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Hi Bold Bakers!
I’m so pleased with this recipe! My Homemade Sourdough English Muffins turn out so lovely — thanks to the sourdough starter, they’re incredibly bubbly (hello, nooks and crannies) and have a wonderful flavor. Not to brag, but my neighbor, Howard, said they were the best English muffins he’s ever had!
If your sourdough starter is still alive and active, you simply have to give these English muffins a go! If not, check out my Last Sourdough Starter Guide You’ll Ever Need! It’s super simple to take care of a sourdough starter, and you can make other wonderful yeast-free treats like Sourdough Pizza Crust, amazingly crusty Sourdough Bread, and super easy Sourdough Focaccia.
English muffins have become a staple in homes worldwide and have been since most families even had ovens in their own homes! In fact, do you know the Muffin Man? Well into the early 1800s, English muffins were sold door to door in England, and the nursery rhyme, which dates to 1820 at the latest, is a nod to that tradition!
Want to level up your sourdough baking? Check out the internet’s MOST detailed and thorough Sourdough Q&A that myself and my team of sourdough experts created with hundreds of your questions and answers that we have received.
What Are Sourdough English Muffins?
Sourdough English Muffins are a lot like the English muffins you may purchase at the grocery store—except way better because not only are they homemade, but the active sourdough starter really gives the muffin an incredible taste!
English Muffins are meant to be “fork-separated” instead of cut in half by a knife. That’s what reveals all the nooks and crannies instead of a smooth cut surface (perfect for absorbing melted butter or delicious jams).
[ No starter? Here’s my recipe for regular English Muffins! ]
What You Need To Make Sourdough English Muffins
- NO NEED for eggs!
- Active sourdough starter
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Cling wrap
- 3-inch cutter
- Non-stick pan or griddle
How Do You Make Sourdough English Muffins
Marketers do their work! Seeing English muffins in the grocery store makes them seem impossible to make, right? How do you get all those beautiful nooks? Using a sourdough starter makes it foolproof! However, you need to start these the day before you bake, so keep that in mind. Here is how you make Sourdough English Muffins (and don’t forget to get the full recipe with measurements, on the page down below):
- The day before you plan to bake, whisk together the active starter, milk, and honey in a large bowl.
- Add in the flour slowly while mixing. Mix until the dough forms, then stop.
- Cover the dough well with cling wrap and a kitchen towel. Let it stand at cool room temperature for at least 12 hours but up to 16 hours (or overnight).
- The next day, mix the salt and baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) together and scatter over the dough’s surface.
- By hand, stretch and fold the dough for about 5 minutes on a floured surface. The dough is firm. Keep kneading it until it comes together into a clean ball that can be easily rolled and doesn’t stick to your hands.
- Cover and rest the dough for around 20 minutes. This rest will make it easier to roll.
- After resting, roll the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Using a 3-inch cutter, cut out the muffins. You should get 12 muffins.
- Place the muffins on a sheet pan that has been dredged with flour or semolina. Allow some space between them. Cover the pan loosely and proof for another 45-60 minutes.
- Heat a non-stick pan or griddle on medium/low heat. If you are worried the muffins might stick, rub a little oil or butter on the pan.
- Place 3 to 4 muffins on the pan at a time. Cover the pan and let the muffins bake until they are dry on top and golden brown underneath. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Turn the muffins over and continue to bake, this time uncovered, until golden brown, roughly 3-4 minutes. Continue to bake the remaining muffins.
- How much whole wheat flour can be used without affecting the result?– You can replace up to 50% bread flour with whole wheat flour for more flavors and nutritions without losing the rise and nooks. Adjust the milk amount accordingly to get the same consistency dough as the recipe.
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Sourdough English Muffins
- Use my sourdough starter if you don’t have your own!
- No bread flour? You can use the same amount of all-purpose flour in this recipe.
- Dredging your pan with semolina gives the muffins a lovely bite and crunch. You can also use fine cornmeal.
- These English muffins freeze wonderfully! You can keep them in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
- Make your own breakfast sandwiches with these English muffins and then freeze them. Then, all you have to do is defrost and warm through in a microwave for a delicious breakfast on the go.
How Do I Store Sourdough English Muffins?
