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Home » Bread

Published: Apr 24, 2020 by Kathy

Sourdough English Muffin Recipe

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Toasted muffin on a plate covered with raspberry jam.

Many Sourdough English Muffin recipes take 1-2 days to make. My recipe is ready in just a few hours.

Toasted English muffin slathered with raspberry jam.

Sourdough Discard English Muffins

This recipe uses a blend of sourdough starter or sourdough discard and active dry yeast. The starter adds flavor, while the yeast lets the dough rise quickly. This creates a delicious Sourdough English Muffin ready in less time.

No sourdough starter? Check out these English Muffins without any starter.

A platter full of homemade sourdough English Muffins.

Sourdough English Muffins Recipe Ingredients

This section reviews the best ingredients and substitutions for this recipe. For an exact list of ingredients and quantities, check the recipe card below.

Ingredients for Homemade Sourdough English Muffins
  • Sourdough starter or discard - Use any active sourdough starter you have.
  • Flour - Regular all-purpose flour.
  • Yeast - Use active dry yeast. This dough gets its leavening from the yeast, not the starter.
  • Butter - Use regular salted butter.
  • Eggs - Helps with enriching the dough.

How to Make Sourdough Discard English Muffins

In this section, I share step-by-step photos, cooking methods, techniques, and a general overview. For detailed instructions, temperatures, and timing, check the printable recipe card below.

  1. Make bread dough
  2. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover until doubled in size - 1 ½ - 2 hours
Bread dough in a greased glass bowl.
Bread dough that has doubled in size and is ready to use.

3. Deflate the dough and divide it into 24 pieces

4. Roll each piece into a round and press to flatten

5. Place shaped dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and lightly sprinkle with cornmeal.

Round pieces of dough on a baking sheet.
Round rolls of dough on a baking sheet.

6. Allow dough to rise for 30 - 60 minutes

7. Cook English muffins in small batches on a preheated cast iron griddle or skillet

English muffins cooking on a cast iron skillet.
Pressing down an English muffin with a black spatula.

8. Flip muffins every 3 minutes or when they begin to turn too dark. You don't want your muffins to burn. Continue flipping every 3 minutes. The entire cooking time for each muffin is 12-15 minutes.

9. After each flip, lightly press down on the English muffin with a cooking spatula. This helps keep the shape of your muffin. Otherwise, you will have a very round muffin.

10. Place cooked muffins on a baking rack and allow to fully cool before eating.

This recipe makes 24 English Muffins. These only stay fresh tasting for a few days so I usually freeze at least half the batch.

Sourdough English Muffin Recipe Tips

  • Use a cast iron skillet
  • Adjust heat as needed - I have a gas stove with a dial temperature adjuster with numbers 1-10 (1 being the lowest setting) I keep my burner set between 2 and 3. I often adjust throughout the cooking process. 
  • If your burner is too hot, the muffins will cook too quickly on the outside and will not cook on the inside
  • If your burner is too cool, the cooking process will take too long and you will get a very hard crust
  • Flip muffins every 2-3 minutes. Continue flipping until a total cooking time of 12-15 minutes
  • Lightly flatten the muffins with a spatula after every flip
  • Allow muffins to fully cool before splitting and eating

These muffins are perfect for making Breakfast Sandwiches with a scrambled egg and breakfast sausage.  They are also perfect with a bit of homemade strawberry jam, blackberry jam  or honey butter!

The Best Way to Eat a Sourdough English Muffin

Split your muffins in half and pop them in the toaster for a nicely toasted treat. To split your muffins, use a fork. Just poke the tines of the fork through the middle of the muffins. Continue around the muffin and then pry it open with a fork.

Fork split Sourdough English Muffins

Why Fork Split?

  • Fork splitting leaves a craggy surface on the interior of the muffin
  • The nooks and crannies created by fork split are perfect for butter or jam
  • The uneven surfaces toast up with brown bits, adding extra flavor
All the nooks and crannies in a fork split English Muffin.

You can always split your muffins with a knife, but you don't get that craggy surface.

How to Store Sourdough Discard English Muffins

Once the English muffins are fully cooled, place in an airtight container and store at room temperature for 2-3 days. The English muffins can also be store in a freezer safe container and frozen.

How to Freeze

  • Allow muffins to fully cool
  • Fork split or leave them whole
  • Place in a single layer in a freezer-safe container or bag
  • To use, remove from freezer and let thaw
Sourdough English Muffins ready for the freezer.
Two English Muffins on a plate.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop

Check out all my bread recipes.

  • Homemade Focaccia Bread cut into squares.
    Homemade Focaccia Bread
  • A circle of round dinner rolls each with a different finished glaze.
    Bread Glazes
  • A loaf of homemade white bread on a wooden cutting board.
    Homemade White Bread
  • Slices of Cranberry Walnut Bread with swirls of cranberries.
    Cranberry Walnut Bread
A toasted muffin with red raspberry jam spread on the muffin.

