How to make homemade Sourdough English Muffins using sourdough starter (or sourdough discard) with no yeast. They rise overnight and are cooked on the stovetop in the morning. Tender, delicious, and easier to make than you might think! Vegan-adaptable. Video.
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Oh my, these Sourdough English Muffins are so tasty! They are so tender, so flavorful, and so impressive with all the happy little nooks and crannies. Tuck a few batches away in the freezer for company and weekend breakfasts.
Some planning ahead is required, as the muffin dough requires 1 cup of proofed starter (fed 6-8 hours before use). If you are in the routine of making sourdough bread, this is not too hard a feat.
Simple to whip up in the evening, letting the dough do its lofty magic. In the morning, knead in baking soda, salt, and enough flour to make a soft but not sticky dough. Roll it out, shape, rest, and “bake” the English muffins on a cast-iron skillet or griddle on the stovetop.
With numerous sourdough recipes on the blog, including our sourdough starter (and 500 five-star reviews), I love showing home bakers how versatile sourdough baking can be. These Sourdough English Muffins are one of my favorite ways to use active starter for easy, flavorful breakfasts. As one reader, Stephanie says, "I have made this a couple of times now, and this recipe is perfect! Fluffy and crispy at the same time."
Sourdough English Muffins Video
What you’ll need for Sourdough English Muffins
- Active sourdough starter (fed 6-8 hours before)
- Honey– for that classic sweetness. Or sub other sweetener.
- Milk (whole, plant-based, or yogurt, many options will work)
- All-purpose flour– or use 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white
- baking soda
- Sea salt
- Cornmeal – for outer texure.
This recipe calls for milk, which will enrich and soften the muffin. I use whatever I have on hand. Sometimes raw milk, sometimes hemp milk, and sometimes yogurt mixed with water. They all turn out just fine!
How to make Sourdough English Muffins
Step 1: In the evening: In a large mixing bowl combine sourdough starter, honey, milk, and flour mix thoroughly.
Step 2: Cover and leave at room temperature for 10-14 hours.
Step 3: In the morning, sprinkle baking soda and salt over the dough.
Step 4: Work these into the dough, adding more flour.
Step 5: Turn out onto a floured surface and knead just enough flour into the dough so that it is smooth and just beyond the sticky point. Form a ball.
Step 6: On a floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick and cut out with a large biscuit cutter (3- 3 1/2 inches).
Step 7: Using a metal spatula, place on a baking sheet generously sprinkled with cornmeal to keep them from sticking to the pan. Sprinkle a little more over the top. Not totally necessary, but gives a nice texture and both sides will look more even when cooked.
Step 8: Let rest about 1 hour on the counter. Less time if your kitchen is particularly warm, like above 75 degrees.
Step 9: Cook. Heat a dry skillet. With a metal spatula, carefully transfer the muffins to the pan, allowing an inch or so between them. Cook 10-15 minutes on each side. When flipping to the second side press down slightly with the metal spatula to get more of the muffin in contact with the heat. This helps keep the muffin flat rather than dome-shaped.
To ensure the muffins are cooked through, their internal temperature should be around 200 F.
Tip: If muffins are getting too brown but not cooked in the center, pop in an oven at 350F for 10 minutes or until done in the middle.
Serving Suggestions
Keep it simple and serve the English Muffins for breakfast, toasted with a pat of butter and jam, honey, pumpkin butter, or maple syrup. Try our rhubarb jam or wild rose petal jam! You can also serve with peanut butter or any other nut butter with sliced banana and apples.
For a creamier topping, try ricotta, cream cheese, or avocado. Our whipped ricotta is especially nice!
Make a savory breakfast sandwich, like our Vegan "Eggs" Benedict! Or for lunch, use English muffins to make sandwiches like Chickpea Salad Sandwich, Caprese Grilled Cheese, or Tempeh Reuben.
Expert Tips
- Use sourdough starter that is fed 6-8 hours before using in the recipe.
- Split with a fork for all those amazing nooks and crannies. (rather than cutting with a knife.) Just stick a fork into the side of the muffin at about 4 points around it, and pull it apart with your fingers.
How to Store Sourdough English Muffins
- On the counter, sealed in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Refrigerate sealed for up to a week.
- Freeze well sealed for up to 3 months.
Sourdough English Muffins Recipe FAQs
Can this be made Vegan?
