The sourness of sourdough meets the crumbly, slightly chewy English Muffin! They are easy to make and really a great way to start expanding your sourdough recipes. It is a simple dough kneaded in a stand mixer with no stretches and folds! Low maintenance and so delicious.
When I started expanding my sourdough baking past the traditional artisan loaf, I wanted to make different things for breakfast or snacks for the girls. I wasn’t trying to be fancy with the sweet loaves or cakes cookies. I was trying to stick to the simple things that we eat most, trying to make them healthier for our family. I just wanted to start replacing even more of our store-bought bread or yeasted recipes with sourdough. English Muffins were at the top of the list.
I love English Muffins. They are definitely my second favorite, next to sourdough toast. And it turns out, making them sourdough is really simple, maybe the easiest and least amount of maintenance when it comes to sourdough recipes. I think sourdough can kind of get this bad wrap because it can be temperamental and takes all of this time and effort, which can be true for some recipes. But I truly cannot say it enough, these English Muffins are so easy and great for a beginner sourdough baker! They also make a great Freezer Friendly Breakfast Sandwich!
Why sourdough?
As a reminder, sourdough is the way bread is supposed to be. It is the most nutrient-dense and best form of bread. Yeast was created to shorten the amount of time it takes to create baked goods. And while it is really handy in some instances, the sourdough method is how bread was made way back when yeast did not exist.
The fermentation process that happens when we make sourdough is where glutens break down, offering a lot of nutritional properties and even a reduction of gluten in the bread. It is easier to digest and is actually offering our body some nutritional properties. Yeasted, store-bought bread is really not offering us any nutrients, other than filling us up. So if you enjoy bread, I really recommend giving sourdough a try! We have some favorites, such as tortillas, sandwich bread, and burger melts. Once you replace the basics that your family eats most, you can have fun with how you use those sourdough recipes and start replacing even more.
The biggest thing to remember is that there needs to be time for fermentation. There are a lot of discard recipes out there where you put inactive starter in recipes and bake them. While those recipes are offering some nutritional value, the best way to make sourdough recipes is to let them ferment for 12-24 hours, depending on the recipe. This is where the magic happens for nutritional density and digestion.
Details and Tips!
For these English Muffins, you will need a stand mixer. You could also knead by hand but a stand mixer makes it a lot faster.
You will simply add room temperature milk, active starter, and honey to the stand mixer and mix. (Learn about how make active starter in my sourdough sandwich bread post here) Then add in flour and salt. Knead for 5 or so minutes until the dough is smooth and you are done.
It will sit in a greased, glass bowl for 12 hours or so. I like to cover mine with a wet tea towel. After 12 hours, it will be risen, bubbly, and extremely soft, like a cloud. Before you roll out the dough, cover a baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle a little bit of cornmeal on the parchment. Then you turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out until they are about 1/2 inch thick. They will rise again so you want them slightly thinner than you what the finished English Muffin to be.
Cut them out into circles or squares. I prefer squares so I don’t waste any dough. You will not be able to roll the dough back out after you cut the shapes so keep that in mind! Use every bit that you can. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle the tops lightly with more cornmeal.
Cover them with a wet tea towel and let them rise again for about 4 hours or until they have risen slightly and look puffed.
When you are ready to cook them, you will heat a skillet over medium heat. Grease the skillet with a thin layer of butter and cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes, covered. They will get that signature blotching, golden color on each side. You will do this in batches of 3-4 depending on your skillet size. Then, place them back on the baking sheet and bake them in a 350 degree oven for just 5 minutes to ensure the middle is done.
These store great at room temperature for a week or so. They are also great to pop in the freezer to have on hand.
What you need!
- whole milk
- active starter
- honey – raw is best!
- all purpose flour or bread flour – organic if you have it
- sea salt
- cornmeal
- butter – for frying
Customize!
- shape – You do not have to bake these in the traditional circle shape that we are all used to. I prefer a rectangle or square so that I do not waste any dough! And I do love the look of a square English Muffin!
- cornmeal – If you do not want to use cornmeal or don’t have it on hand, feel free to use almond flour or nothing. The cornmeal is just there to help them not stick to the pan and also to add a little texture to the exterior.
- toppings – We love these for breakfast or lunch. They are great toasted and topped with runny eggs and sausage or bacon. They are also good with a smear of butter and jelly. You cannot go wrong. My next trial is making them into mini pizzas with the girls!
Explore more!
Please let us know if you make these and what you think! We love to hear from you!
Sourdough English Muffins
Ingredients
How to
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the milk, active starter, and honey. Mix everything with the dough hook on low until everything is incorporated.
- With the stand mixer on low, gradually add in the flour and salt. Once you have added 4 cups of flour and the salt, let the dough knead for a few minutes. You want the dough to be slightly sticky but it should clean the sides of the bowl as it comes together. Add more flour, a little at a time, until it cleans the sides of the bowl but is still slightly sticky. Let the dough knead in the mixer for about 5 minutes or until smooth.
- Place the dough in a large, greased, glass bowl and top it with a damp tea towel. Let sit at room temperature for 12 hours, overnight preferred.
- When the dough has risen, it is time to shape them. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle a light layer of cornmeal on the parchment. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out into a rectangle, until the dough is about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the English Muffins into 12 equal squares, or more if you would like them a little smaller.
- Place the cut English Muffins on the baking sheet an inch apart and cover with a damp tea towel to rise again. This rise will take about 4 hours. You want them to be puffed slightly, almost doubled in size.
- When ready to cook, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a skillet to medium heat and grease the bottom with a little butter. Cook the English Muffins in batches of 3-4 for 4 minutes on each side, or until they are golden. Place them back on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Let them cool for 30 minutes before cutting them. Store at room temperature for up to a week or in the freezer for up to three months!
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