Soft, airy, and cooked on the stove top, these delicious sourdough English muffins begin with simple ingredients, an active starter, and a bit of fermentation time. With a crisp, structured exterior and a bubbly crumb full of sourdough flavor, use these muffins to build the perfect cheesy breakfast sandwiches or slather them with butter and jam for a filling snack.
Homemade sourdough English muffins change the game with their simplicity and versatility. Long-fermented and perfectly tangy, this easy recipe requires only pantry staples and an active starter with an overnight rise. The fermentation time not only adds better flavor, but also better digestion and a delicate, chewy crumb full of bubbly pockets that trap butter and homemade strawberry jam.
The flavor and structure of these muffins lend themselves perfectly to many different uses, such as savory sourdough breakfast sandwiches or even English muffin pizzas with homemade marinara and fresh mozzarella.
For more sourdough favorites, try these soft sourdough pancakes or waffles, sweet sourdough cinnamon rolls or coffee cake, or make a batch of sourdough biscuits or beignets. Making your own sourdough starter requires minimal ingredients and some patience, but the recipe opportunities are endless.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Sourdough flavor – Homemade English muffins have a savory, yeasty flavor, and sourdough fermentation adds a delicious tang that complements sweet or savory toppings.
Airy texture – Fermentation creates carbon dioxide, which builds up in the dough as bubbles. These bubbles cook in place, creating a crumb delicately arranged with the characteristic nooks and crannies that hold anything from jams and butters to melty cheeses and mashed avocado.
Versatile use – Use these for cheesy egg sandwiches, like eggs Benedict, or spread with soft butter and peach jelly, drizzle with honey and peanut butter, or pile them high with homemade chicken salad.
Ingredients
Flour – I use unbleached all-purpose flour for this recipe. Fresh-milled wheat also works, but the liquids need to be adjusted to account for the high absorbency of fresh-milled flour.
Sourdough starter – Use a recently fed, active, and bubbly starter.
Water – You can use milk in place of the water, if desired.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sourdough English Muffins (with baking soda)
Step 1: The day before you plan to cook the muffins, start with fermenting the grains. Add flour, water, and sourdough starter to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and mix well. Use an active sourdough starter that has been recently fed.
Step 2: Cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours. The fermentation process speeds up with warmer temperatures and slows with cooler temperatures. Where you place the bowl affects the timing.
Step 3: After the bulk fermentation, add honey, salt, and baking soda, stirring well.
Step 4: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll out to a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Cut out circles using a biscuit cutter or a wide-mouth mason jar. Sprinkle the biscuits with cornmeal to prevent them from sticking while cooking (optional).
Step 5: Preheat your cast iron pan on medium heat until hot. Add some oil, then place the English muffins into the pan. Immediately reduce the heat to low so the dough has a chance to rise without the exterior burning.
Step 6: Cook until doubled in size, flipping only when the first side is golden. After flipping, increase the temperature a little so that the second side of the muffin cooks until golden brown. Let them cool for a few minutes, then slice and enjoy!
How to Make Sourdough English Muffins (without baking soda)
Step 1: Add all ingredients to a bowl (minus baking soda) and mix well. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes; this is called autolyse. This is the process of allowing the dough to rest so the flour has a chance to hydrate. Also, during this time, the gluten starts to develop, and the dough becomes stretchier.
Step 2: With the dough in the bowl, do one round of stretch and folds by grabbing one side of the ball of dough, stretching it upward, and then pressing it back into the center. Repeat with each side of the dough, for one complete round. Repeat the stretch and folds after 30 minutes, then set the bowl in a warm place and let it rise for 5-8 hours. The dough should double in size.
Step 3: After the fermentation, shape the muffins by rolling the dough into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Cut out circles using a biscuit cutter or a wide-mouth mason jar.
Step 4: Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with a little cornmeal sprinkled on the bottom (optional). Cover and rise again for about an hour in a warm place until doubled in size.
Step 5: Preheat your cast iron pan on medium heat. When the skillet is hot, oil the pan and add the English muffins. Immediately reduce the heat to low so the dough has a chance to rise without the exterior burning. Cover with a lid and allow to cook for about 5 minutes.
Step 6: Flip once they are golden brown on the first side, then cook through until completely done – this usually takes another 5 minutes or so. Place on a cooling rack for a few minutes before slicing.
Tips
- Make sure the sourdough starter you are using is nice and active. This will give the dough those beautiful bubbles. Sourdough discard can be used if it was recently fed, but the rise time may need to be lengthened.
