The Best Sourdough English Muffins

I’m just going to say it: these are the best English muffins I’ve ever had.

I’ve made a lot of sourdough recipes over the years, but these are one of the things I make over and over again. They’re soft and chewy on the inside, slightly crisp on the outside, and have that perfect sourdough flavor without being overly sour.

And honestly? My favorite way to eat them is probably the least exciting. I pop one straight from the freezer into the toaster (or microwave it for a few seconds first), add a ridiculous amount of butter, and eat it just like that.

They’re that good.

The other thing I love about these is that they freeze really well, so I usually make a whole batch and stash them in the freezer. Then I have homemade English muffins ready whenever I want one.

What You’ll Need

If you’re new to sourdough, you’ll need an active sourdough starter. If you don’t have one yet, check out my How to Make a Sourdough Starter post!

A few other things I use for this recipe:

• • My Sourdough Starter Kit

• • The English Muffin Rings I Use

• • My Reusable Freezer Bags

None of these are absolutely required, but the English muffin rings especially make a difference if you want those nice, tall, classic English muffin shapes.

Ingredients

• • 200g active sourdough starter

• • 480g milk, preferably room temperature

• • 40g honey

• • 10g salt

• • 720g bread flour or all-purpose flour (I prefer bread flour)

Instructions

1. Mix the wet ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, combine your active sourdough starter, milk, and honey.

2. Add the flour and salt

Add the salt and flour and mix until everything is combined and you have a shaggy dough.

Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

3. Mix the dough

After the 30-minute rest, mix the dough again for about 2–3 minutes, until it becomes smoother and more cohesive.

Cover the bowl and let the dough sit at room temperature for approximately 5 hours for the first rise.

The exact timing will depend on the temperature of your kitchen and how active your starter is.

4. Prepare your pans

Line your baking pans with parchment paper and sprinkle a layer of cornmeal over the parchment.

Grease your English muffin rings and place them on the prepared pans.

5. Shape the English muffins

Divide the dough into 12 equal portions.

Roll each portion into a tight dough ball and place each one inside a greased English muffin ring.

6. Let them rise again

Cover the muffins and let them sit for another 1–2 hours for their second rise.

They should look noticeably puffier before baking.

7. Bake

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Place another baking pan on top of the rings before putting them in the oven. This helps keep the English muffins from spreading and creates a little bit of a moist environment while they bake.

Bake for approximately 20–23 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 200–210°F.

8. Cool and enjoy

Let the English muffins cool before slicing.

Then toast one, add some butter, and enjoy the fact that you just made English muffins that are somehow better than the ones from the grocery store.

How I Freeze Them

These are so good from the freezer, which is honestly one of my favorite things about this recipe.

Once the English muffins have completely cooled, I put them into my [reusable freezer bags] and pop them in the freezer.

When I want one, I either let it thaw for a little bit and then toast it, or microwave it for a few seconds before putting it in the toaster.

They come out just as good as when they’re fresh.

And if you ask me, the best way to eat one is toasted with a ridiculous amount of butter.

No jam. No eggs. No fancy toppings.

Just butter.

Because these English muffins don’t need anything else.