Learn how to make 100% all-natural sourdough English muffins with active sourdough starter from my bestselling book, Artisan Sourdough Made Simple. So soft & squishy! PS: this homemade sourdough English muffin recipe is SO MUCH easier than you’d think. Simply prepare the dough in the evening, let it rise overnight, and cook fresh in the morning on the stove-top 😘
Is there anything better than a warm toasted English muffin with hot melted butter pooled into every nook and cranny? I think not! We love them with Bonne Maman strawberry preserves, but I have to say: they make great breakfast sandwiches too, with bacon, egg and cheese. This sourdough English muffin recipe one of the most versatile sourdough bread recipes I know.
But also, let’s talk about the health benefits of homemade sourdough English muffins. They are 100% natural. Add sourdough starter, ferment the dough overnight and they become even better. Plus, you’ll automatically bypass the onslaught of questionable ingredients found in most store-bought brands. You know Thomas English Muffins? I grew up on them. No shame. Still like them. But do check out their ingredient list below 😳
Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Farina, Wheat Gluten, Yeast, Salt, Calcium Propionate and Sorbic Acid (to Preserve Freshness), Sugar, Grain Vinegar, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Natural Flavor (Contains Milk), Mono- and Diglycerides, Ethoxylated Mono- and Diglycerides, Soy Lecithin, Soy, Sucralose, Whey.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy, overnight dough
- 100% all natural
- Clear step-by-step instructions
- Exquisite taste and texture
Why Sourdough?
Just like my reader-favorite sourdough focaccia, this recipe uses a bubbly, active sourdough starter to naturally leaven the dough. Instant yeast is not required. In addition to rising power, sourdough creates a slightly chewy texture and a unique depth of flavor. Not to mention, sourdough ferments anything it touches! With adequate time, temperature and preparation, the naturally occurring enzymes and friendly bacteria make these muffins easier to digest.
Sourdough English Muffins Ingredients:
- Milk
- Water
- Butter
- Active sourdough starter
- Sugar
- All purpose flour
- Salt
- Cornmeal or semolina flour, for dusting
How To Make Sourdough English Muffins {Step-By-Step Recipe}
- Make the dough: in a small saucepan, warm the milk, water and butter together. Cool slightly before adding to the dough.
- In a large bowl, add the sourdough starter and sugar. Pour in the warm milk mixture while whisking to combine. Add the flour and salt.
- Mix with a fork to form a rough dough, and then finish by hand to fully incorporate the flour. The texture will be sticky.
- Cover with a damp towel and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- After the dough has rested, return to the bowl and work the dough into a semi-smooth ball.
- Bulk Rise: Cover the bowl with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature defined as 70 F (21 C) until double in size, about 8-10+ hours. Once risen, chill overnight in the fridge.
- Shape: In the morning, remove the cold dough onto a floured work surface. Rest for 10 minutes. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper; sprinkle generously with cornmeal or semolina flour to prevent sticking.
- With floured hands, pat the dough into a rectangular shape, about 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) thick. Cut into 10-12 rounds using the rim of a 3 or 5 inch drinking glass, large jar or biscuit cutter.
- Place the rounds onto your sheet pan and dust the tops with cornmeal.
- Second Rise: Cover the dough with a damp towel or an inverted rimmed sheet pan. Let rest at room temperature until noticeably puffy, about 1 hour or more depending on temperature. I like to keep my sheet pan on top of my oven while it heats up.
- Cook The English Muffins: Warm a large, non-stick skillet over low heat. Do a test batch: place one round of dough into the pan. Cover with a lid and cook on one side for 8-10 minutes, checking at the halfway mark for even browning. Flip the dough over, cover again, and cook the other side for 8-10 minutes. When it’s ready, it should feel lightweight and the sides should spring back when pressed gently.
Good To Know Tips:
- The trick to English muffins is finding balanced heat (like cooking sourdough pancakes). If the flame is too high, the muffins will brown too quickly on the outside leaving the center undercooked. If this happens, finish baking the muffins in a low-heat oven about 250 F (130 C) until cooked through. I recommend doing a test batch first, cooking only 1 muffin at a time until you get the heat right. In fact, you could do a test batch with some of the dough scraps if you don’t want to mess up one of your muffins. I do test batches on practically everything I cook, from fresh homemade pasta, gnocchi, ravioli and more. It’s really helpful.
More Sourdough Bread Recipes To Try:
- Sourdough Bread: A Beginner’s Guide
- Beginner’s Guide to Sourdough Focaccia Bread
- Best Sourdough Pizza Crust (No steel or stone!)
- Light Whole Wheat Sourdough
- Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Soft Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- Best Sourdough Pasta (1 hour or Overnight)
Super Soft Sourdough English Muffins {Overnight}
- Yield: 10-12
- Category: Sourdough Bread Recipes
- Method: Stove-Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This sourdough English muffin recipe is made with bubbly, active sourdough starter, flour, water, salt, a touch of butter and milk to enrich the dough. Take a moment to enjoy the aroma of this dough as it rises- truly wonderful! In terms of preparation, you can make the dough during the day when you have time, and then chill overnight in the refrigerator once fully risen. Don’t forget to lightly oil your plastic wrap when chilling the dough overnight (this prevents the dough from sticking to the top). In the morning, all you have to do is shape and cook the English muffins, which are best enjoyed on the same day they’re made.