- The type of flour you use, as well as the humidity and quality of the starter, will cause each batch to need slightly different amounts of flour. If the dough seems too runny, add a bit more flour.
- Fermentation time will depend on the temperature of your home. The cooler your home, the longer it will take for the dough to double. Placing the dough in a warm place will speed up the process significantly.
- You can skip the second rise as long as you use baking soda. Without baking soda, allow the shaped muffins to rise for about an hour, or until doubled, before baking.
- The skillet needs to be hot before adding the English muffin dough so it doesn’t stick, but then it needs to be quickly reduced so the dough has a chance to rise and cook through without burning. Monitor the color of the muffins closely so they don’t burn.
- Cook four at a time so they have space to expand, or they will stick together.
- Don’t try to flip the muffins until they come up easily from the pan. The goal is to only flip them one time.
- If they are browned on the outside, but still not done on the inside, put them in a 250 to 300 degree oven for 10 minutes or so.
Recipe FAQs
Keep extra muffins in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for 4-5 days. Freeze them for longer storage.
Yes! Fermentation breaks down phytic acid, an anti-nutrient that hinders absorption, making sourdough English muffins easier to digest, as well as a great source of fiber and B vitamins. Also, homemade English muffins have zero artificial ingredients or preservatives.
You can expect the characteristic yeasty, salty flavor and bubbly, chewy texture of traditional English muffins, with the main difference being a long-fermented sourdough tang.
During fermentation, the natural yeasts in sourdough produce carbon dioxide, which is trapped in the wet dough as bubbles. When handled carefully and cooked on the stovetop, these bubbles cook in place, producing that characteristic “nooks and crannies” crumb.
While sourdough discard can have great results, use a discard that has been fed in the last week or so, and be prepared to adjust the liquid and fermentation times. See my recipe created specifically for sourdough discard English muffins for further instructions.
More Sourdough Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Pizza Crust
- Sourdough Tortillas
- Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
- Easy Sourdough Flatbread
- Sourdough Cheddar Biscuits
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Sourdough English Muffins
Video
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour, 350 grams
- 1 cup water, 236 grams
- 1/2 cup active sourdough starter, 100 grams
- 1 tablespoon honey, 21 grams
- 1 teaspoon salt, 5 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda, 5 grams, (optional, see notes)
- Cornmeal, optional
- Oil for cooking
Instructions
How to Make Sourdough English Muffins (with baking soda)
- The day before you plan to cook the muffins, start with fermenting the grains. Add flour, water, and sourdough starter to a large bowl and mix well. Use an active sourdough starter that has been recently fed.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours. The fermentation process speeds up with warmer temperatures and slows with cooler temperatures. Where you place the bowl affects the timing.
- After the bulk fermentation, add honey, salt, and baking soda, stirring well.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll out to a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Cut out circles using a biscuit cutter or a wide-mouth mason jar. Sprinkle the muffins with cornmeal to prevent them from sticking while cooking (optional).
- Preheat your cast-iron skillet on medium heat until hot. Add some oil, then place the English muffins into the pan. Immediately reduce the heat to low so the dough has a chance to rise without the exterior burning.
- Cook until doubled in size, flipping only when the first side is golden. After flipping, increase the temperature a little so that the second side of the muffin cooks until golden brown. Let them cool for a few minutes, then slice and enjoy!
How to Make Sourdough English Muffins (without baking soda)
- Add all ingredients to a bowl (minus baking soda) and mix well. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes; this is called autolyse. This is the process of allowing the dough to rest so the flour has a chance to hydrate. Also, during this time, the gluten starts to develop, and the dough becomes stretchier.
- With the dough in the bowl, do one round of stretch and folds by grabbing one side of the ball of dough, stretching it upward, and then pressing it back into the center. Repeat with each side of the dough, for one complete round. Repeat the stretch and folds after 30 minutes, then set the bowl in a warm place and let it rise for 5-8 hours. The dough should double in size.
- After the fermentation, shape the muffins by rolling the dough into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Cut out circles using a biscuit cutter or a wide-mouth mason jar.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with a little cornmeal sprinkled on the bottom (optional). Cover and rise again for about an hour in a warm place until doubled in size.
- Preheat your cast-iron skillet on medium heat. When the skillet is hot, oil the pan and add the English muffins. Immediately reduce the heat to low so the dough has a chance to rise without the exterior burning. Cover with a lid and allow to cook for about 5 minutes.
