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Learn how to make the very best sourdough english muffins using active sourdough starter. They have a lofty rise, with puffy golden brown tops! And their interiors are fluffy, with lots of nooks and crannies. 100% naturally leavened.
If you’re new to sourdough, and are looking for a sourdough starter to begin, I ship my 13+ year old starter to anyone in the U.S! You can order it here.
Why You’ll Want to Make These Sourdough English Muffins Immediately
I’m very hesitant to use the word life-changing when it comes to food. But I swear to you, when you eat one of these sourdough english muffins, a store-bought english muffin will never suffice again. Like, ever.
Their pillowy, interior softness cannot be matched. Their epic puff! Their pillowy bite. So perfect as a vehicle for an indulgent amount of butter, strawberry rhubarb jam, or homemade peanut butter to nestle into all the nooks and crannies.
And their golden brown, cornmeal dusted, griddled tops are exactly the definition of lovely textural contrast.
This homemade sourdough english muffin recipe is very forgiving (as is sourdough focaccia bread), and you’ll need only a few ingredients. You don’t even need an english muffin ring to cut them out. I actually use a small flower vase to cut the circles out.
How to Make Sourdough English Muffins:
Activate starter. You’ll need 75 grams of mature sourdough starter at its peak (I keep my starter at 100% hydration). For an easy baking schedule, I feed my sourdough starter at about 4pm so that it peaks around 8 or 9pm so I can mix up my dough and let rise overnight.
Mix dough. There are just 6 additional ingredients you’ll need for this english muffin recipe: all purpose flour, milk, butter, water, salt, sugar.
This sourdough english muffin recipe is mixed using a stand mixer, as the dough is enriched. While recipe testing, I much preferred the stand mixer results and ease, over hand mixing/kneading.
Let bulk ferment. Because this dough is enriched with butter and milk (like sourdough cinnamon rolls), it takes longer to bulk ferment, which makes it perfect for an overnight rise! I find that at about 65 degrees, which my house is in the evening, equates to about 8 hours of bulk ferment, until the dough has about doubled and is smooth on top and puffed. It will look MUCH different than the end of bulk ferment when you are making sourdough bread, where the dough will look glossy, have bubbles, and is jiggly. It will not do that here.
Bench rest. In the morning, dust a surface with flour, and scoop from underneath the dough, with the bowl tipped, to get the dough onto the surface. Let rest for 15 minutes.
Cut out english muffin circles. Pat the dough out into a circle or rectangle shape, aiming for the dough to be about 1 inch tall. Use something that is glass and about 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter – I use a flower vase – flour the bottom edges, and press down through the dough until you hit the surface. Gently twist the vase while pushing down to cut through the dough. Then gently remove the cut out muffin and transfer to cornmeal dusted parchment on a baking sheet.
Let rise. The final rise will take about 1-2 hours, at 70 degrees. The muffins will not per-say rise a lot, it will just get puffy and light.
Cook on griddle or cast iron skillet at 350 degrees F, about 6-7 minutes per side, until internal temperature reaches about 200 degrees F.
dough near the end of mixing.Dough at end of mixing. Ready for bulk fermentation.
Crusty, scraggy, chewy gems. Breakfast bliss.
Filled with air pockets galore, I swear they rival the Thomas’ English Muffins you and I grew up eating.
Do not sleep on the salted butter and honey topping. Or peanut butter and honey. Or anything your heart desires.
Can I freeze sourdough english muffins?
Yes, these freeze extremely well! I recommend slicing them first, wrap in foil, then a freezer safe bag.
Can sourdough english muffins be made vegan?
I haven’t tested this, but my instinct is that using vegan butter and unsweetened soy milk would work well.
What can I use to cut out english muffins? Do I a need english muffin ring?
No english muffin ring needed! I use a flower vase, as I mentioned, or I’ve used a wide mouth glass jar. But if you don’t have either of those, you can also find english muffin rings here, and get many years of use out of them!
These airy sourdough english muffins are absolutely delicious, made with active sourdough starter. Their nooks and crannies hold your favorite butter and jam!
In the bowl of your stand mixer, add starter and sugar.
Add milk, water, and butter to a bowl. Microwave 40ish seconds, until butter is just melted. Let cool for 5 minutes, you don’t want it to be too hot.
Add liquid mixture to bowl, and whisk with a fork to combine and disperse the starter.
