Sourdough English Muffins Recipe | Easy Homemade
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🍞 The Best Homemade Sourdough English Muffins
Soft. Chewy. Golden. And loaded with those famous nooks and crannies.
These homemade sourdough English muffins are one of those recipes that look impressive but are actually incredibly approachable.
No fancy equipment. No complicated shaping. Just a skillet, a strong sourdough starter, and a little patience.
There is something ridiculously satisfying about pulling apart a warm English muffin and watching butter disappear into all those little nooks and crannies. These sourdough English muffins take that classic breakfast favorite and make it even better with naturally fermented flavor, a soft chewy center, and a beautiful golden crust. And the best part? You cook them right on the stovetop.
🥰 Why You'll Love These
✔ No complicated shaping
✔ No special English muffin pan required
✔ Soft, chewy centers
✔ Crispy golden edges
✔ Naturally fermented sourdough flavor
✔ Perfect for breakfast sandwiches
✔ Freeze beautifully
🍞 Sourdough English Muffin Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g active sourdough starter
- 240 g warm milk
- 30 g melted butter
- 20 g honey
- 1 large egg
- 450 g bread flour
- 8 g fine sea salt
For Dusting
- Cornmeal
- Or fine semolina flour
🥣 Mix the Dough
Add the active sourdough starter, warm milk, honey, melted butter, and egg to a large mixing bowl.
Whisk everything together until well combined.
Add the bread flour and salt.
Mix until a soft dough forms.
20 MINUTE REST
Cover the bowl and let the dough rest. This gives the flour time to hydrate and makes the dough easier to work with.
💪 Knead & Build the Dough
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead for approximately 5–7 minutes, until the dough becomes smoother and more elastic.
Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover.
LET IT RISE
Allow the dough to rise until noticeably puffy and close to doubled in size.
Depending on your kitchen temperature, this can take roughly 4–6 hours.
✂️ Roll & Cut
Generously dust your work surface with cornmeal.
Turn the dough out and gently roll it to approximately ¾ inch / 2 cm thick.
Use a 3-inch round cutter or drinking glass to cut your English muffins.
Place each muffin onto parchment paper generously sprinkled with cornmeal.
Dust the tops lightly as well.
DON'T FLATTEN THEM
Handle the dough gently so you preserve as much fermentation and air as possible.
⏰ Give Them One More Rest
Cover the cut muffins with a clean kitchen towel.
45–60 MINUTES
Let them rest until they look slightly puffy.
This final rest helps create the light, tender interior we're after.
🔥 Heat Your Pan
Use a heavy skillet, cast-iron pan, or electric griddle.
LOW TO MEDIUM-LOW HEAT
This is the secret to properly cooked English muffins.
You want the pan hot enough to create a beautiful golden crust, but gentle enough that the centers have time to cook.
🍳 Cook the English Muffins
Carefully place the muffins into the preheated pan.
FIRST SIDE
6–8 MINUTES
When the bottoms are deeply golden, carefully flip them.
SECOND SIDE
6–8 MINUTES
Cook until both sides are golden brown and the muffins feel cooked through.
🔥 Need to Finish Them?
If your muffins are particularly thick and the centers still need a little more time, don't panic.
OPTIONAL OVEN FINISH
Place them in a 350°F / 175°C oven for approximately 5–8 minutes.
For the most precise result, the center should reach approximately 200°F / 93°C.
🌡️ Cool Before Splitting
Allow your English muffins to cool before opening them.
THE SECRET TO THE NOOKS & CRANNIES
Don't slice them with a knife.
Use a fork to gently split them around the edge.
This helps preserve those irregular little pockets that make an English muffin an English muffin.
🧈 How to Eat Them
These are dangerously good straight from the skillet.
Try them with:
🧈 Butter & honey
🍓 Strawberry jam
🥜 Peanut butter
🍎 Apple butter
🥚 Eggs Benedict
🥑 Avocado & tomato
🥓 Bacon, egg & cheddar
🥪 Your favorite breakfast sandwich
👩🍳 Squirrelly Girl Baker's Tips
🧊 Storage & Freezing
Store cooled English muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
For a quick breakfast, toast them straight from frozen.
🚨 English Muffin Troubleshooting
My muffins are burnt outside but raw inside.
Your pan is too hot. Turn the heat down and give the centers more time to cook.
My muffins didn't rise much.
Check the strength of your sourdough starter and make sure your dough had enough time to ferment.
My muffins are dense.
They may have been under-fermented or handled too aggressively. Give the dough time to develop and handle it gently.
I don't have cornmeal.
Fine semolina works beautifully as an alternative.
⚠️ Baker's Warning
The first one is for quality control.
The second one is also for quality control.
The third one is where things start getting suspicious.
Suddenly there are no English muffins left.
🍞 THE BEST PART
Split one open while it's still warm.
Toast it until the edges are crisp.
Add a ridiculous amount of butter.
Then watch it disappear into every nook and cranny.
That's homemade sourdough.
📚 Continue Your Sourdough Journey
Want to get better at sourdough? These guides will help you understand your starter, fermentation, and the techniques behind great bread.
🐿️ Ready to Make Better Sourdough?
Great English muffins start with a strong, active sourdough starter.
Whether you're making your first batch or your hundredth, Squirrelly Girl makes sourdough simple, approachable, and fun.
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Get Squirrelly Girl Sourdough StarterOne starter. Endless sourdough possibilities.
❤️ Happy Baking!
Once you make these homemade sourdough English muffins, store-bought may have a hard time competing.
Soft centers. Crispy edges. Real sourdough flavor.
Now go make breakfast.