- Flip once they are golden brown on the first side, then cook through until completely done – this usually takes another 5 minutes or so. Place on a cooling rack for a few minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Make sure the sourdough starter you are using is nice and active. This will give the dough those beautiful bubbles. Sourdough discard can be used if it was recently fed, but the rise time may need to be lengthened.
- The type of flour you use, as well as the humidity and quality of the starter, will cause each batch to need slightly different amounts of flour. If the dough seems too runny, add a bit more flour.
- Fermentation time will depend on the temperature of your home. The cooler your home, the longer it will take for the dough to double. Placing the dough in a warm place will speed up the process significantly.
- If using baking soda, you can skip the second rise. Without baking soda, allow the shaped muffins to rise for about an hour, or until doubled, before baking.
- The skillet needs to be hot before adding the English muffin dough so it doesn’t stick, but then it needs to be quickly reduced so the dough has a chance to rise and cook through without burning. Monitor the color of the muffins closely so they don’t burn.
- Cook four at a time so they have space to expand, otherwise they may stick together.
- Don’t try to flip the muffins until they come up easily from the pan. The goal is to only flip them one time.
- If the muffins are browned on the outside, but still not done on the inside, put them in a 250 to 300 degree oven for 10 minutes or so.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Lisa,
I’m new to the sourdough world, but I love it. I tried the pancakes and they’re awesome. Now today I tried doing the English muffins and they are not so good, for some reason my dough was very soft not as firm like you show on the video. I did exactly the same measurements and I had it out for almost 24 hours. They started to spread like a pancakes when they were put into the skillet. I don’t know what I did wrong.
In your recipe you mention that the dough will be pretty thick. Mine has never been thick, it’s always quite sticky and runny. What could be happening with mine?
Trying these right now. I’m using whole wheat einkorn flour. I tried to get a thicker dough by adding a little more flour and a little less water but as soon as I dropped them in the pan they spread out really wide. They look like huge thick pancakes. I’m sure they’ll taste good though. We’ll see….
Mine do this too. Not sure how to get them to rise better. I did keep the heat turned up to 3 for the first minute or two I put them on and then turned down to low for the remainder of the time. That seemed to help some but they’re still pretty flat 🥴
Remember, einkorn has less gluten (high level summary) than regular flour. Without adding gluten (vital wheat gluten) to your batter/dough, then puffier muffins will not be achieved. I use ap flour for this recipe and if anything, these muffins puff up so high it makes it difficult to put a lid on the skillet, which I prefer to do.
Oh my goodness! Your blog is my go-to for sourdough recipes and this one is wonderful! This is going to be repeated at our house!
Hi Lisa! Just made these and wowza they are amazing. Definitely going to be a family favorite. As easy as pancakes to make but love the crisp outside and no need for syrup.
Love this website! Making your sourdough crackers and fortchia bread today. Doing the full 24 hours on the bread since its a cold spell this week in Mississippi.
When dropping them on the skillet, is this ungreased? Thank you!
I just love watching your “what we eat in a week” videos, and it was so helpful to watch you make these by just scooping the wet dough in to the pan! Because of this I didn’t even read the instructions past the ingredients list or watch the video with the recipe, but I see alot of people saying their dough was super wet and I wonder if maybe knowing to just scoop the dough directly into the pan would be helpful?
These turned out great for me and I really appreciate your approach to sourdough baking! It is so easy to get lost with all of the information out there, but you have a way of making things so relaxed, simple and enjoyable! Having lots of fun in the kitchen again after being inspired by your videos, thank you for all that you put out there!
I also used my einkorn starter and got more of a pancake 😂 will use less water to start next time and hope it works! Maybe edit the recipe for those in the future? Love your stuff as always Lisa!
Hey there! I’ve tried several of your recipes, this one included, and they have quickly become family favorites! I noticed some people were saying this recipe gave them a runny or sticky dough. Just a thought (I am by no means an expert), but since I have started my sourdough journey I have noticed that when baking any recipe with einkorn flour, the dough tends to come out stickier or wetter than usual. I did some research and learned that einkorn usually requires about 1/3 cup less liquid when used in any “normal” flour recipe (and not more flour as that will change the texture, according to my sources). When I use normal organic bread flour, these babies turn out great– with the einkorn, it tends to need less liquid. Have you had this same experience? I’m just curious because I’ve had to learn how to work einkorn and I’d love any tips! Also, hope this is helpful to any readers out there! 🙂