Ingredients
- 245 g ( 1 cup plus 1 tsp) milk, whole or 2%
- 120 g (1/2 cup) water
- 56 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, cubed
- 75 g (heaped 1/3 cup) active sourdough starter
- 24 g (2 tbsp) sugar
- 500 g (4 cups plus 2 tbsp) all purpose flour
- 9 g (1 1/2 tsp) fine sea salt
- Cornmeal or semolina flour, for dusting
Instructions
Make the dough: in a small saucepan, warm the milk, water and butter together. Cool slightly before adding to the dough. In a large bowl, add the sourdough starter and sugar. Pour in the warm milk mixture while whisking to combine. Add the flour and salt. Mix with a fork to form a rough dough, and then finish by hand to fully incorporate the flour. Cover with a damp towel and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
After the dough has rested, return to the bowl and work the dough into a semi-smooth ball.
Bulk Rise: Cover the bowl with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature defined as 70 F (21 C) until double in size, about 8-10+ hours. Once risen, chill overnight in the fridge.
Shape: In the morning, remove the cold dough onto a floured work surface. Rest for 10 minutes. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper; sprinkle generously with cornmeal to prevent sticking.
With floured hands, pat the dough into a rectangular shape, about 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) thick. Cut into 10-12 rounds using the rim of a 3 or 5 inch drinking glass, large jar or biscuit cutter. Place the rounds onto your sheet pan and dust the tops with cornmeal.
Second Rise: Cover the dough with a damp towel or inverted rimmed sheet pan. Let rest at room temperature until noticeably puffy, about 1 hour or more depending on temperature. Note: I like to place my sheet pan on top of the oven while it warms up.
Cook The English Muffins: Warm a large, non-stick skillet over low heat. Do a test batch: place one round of dough into the pan. Cover with a lid. Cook on one side for 8-10 minutes, checking at the halfway mark for even browning. Lower the heat if necessary. Flip the dough over, cover, and cook the other side for 8-10 minutes. Repeat to cook the rest of the dough. When the English muffins are ready, they should feel lightweight and the sides should spring back when pressed gently. *See Notes below.
Notes
The trick to English muffins is finding balanced heat (like cooking sourdough pancakes). If the flame is too high, the muffins will brown too quickly on the outside leaving the center undercooked. If this happens, finish baking the muffins in a low-heat oven about 250 F (130 C) until cooked through. I recommend doing a test batch first, cooking only 1 muffin at a time until you get it right.Â
Comments
Rachel says
What type of milk is best? I currently have Fairlife 2% milk (which is a lactose free milk) and wasn’t sure if this would work.
Emilie Raffa says
This should work fine. I normally use whole milk because that’s what we have but 2% works too!
Erin says
I made these and they turned out great. The only issue I ran into was the moisture of the dough. I measured everything with a kitchen scale using grams, but the dough was still very, very sticky. I live in the Caribbean, so I think the humid climate may have had something to do with that. I added more flour, and problem solved.
Emilie Raffa says
Absolutely. Humidity, and/or any increase in temperature will effect the texture of the dough. But you solved the issue correctly by adding more flour to soak up the extra moisture. Well done! PS: in addition to stickiness, if you found that the dough temperature was too warm as well, cool it down in the fridge briefly before adding it to the dough. This will help control the stickiness too.
Carrie says
Can you freeze them?
Emilie Raffa says
Yes! They freeze really well. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Defrost at room temperature. Warm or toast to enjoy!
Carrie says
Thanks! Making them now
Laura says
Guessing a well-seasoned cast iron pan is okay to use, too, if the test batch is a success? Or is nonstick the best method? Thank you.
Marilyn says
Hello Emily. I am going to make the dough today, but I am a little confused about the recipe. It says “oven baked” at the top of the recipe and you mention letting the muffins rise in the pan on the stove while it is heating. Then the directions are for the muffins to be cooked on the stove top. Is the oven on just in case they need to be heated to finish cooking? Please forgive if this is a rather dumb question, but I am new to sourdough I have made your artisan and sandwich bread, which are both amazing. Just want to get this one right.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Marilyn! Not a dumb question at all. Good eye. It’s actually a typo in the recipe card. The English muffins are cooked on the stove-top (and I’ve made the correction to reflect this). Enjoy!
Marilyn says
Thank you so much for responding. Perfect timing. I took the dough out early this morning (beautiful dough, by the way) and just finished cooking. They are absolutely beautiful and taste marvelous. We have family over for a “late” brunch. Big thumbs up from everyone! Great, great recipe.
Emilie Raffa says
Ahhhh love this! And thanks so much for circling back to share your feedback. I’m thrilled you enjoyed them :)
Dolly Hunt says
I have your book at your steps and recipes are awesome 💚🌱💚
Emilie Raffa says
Thank you so much Dolly!