are very helpful ๐Ÿ™‚

      1. Thank you so much! The good thing is sourdough is very forgiving. I still baked all the dough in a Dutch oven and it turned out to be one GIANT English muffin that is still edible in slices ๐Ÿ˜…๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚

        1. So creative! haha. I’m glad it worked out in the end, and I’m excited for you to have much more success next time! And again, thank you for the feedback <3

  8. 5 stars
    Loved this recipe so much! Thank you for all your wonderful recipes! Wanted to knowโ€ฆwhen you want them after they have been frozenโ€ฆdo you toast them frozen or let them thaw first?

  9. Iโ€™m so confused, people are mentioning standing mixers, baking soda and baking powder??? These arenโ€™t even mentioned in the recipe, ingredients or instructions?

    1. I have since updated the English muffin recipe and left out all of the things that people were having trouble with to simply just a bit. It’s better now ๐Ÿ™‚

      1. Is it possible to get a copy of the last version?! It was our favorite and I forgot to write it down๐Ÿ˜…๐Ÿ˜…

  10. Hi! Iโ€™ve made this recipe before, but I remember it having baking powder and soda added to it the following morning.
    I donโ€™t see it listed anymore or even mentioned in the directions. Did it change?

  11. 5 stars
    Are you kidding me? Just made these this morning and my husband and I are blown away, so yummy and delicious! Recipe was easy enough to follow along and I’m so happy with how the turned out! Fluffy, crispy, and amazing!

  12. Can you tell how warm/cold your kitchen is? Because Iโ€™ve left the dough overnight before and it overproofed even with using suggested time. Maybe my kitchen was too warm. Thanks!