Sourdough English Muffins Recipe

Kathy Berget
Homemade Sourdough English Muffins
4.83 from 29 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 24 minutes mins
Resting Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Total Time 54 minutes mins
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Servings 24 Muffins
Calories 165 kcal

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer
  • Cooling Rack
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
 
 

English Muffins

  • 2 cups milk (warmed)
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
  • ½ cup sourdough starter
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 - 6 ½ cups flour

Forming Muffins

  • ¼ corn meal

Instructions
 

Make Dough

  • Combine milk, yeast and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes until bubbly. 
    2 cups milk, 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, 2 tablespoons sugar
  • Add sourdough starter, butter, eggs, salt and 2 cups of flour. Mix and then continue adding flour ½ cup at a time until dough comes together and forms a ball. You may not use all the flour. 
    ½ cup sourdough starter, ¼ cup butter, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, 6 - 6 ½ cups flour
  • Knead for 10 minutes
  • Put dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside until doubled in size, approximately 1 -2 hours. Rise time varies depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
  • When dough has doubled, gently punch down and form into another ball. Divide dough into 24 pieces. To do this, divide dough into quarters and then each quarter into 6 equal pieces.
  • Form each piece into a ball.  Gently flatten dough so it forms a 4 inch disc. Place dough on a surface covered with corn meal to help avoid sticking to surface.  Allow dough to rise for 30 - 45 minutes.
    ¼ corn meal

Cooking Muffins

  • Just before cooking, flatten again so muffin has a flat surface. 
  • Preheat a cast iron skillet or other skillet over medium low heat.  Place 3-4 muffins on hot surface so muffins are not touching. 
  • Cook for 3 minutes per side and flip.  Cook again for 3 minutes and flip again.  Repeat one more time. Total cooking time is approximately 12-15 minutes per muffin. Press muffin down lightly with spatula with each flip. This helps maintain a flat muffin shape and not a rounded shape.
  • Adjust temperature of stove as needed. If muffins burn before 3 minutes, lower heat. 
  • Cool muffins on a baking rack until fully cooled.
  • Repeat with remaining muffins until all muffins are cooked

Notes

 

  • Use a cast iron skillet
  • Adjust heat as needed - I have a gas stove with a dial temperature adjuster with numbers 1-10 (1 being the lowest setting) I keep my burner set between 2 and 3. I often adjust throughout the cooking process. 
  • If your burner is too hot, the muffins will cook too quickly on the outside and will not cook on the inside
  • If your burner is too cool, the cooking process will take too long and you will get a very hard crust
  • Flip muffins every 2-3 minutes. Continue flipping until a total cooking time of 12-15 minutes
  • Lightly flatten the muffins with a spatula after every flip
  • Allow muffins to fully cool before splitting and eating

Nutritional Disclaimer:

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1MuffinCalories: 165kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 5gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 129mgPotassium: 76mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 112IUCalcium: 30mgIron: 2mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @BeyondTheChickenCoop or tag #beyondthechickencoop!

This post was originally published in February of 2019. The directions have been updated and several pictures have been added. 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Denise says

    February 29, 2024 at 6:40 am

    Can’t wait to try these!!! Can I do these in a griddle? I am thinking I could control the temp better and do more at a time…

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      February 29, 2024 at 7:58 am

      Hi Denise,
      That shouldn't be a problem!
      Enjoy! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Tom says

    October 01, 2023 at 1:56 pm

    Can I bake them in a cast iron fry pan?

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      October 01, 2023 at 8:57 pm

      I haven't tried baking these in the oven so I'm not certain how they'd work.

      Reply
  3. Carol Dean says

    September 12, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    Loved this recipe. They turned out really good.

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      September 13, 2021 at 5:02 am

      Thank you!!! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Nathan McBride says

    March 08, 2021 at 9:19 pm

    5 stars
    Fantastic recipe and easy to follow, makes such soft delicious muffins I struggle not to eat them as they come off the griddle! I always use 720g flour and it's perfect.

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      March 09, 2021 at 4:40 am

      Thank you! Glad you enjoyed them.
      Kathy 🙂

      Reply
  5. AB says

    March 03, 2021 at 11:59 am

    5 stars
    This turned out great. I followed the recipe though I used a fresh starter so mine will not be sour. They would work perfect without yeast and do a long slow rise to get a “sour” taste. Easy to follow. Be patient when cooking them. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      March 03, 2021 at 6:24 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  6. E* says

    June 07, 2020 at 12:58 pm

    5 stars
    I just made these and they taste amazing! I thought I hated English muffins, but figured I would make some for my family to enjoy. It turns out that English muffins are *delicious* when homemade, and this recipe was easy to follow. To give you an idea of my baking level, this is the first time I've ever made anything with yeast. Tip: I heated the milk to 110 degrees F using a digital thermometer, and that seemed to work well (this will be obvious to most people reading this I guess, but again, first time). Thank you for a great recipe! Now I'm excited to try your others.