Add flour and salt. Put dough hook on mixer, and start on low, speed 2 on kitchenaid mixer to incorporate flour, about one minute. Then turn to medium, speed 4 on a Kitchenaid, for 8 minutes. When finished, the dough will very wet. This is normal. Take a spatula and scrape the edges of the dough up onto itself, to round it out.
Let dough bulk ferment. This will take about 8-10 hours if your house is at 70 degrees. (So you could do this overnight while you sleep). Bulk ferment is complete when the dough has at least doubled, and is puffy and domed on the top. It should look pillowy and domed.
Dust your work surface with flour, and grab underneath the dough to take it out of the bowl and onto the surface. Let rest for 15 minutes. Pat into a 3/4 inch inch high circle or rectangle. Dust the top of muffins with flour, and a vase or glass mouth that is about 4 inches wide. Cut out circles, and move them onto a parchment lined baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. They will stick if you do not do this.
Cover pan with a very light towel, and let rise again for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until your english muffins are puffy. They will not rise a ton. It’s the puffiness you’re going for.
Heat griddle or cast iron skillet to about 350 degrees F. Add a knob of butter, and place the english muffins on the surface, with room between each other to allow for their growth. They'll now puff when they cook! Leave undisturbed, cooking english muffins for about 7 minutes on each side, until internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F.
I look forward to your comments, reviews and questions! If you love this recipe, please rate it when you leave a comment. Star ratings help people discover my recipes. Your support means a lot; thank you for being a part of the Heartbeet Kitchen community.
My initial batch I may have eye balled the 3/4 in. a little thinner than I was supposed to… but once that was corrected these fluffy rolls of deliciousness came out to perfection! Nice crunch on the outside with the perfect soft-sour inside. Another great Recipe in the books!
I was curious though what made you go with the cane sugar over just regular ole sugar?
So glad you enjoyed the english muffins! Oh, cane sugar or granulated sugar is great – I think I just had cane sugar on hand while I was doing recipe testing.
I made these. Left them on the counter over night. I am very pleased with the results. Nice and puffy Plenty of holes and a beautiful sourdough flavor.
The easiest and most delicious nooks and crannies I’ve ever made or had! I make a double batch and it works just fine. I keep one gallon bag on the counter and the other goes Into the freezer until I finish the first bag. They taste just as good when they were first made! Thank your for this recipe!
This is a fantastic English muffin recipe. I tried two others, and they were ok but this one made the best ones. They are rise so well, are perfectly textured and smell and taste amazing. My friends said they were the best English muffins they ever had!
Incredibly happy with how these turned out. The last recipe I tried for English Muffins almost made me give up on them altogether. Delighted with how easy and delicious these ended up being. Also, I so appreciate when temperature for doneness is included.
Recipe was easy to make and was very tasty. I used a little olive oil to cook instead of butter and this worked well. My husband who doesn’t like store bought English muffins enjoyed these too.
Substituted buttermilk for about 1/2 of the milk called for. Worked great and added a little extra zip. Also used the oven at 350 to finish cooking as my electric stove burners are difficult to regulate.
So fluffy and delicious! I was pretty sure I ruined these haha but they turned out so well, so agree with the comments that these are fool-proof. I made them mid-day and did the bulk ferment from about 2-8pm. Then I moved into the fridge overnight, let the dough come to room temp for about an hour before finishing the next morning. Makes enough to put half in the freezer too!
I’ve made this 4 weekends in a row and everyone in my family keeps asking for them. It’s become one of my favorite sourdough recipes. The recipe is easy and comes out perfect every time. The muffins freeze beautifully so you can enjoy them anytime.
I’m a 70 year old woman who is recently back into sourdough since a brief stint in my hippie college days. I made these English muffins today an cannot stop just smelling them and swooning after devouring two for lunch straight out of the cast iron pan. I have never responded to an online recipe before, and I bake A LOT, but had to for this one. Soooooo goooood!
These were so pillowy and airy. Got endless compliments from my parents! I used the left over bits after cutting the circles out by shallow frying them in oil- then dust with powder sugar and honey. 10/10 would recommend.
I tried another recipe before yours with disappointing results. This one is perfection! Better than anything you could buy. This is going in my recipe collection. Thank You!
Got these doing an over night bulk ferment right now and am excited to continue the process! Some recipes I have seen say to cover the pan while cooking, do these need to be covered? Or are they good to open cook on a griddle? Thanks for any info you can give me!