These English Muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, but they also freeze wonderfully! Keep them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
Make More Sourdough Recipes!
No starter? No problem! Enjoy my regular English Muffins!
And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking Cookbook!
Full (and printable) recipe below!
Try These Recipes!
Watch The Recipe Video!
Homemade Sourdough English Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (4oz115g) active sourdough starter
- 1½ cups (12floz/340ml) whole milk
- 2 tablespoons honey, warmed
- 3 cups (15ozs/425g) strong bread flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
The Day Before:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the active starter, milk, and honey together.
- Add in the flour, slowly while mixing. Mix until the dough forms then stop.
- Cover down well with cling wrap and a kitchen towel and leave to stand at cool room temperature for at least 12 hours but up to 16 hours.
The Next Day:
- Mix the salt and bicarbonate of soda together. Scatter this mixture over the surface of the dough.
- By hand stretch and fold the dough for five minutes or so on a floured surface. This is firm dough, keep on kneading until the dough comes together in a clean ball that can easily be rolled and does not stick to your hands.
- Cover and rest the dough for about 20 minutes, this will make it easy to roll it.
- Roll the dough to about ½ inch thick. Using a 3-inch cutter cut out the muffins. You should get 12 muffins from this batch.
- Place on a sheet pan which has been dredged with flour or semolina. Allow a little space between them. Cover the pan loosely and proof for about 45 minutes.
- Heat a large non-stick pan or griddle on medium/low heat. Rub with a little oil or butter if you are worried about sticking.
- Place 3 – 4 muffins on the pan at a time. Cover the pan with a lid and allow to bake until the muffins are dry on top and golden-brown underneath, about 4 -5 minutes.
- Turn the muffins over and continue to bake uncovered until golden brown, roughly 3-4 minutes. Continue to bake the remaining muffins.
- Allow the muffins to cool completely before enjoying them split and spread with butter, jam, or use as sandwich bread. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or they can also be frozen for 6 weeks.
I have tried for years to make a good English muffins. They were all horrible.
I got started with Sourdough- and gave these a shot. They are awesome!
My first time making these and they came out perfect! Thank you so much!
Gemma: After three different recipes and four attempts, your recipe proved to be the lodestar of English muffin-making. The first batch was pretty good, but this second batch was near perfection. Using a full-on 16 hour fermentation in our cool-ish kitchen took things to the next level — especially with regard to the elusive nooks & crannies. My only deviation from your recipe was to use buttermilk in place of milk. Thanks so very much for sharing your baking wizardry!
Gemma it says 3 cups or 425g of baking flour. I know flours have different weights. I assume then if KOA flour is 120g/cup I would use 360g. Seems like a big difference.
Just made these muffins, it was so easy and they came out great, I will be making them often. One thing I did because I really don’t like to waste anything, I took the dough left after cutting out the muffin rounds and gently pressed them together to make 3 additional sort of round muffins. They weren’t perfect looking like the others they still cooked up very nicely.
I’ve been making sourdough muffins for a few years now and I up-scaled my recipe to match your basic ingredients. The main difference is you use nearly twice as much sugar and 50% more salt. I don’t have trouble with rising although the dough is very wet to handle (I only use paddles to kneed). Cooking times are very different – I have three (dry fry, no fat) 6/6/4 minutes with 2 turns. Interesting.
Love. Tried with a cup of cheese yummy thank you for a great recipe
Absolutely Delicious Gemma! I’m so impressed with these English muffins. So yummy with butter and homemade Strawberry and rhubarb jam . I rolled mine a little too thin so got 15 muffins. I found tgat adding a few sprinkles of water in the pan each time really made a difference to puff them up as they cooked. Big success! Thank you!
Can the whole milk be substituted with unsweetened almond milk?
I substituted half the bread flour for whole wheat. Otherwise I followed the directions. I got a fragile, wet dough that could not be stretched or kneaded. If I hadn’t had the presence of mind to put down a silicon mat before I turned out the soup, it would have become one with my bench and I’d be scraping it off next week still. It stuck to my bench scraper, which was the only possible way to ‘knead’ it. I’m going to try roll these out and bake them but honestly not expecting much. Also probably won’t try this recipe… Read more »