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      June 07, 2020 at 1:22 pm

      Hooray!!! Good for you for giving it a try and for being successful! I find homemade is so much better than store bought. Thanks for the tip about the milk - I'm sure others can use it too! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Linda Rickard says

    May 17, 2020 at 5:51 pm

    1 star
    I followed this recipe TO.A.TEE and they didn't taste anything like sourdough.

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      May 17, 2020 at 6:13 pm

      Hi Linda,
      I'm sorry these didn't meet your expectations. Every sourdough starter is different and has a different taste, so a lot will depend on your individual sourdough starter. This recipe only uses 1/2 cup of starter, which isn't a lot, but in most instances it is enough for the sourdough flavor to come through.
      Kathy

      Reply
  8. Linda says

    May 15, 2020 at 3:58 pm

    5 stars
    I will give these a try, but why does it say 1/2 cup sourdough starter twice?

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      May 15, 2020 at 5:18 pm

      Hi Linda,
      It should only be on there once, but you are right - I had it one there twice! I have corrected the recipe to read correctly. Thanks for letting me know and let me know how these turn out!
      Happy Baking,
      Kathy 🙂

      Reply
  9. David says

    April 27, 2020 at 3:31 am

    5 stars
    I'm so excited about this recipe popping up, Kathy! We have a very active sourdough starter going right now, too, and Robbie has been loving (loving!) English muffins lately. He's actually been enjoying helping me make breads, so I think he'll like the English muffin thing too. Great idea - both for something to do and something delicious to eat! 🙂

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      April 27, 2020 at 5:49 am

      That's great! Keep me posted on how they turn out!

      Reply
  10. Suzi says

    April 25, 2020 at 10:12 am

    These look amazing!

    Reply
  11. Julia says

    April 20, 2020 at 11:09 am

    4 stars
    Followed the recipe and the only thing that didn't work out were the nooks and crannies. They taste great, look great, but for some reason didn't get the nooks/crannies. Was my started not right? Should i have let them rise longer the second time around? THanks!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      April 21, 2020 at 6:18 am

      Hi Julia,
      When you cut in half, did you use a fork or a knife? Your starter was probably fine, since this dough gets its main rise from the yeast, not the sourdough. I'm not certain how long you let it rise the second time, this could be this issue.
      Kathy

      Reply
  12. Adina says

    February 15, 2019 at 2:59 am

    I adore English muffins, but I have never made them with sourdough, I should definitely try it! They look absolutely wonderful.

    Reply
  13. Dawn - Girl Heart Food says

    February 14, 2019 at 5:21 am

    5 stars
    I've never made homemade english muffins before, but would love to! You make it look easy! And I definitely have to fork split those muffins for those nooks and crannies! It's the best! Pinned and happening soon 🙂

    Reply
  14. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says

    February 11, 2019 at 3:48 pm

    5 stars
    I still have yet to try my hand at English muffins Kathy! These look delicious. Pinning and on my baking list!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      February 12, 2019 at 8:16 am

      You need to give them a try!

      Reply
  15. Kelly | Foodtasia says

    February 11, 2019 at 6:14 am

    5 stars
    Oh wow, Kathy! These look so perfectly delicious! I’ve never seen a recipe for English muffins before. I didn’t realize they were cooked on a skillet. I make my kids a sausage and egg (Mc) muffin for breakfast. Sometimes I use sourdough, sometimes I use English muffins. Your sourdough English muffins are the best of both! Definitely have to try them!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      February 14, 2019 at 4:45 am

      They are pretty fun to make and oh so delicious to eat!

      Reply
  16. Kelly | Foodtasia says

    February 11, 2019 at 6:13 am

    Oh wow, Kathy! These look so perfectly delicious! I've never seen a recipe for English muffins before. I didn't realize they were cooked on a skillet. I make my kids a sausage and egg (Mc) muffin for breakfast. Sometimes I use sourdough, sometimes I use English muffins. Your sourdough English muffins are the best of both! Definitely have to try them!

    Reply
  17. David @ Spiced says

    February 11, 2019 at 6:10 am

    5 stars
    I love English muffins! In fact, I eat a scrambled egg on an English muffin almost every day for lunch. It's an easy one to make, and I love having hot food for lunch. I haven't made my own English muffins in years, and now I'm wanting to go back and do that! But this post reminds me that my sourdough starter bit the dust. I need to start a new one. I love the flavor of sourdough. Thanks so much for sharing this post, Kathy!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      February 14, 2019 at 4:52 am

      I get on a sourdough phase every once in a while and do a great job of keeping my starter going. But then I find it gets away from me and I have to start it all over again!

      Reply
4.83 from 29 votes (18 ratings without comment)

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I'm Kathy, and I love to create delicious recipes from scratch utilizing many ingredients that we grow and raise. I'm a recipe creator, food photographer, and cookbook author!

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