Yes! Use non-dairy milk and maple syrup or another sweetener of choice.
Are English muffins traditionally sourdough?
Not necessarily. It depends on how the English muffins are made. They have to be made with sourdough starter to be considered sourdough English muffins.
What equipment is needed to make sourdough muffins?
You'll need a mixing bowl, rolling pin, biscuit cutter, metal spatula, and cast-iron skillet.
What is the history of the English muffin?
The English muffin came to the U.S. from British expat Samuel Bath Thomas in the late 1800s. He worked in a New York City bakery and developed his own version inspired by the crumpets in England. We may call them "English muffins," but they are called "muffins" in England. English muffin roots can be traced all the way back to the 10th century in Wales, where they were made from a yeast-leavened baked cake.
Are Sourdough English Muffins healthy?
Homemade Sourdough English Muffins are made with sourdough starter, which makes them more digestible. They're also healthier than store-bought English muffins because they are made with wholesome, simple ingredients ( organic if possible) and contain no preservatives or additives.
More sourdough recipes you may enjoy
- Simple Sourdough Starter
- Sourdough Crackers
- Quick Sourdough Buns
- Sourdough Scones with Lemony Glaze
- Sourdough Waffles!
- Sourdough Pancakes
- Soft Sourdough Rolls
My family gobbles these up, I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Print
Best Sourdough English Muffins Recipe
- Prep Time: 14 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 14 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 muffins 1x
- Category: baked, sourdough recipes
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
How to make homemade Sourdough English Muffins using sourdough starter (no yeast!). They raise overnight and are cooked on the stovetop in the morning. Tender, delicious and easier to make than you might think! Vegan adaptable. Allow
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter, (276 grams) fed 6-8 hours before
- 2 tablespoons honey (42 1/3 grams)
- 2 cups milk (1/2 liter) (or nut milk, reconstituted powdered milk, or a mix of yogurt and water)
- 4 cups bread flour (548 grams) (can use 1-2 cups whole wheat flour)
- 1 teaspoon (4 2/3 grams) baking soda
- 1-2 cups (137-250 grams) bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/4 cup (40 grams) cornmeal
Instructions
the night before
- In a large mixing bowl combine sourdough starter and honey. Mix until fully combined. Add milk, mix thoroughly.
- Add about half of the flour, mix in thoroughly and add the remaining flour. Incorporate until just mixed.
- Cover and leave at room temperature for 10-14 hours.
In the morning
- Sprinkle baking soda and salt (see notes) over the dough and work into the dough. Knead more flour into the dough until it is smooth and just beyond the sticky point. Form a ball.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick and cut out with a large biscuit cutter. Combine scraps and roll out and cut more muffins out.
- Place on a baking sheet generously sprinkled with cornmeal to keep from sticking to the pan. Sprinkle a little more over the top. Not totally necessary but gives a nice texture and both sides will look more even when baked.
- Let rest 1 hour. Less time if your kitchen is above 80 degrees.
- Thoroughly heat up a cast iron skillet over med-low heat (or griddle set to 325 F), we are going for even heat so give about 5 minutes to get fully warm (you could also place skillet in a 325F oven).
- With a metal spatula, carefully transfer the muffins to the pan, allowing an inch of space between them. They will expand. Cook 10-15 minutes on each side.
- When flipping to the second side press down slightly with the metal spatula to get more of the muffin in contact with the heat keeping the muffin flat rather than dome-shaped.
- Test internal temperature. You want it around 200F. If not done in the center and muffins are getting too brown, pop in an oven at 350 for 10 minutes or until done in the middle.
- Split with a fork for all those amazing nooks and crannies. (Rather than cutting with a knife.)
Notes
Some have commented that it works to add the salt in the overnight mixture for a better distribution, allowing it to dissolve evenly and prevents salty pockets in the finished muffins, since incorporating salt into the thicker morning batter can be harder.
Wheat flour tastes amazing in these. The more wheat you add the denser the muffin gets. Still delicious just a different texture.
When using wheat flour, add 1-2 cups in the initial mix, the night before. Finish off with the AP flour in the morning.
Storage: On the counter sealed in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days. Freeze well sealed for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 192
- Sugar: 4.4 g
- Sodium: 438.6 mg
- Fat: 0.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 1.4 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 0.7 mg
Do you really need the baking soda?
Hi Barbara, The baking soda creates all the nooks and crannies.