Sourdough English Muffins (2024)

These healthy and delicious sourdough English muffins are a super simple no-knead recipe. Just mix up the night before and cook in the morning for a yummy breakfast. This is seriously the easiest English muffin recipe around.

I have already confessed my sincere love for my bubbly 9 year old sourdough starter that I talked about in this post.

I use it in my kitchen often. Pancakes, english muffins, waffles, cinnamon rolls, coffee cake… I have even attempted Sourdough Doughnuts.

I love the way sourdough adds a depth of flavor to baked goods that just isn’t there in store-bought bread products.

Plus, I have a satisfaction cooking with a starter that I made and maintain with my own two hands. I hope to pass it down as a family heirloom.

To me, it is valuable to learn how to make something in your own home that you just can’t buy in the store. Artisan style.

I get really excited by things like this.

Why Sourdough?

Grains have gotten an undeserved bad rep in the health food community.

Have you ever heard of phytic acid? Basically, it’s an antinutrient found in grains, beans, and nuts that interferes with the absorption of certain nutrients. They are present on grains to keep them from spoiling.

There is a reason they are there, but there is also good evidence that our bodies weren’t meant to handle them. Proper preparation of grains eliminates most, if not all, of the phytic acid in offending foods.

But, did you know that traditional cultures thrived on grains? The key difference between the way they consumed grains then, and the way we do in our modern society now, can be summed up in two words: proper preparation.

It was necessary for folks to ferment grains for them to rise into delicious bread. Before yeast was isolated and sold in little packets, sourdough starter was a valuable commodity in homes and families, passed down for generations.

These days we’ve lost that art. And, what have we found? People can’t handle grains anymore.

Read more about sourdough starter, how to make it, and why I love it HERE.

But for now, let’s talk about the topic at hand.

Are sourdough English muffins good for you?

Yes! Not only are they easier to digest than standard English muffins made from non-fermented wheat, but they also contain more nutrients that your body can more easily absorb, such as fiber, and are a good source of B vitamins.

They are more nutritious because phytic acid is broken down during the fermentation process. Phytic acid is an anti-nutrient that binds to the nutrients in grains (and other foods like nuts, beans, and seeds) that prevent absorption.

Why you will love this recipe:

I love Sourdough English Muffins because they taste like bread and work like bread, but take about 1/10th of the work that making regular sourdough bread takes.

And for this busy momma, that’s a recipe for a great… well… recipe.

I can whip them up in no time. And my family can enjoy a healthy bread that is so much cheaper than sprouted whole grain bread from the store.

Sourdough English muffins work great for sandwiches with meat and cheese, or smothered in butter and honey for breakfast.

Tips For Making Sourdough English Muffins

• When cooking this recipe, the skillet needs to be hot before adding the English muffin dough so that it doesn’t stick, but then needs to be quickly reduced so they have a chance to rise and cook through.
• Make sure the sourdough starter you are using is nice and active. This will give the dough those beautiful bubbles.
• The type of flour you use, as well as 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.
• The fermentation time will depend on how warm your house is. The cooler your house, the longer it will take for the dough to double, compared to a warmer house.
• You can substitute milk for water.
• You can skip the second rise as long as you add in the baking soda. Alternatively, you can do no baking soda and allow them to rise for an hour after dividing/shaping, before cooking.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosurehere.

Tools you may need:

Cast iron skillet

Lid

Large bowl

Measuring cups and spoons

How to Make Sourdough English Muffins

The night before you want sourdough English muffins, stir in a glass bowl: flour, water, and active sourdough starter. This is sourdough starter that has been fed 4-12 hours before starting the recipe, and is nice and bubbly.

Cover it with a towel and let it sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours. You can get away with a longer rise time in the cooler months, and the fermentation process can take less time in the summer if your house is hot.

This is what mine looked like after 24 hours in a 68-70 degree house.

Look at those delicious bubbles!

NOTE: This recipe was updated in October 2021 to add a bit more flour, after several readers commented that the English muffins were turning out more like pancakes. As with any recipe, the type of flour you use, as well as humidity and quality of the starter, will cause each batch to need slightly different amounts of flour.

As you get familiar with this recipe, you will know exactly how much flour is needed by feel. If your English muffins are turning out like pancakes, you definitely need more flour. They should not be flat.

Also, cooking technique does have a lot to do with it. The dough needs to hit a hot cast iron skillet, so that it doesn’t stick, but then the heat needs to be quickly reduced so they have a chance to rise and cook through!

After Fermentation:

After the dough has fermented, add honey, salt, and baking soda.

Preheat your cast iron skillet on low and add a little coconut oil.

Mix the ingredients together until they are fully incorporated. You will probably have to use your hands for this, as the dough will be pretty thick. If the dough feels runny, add a bit more flour. It should be workable, yet not stiff. If the English muffins turn out flat like pancakes, it is a good indication they need more flour.

Divide the dough into 12 equal parts.

Drop it in a hot cast iron skillet.

Reduce the heat to low for about 10 minutes so the dough has a chance to rise.

Let them cook until doubled in size. Turn the skillet up to about 3 or 4 (not quite medium) and continue to cook until they are browned slightly on the bottom.

Don’t try to flip them until they come up easily from the pan. The goal is to only flip them one time.

Cook them on the other side until browned.

These English muffins have a tendency to cook on the outside before the inside is fully done. So, be sure to not turn the skillet up too high. If they are browned on the outside, but still not done on the inside, throw them in a 250 to 300 degree oven for 10 minutes or so.

After they are cooked all the way through, slice them open and enjoy!

How To Make Sourdough English Muffins Without Baking Soda

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix together (minus the baking soda). Allow the dough to 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.

Knead for five minutes with hands on a lightly floured surface. Place dough in bowl and cover with a lid, or plastic wrap.

Bulk rise: 8-12 hours in a warm place. Dough should double in size. This also could be done in the refrigerator. The dough will be stiffer which makes rolling out a little easier.

Shape by rolling out into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle.

Cut out using a biscuit cutter or wide mouth mason jar.

Place in a parchment lined baking dish with a little cornmeal sprinkled on the bottom (optional). Cover and rise again for about an hour in a warm place.

Cook in a cast iron skillet. Start the skillet really hot, add the English muffins, and turn down the heat immediately to low. Cover with a lid and allow to cook for about 5 minutes.

Flip and cook through until completely done – about another 5 minutes.

Place on a cooling rack for a few minutes before slicing. Serve with butter or homemade strawberry jam.

A Word On Flour

Over the years, I have fed my starter with all of the following at some point: freshly ground whole grain white flour that I ground in my own mill, all purpose flour, ancient einkorn, unbleached all purpose, store bought whole wheat flour… and probably some others I can’t remember.

The point is, my sourdough starter still bubbles away despite the flour choice. Use whatever flour you have, and enjoy your Sourdough English muffins!

Find More Delicious Sourdough Recipes:

• How to Make a Sourdough Starter from Scratch
• Sourdough Pizza Crust
• Healthy One Pot Meal- Sourdough Skillet
• Sourdough Tortillas
• Sourdough Hot Cross Buns
• Easy Sourdough Flatbread

If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboonewith your delicious creation.