Can’t believe how amazing these are on the first try! My family is currently devouring them. They are much superior to any store-bought English muffin I’ve ever bought. The bulk ferment only took about 4 hours in my very warm living room by the wood stove, and the ones I cooked in my cast iron in the oven at 350 turned out better than the ones in the cast iron on the stove, because I have a hard time judging the temp on the stove. Thank you so much for this recipe! I already wrote it down for my master binder of favorite recipes!
Sourdough English Muffins came out great. Just had trouble transferring them onto the cookie sheet. Can this recipe be cut in half and if so is there and adjustments other than cutting ingredients in half?
Absolutely DELICIOUS. I ran out of time and put my dough in the fridge overnight after the bulk rise… the dough was perfect the next day, very soft, it relaxed and fluffed up amazingly and it was just a little bit more sour than normal. My children loved them, 10/10 would recommend.
Aladdin
April 18, 2025
My initial batch I may have eye balled the 3/4 in. a little thinner than I was supposed to… but once that was corrected these fluffy rolls of deliciousness came out to perfection! Nice crunch on the outside with the perfect soft-sour inside. Another great Recipe in the books!
I was curious though what made you go with the cane sugar over just regular ole sugar?
Amanda Paa
April 19, 2025
So glad you enjoyed the english muffins! Oh, cane sugar or granulated sugar is great – I think I just had cane sugar on hand while I was doing recipe testing.
Dodie
April 5, 2025
I made these. Left them on the counter over night. I am very pleased with the results. Nice and puffy Plenty of holes and a beautiful sourdough flavor.
Rose
March 23, 2025
Absolutely amazing and easy to make. Can you add cinnamon and raisin or blueberries? If so how would I do that?
Amanda Paa
March 24, 2025
I haven’t tested that but sounds amazing! Glad you enjoy the english muffins.
Shelby Chandra
March 16, 2025
Holy Guacamole its every English Muffin dream come true!! Just made them and I love them! Thank you for sharing!
Amanda Paa
March 16, 2025
so glad you enjoyed them, Shelby!
Kim
March 14, 2025
The easiest and most delicious nooks and crannies I’ve ever made or had! I make a double batch and it works just fine. I keep one gallon bag on the counter and the other goes Into the freezer until I finish the first bag. They taste just as good when they were first made! Thank your for this recipe!
Amanda Paa
March 14, 2025
I’m so glad you enjoyed the English muffins! I freeze some too, works perfectly!
Marinela
March 14, 2025
These were absolutely the best English muffins I’ve ever had. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. My mind is blown!
Deanna Joy
March 7, 2025
This is a fantastic English muffin recipe. I tried two others, and they were ok but this one made the best ones. They are rise so well, are perfectly textured and smell and taste amazing. My friends said they were the best English muffins they ever had!
Amanda Paa
March 8, 2025
oh that makes me so happy to hear! thanks, Deanna!
Elizabeth
March 3, 2025
Incredibly happy with how these turned out. The last recipe I tried for English Muffins almost made me give up on them altogether. Delighted with how easy and delicious these ended up being. Also, I so appreciate when temperature for doneness is included.
Amanda Paa
March 3, 2025
I’m glad you didn’t give up and had success with this recipe; they’re such a delight!
Valerie Ragland
February 27, 2025
Recipe was easy to make and was very tasty. I used a little olive oil to cook instead of butter and this worked well. My husband who doesn’t like store bought English muffins enjoyed these too.
Amanda Paa
February 28, 2025
So glad you and your husband enjoyed them!
Deanna
February 24, 2025
Great recipe, turned out very wel! Nice and soft inside, nice crisp exterior
Amanda Paa
February 24, 2025
So glad you enjoyed them!
Laura Kiemle
February 24, 2025
I am really enjoying these easy to make English muffins! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Cathy a Shortledge
February 21, 2025
Can you substitute honey for the sugar?
Amanda Paa
February 21, 2025
Sure! Just reduce the water by 15 grams if replacing with honey.
Brianne Buckert
February 17, 2025
After this is done BF can I put the dough in the fridge over night?
Shannon Hammer
March 4, 2025
Did you end up doing this? If so, how’d it turn out?
Janet
February 16, 2025
I am wondering what would be done differently if I wanted to make a sourdough English muffin bread loaf
Linda Lurth
February 14, 2025
Substituted buttermilk for about 1/2 of the milk called for. Worked great and added a little extra zip. Also used the oven at 350 to finish cooking as my electric stove burners are difficult to regulate.
Billie Jo
February 8, 2025
So easy to make, tastes amazing and easy to freeze. I don’t ever want to buy store bought English muffins again!
Amanda Paa
February 8, 2025
so glad you enjoyed them; thanks for making the recipe!
Leanne
February 2, 2025
So fluffy and delicious! I was pretty sure I ruined these haha but they turned out so well, so agree with the comments that these are fool-proof. I made them mid-day and did the bulk ferment from about 2-8pm. Then I moved into the fridge overnight, let the dough come to room temp for about an hour before finishing the next morning. Makes enough to put half in the freezer too!
Rhonda S Torres
February 6, 2025
Did you do stretch and folds during your BF? I am new to sourdough baking and will be refrigerating after the BF.
Amanda Paa
February 6, 2025
Hi! No stretch and folds for this recipe. Enjoy!
Maranda Ragsdale
February 1, 2025
I’ve made this 4 weekends in a row and everyone in my family keeps asking for them. It’s become one of my favorite sourdough recipes. The recipe is easy and comes out perfect every time. The muffins freeze beautifully so you can enjoy them anytime.
Daera Leslie Dobbs
January 29, 2025
I’m a 70 year old woman who is recently back into sourdough since a brief stint in my hippie college days. I made these English muffins today an cannot stop just smelling them and swooning after devouring two for lunch straight out of the cast iron pan. I have never responded to an online recipe before, and I bake A LOT, but had to for this one. Soooooo goooood!
Patty in Co
January 27, 2025
What do you mean by “Do not sleep on the salted butter and honey topping”?
Mary
February 5, 2025
Maybe she means don’t think about it, just try the salted butter and honey. For example let me think about it; I’ll sleep on it…
Jenna
January 27, 2025
This is the 2nd recipe that I tried and this one is by far the best and puffiest muffins in the world! So delicious and soooo soft !
Larisa
January 19, 2025
These were so pillowy and airy. Got endless compliments from my parents! I used the left over bits after cutting the circles out by shallow frying them in oil- then dust with powder sugar and honey. 10/10 would recommend.
Amanda Paa
January 19, 2025
What you did with the scraps is genius! Totally going to try it.
Michelle A
January 18, 2025
The best English muffins ever! I always have a batch in the freezer! Super easy and delicious. We will never go back to store bought!
Amanda Paa
January 18, 2025
So glad to hear that! And I know what you’re saying; they’re too good to ever buy storebought again!
LaDonna Juarez
January 18, 2025
I tried another recipe before yours with disappointing results. This one is perfection! Better than anything you could buy. This is going in my recipe collection. Thank You!
Amanda Paa
January 18, 2025
So glad you enjoyed them!
Brenda
January 10, 2025
This recipe is amazing!!! My family loves the muffins! So much better then anything you can buy!!!
Cassie
January 5, 2025
Got these doing an over night bulk ferment right now and am excited to continue the process! Some recipes I have seen say to cover the pan while cooking, do these need to be covered? Or are they good to open cook on a griddle? Thanks for any info you can give me!
Annie Valle
December 29, 2024
Can’t believe how amazing these are on the first try! My family is currently devouring them. They are much superior to any store-bought English muffin I’ve ever bought. The bulk ferment only took about 4 hours in my very warm living room by the wood stove, and the ones I cooked in my cast iron in the oven at 350 turned out better than the ones in the cast iron on the stove, because I have a hard time judging the temp on the stove. Thank you so much for this recipe! I already wrote it down for my master binder of favorite recipes!
Linda Rech
December 23, 2024
Sourdough English Muffins came out great. Just had trouble transferring them onto the cookie sheet. Can this recipe be cut in half and if so is there and adjustments other than cutting ingredients in half?
Phoebe
December 22, 2024
Absolutely DELICIOUS. I ran out of time and put my dough in the fridge overnight after the bulk rise… the dough was perfect the next day, very soft, it relaxed and fluffed up amazingly and it was just a little bit more sour than normal. My children loved them, 10/10 would recommend.
Amanda Paa
December 22, 2024
Yay, so glad your family enjoyed these!
Pam Bricker
December 9, 2024
Will almond (or another alternative) work in place of whole milk?
Rachel
January 19, 2025
I myself make this recipe with oat milk and country crock plant butter. Comes out amazing!
Lindsey Wright
December 8, 2024
Thanks for the lovely recipe! Do you think I could use Kamut flour here??
Amanda Paa
December 9, 2024
Hi Lindsey! They would need to tested with kamut flour, the hydration level would need to be adjusted.