These whole wheat sourdough english muffins are surprisingly easy to make – and the taste is so much better than store bought! Perfect for breakfast, sandwiches, mini pizza, and more. Plus it‘s another great way to use your sourdough “discard.”
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English muffins are one of those things that, up until I started my real food journey, it would have never crossed my mind to make (like so many other pantry basics I discovered were almost easier to make than buy).
When you don’t grow up around bread making and homemade stuff, it’s easy to think it can’t be made at home. Which seems silly, because I knew it was possible to make bread, even if I didn’t know many people who did.
And sourdough? Well, that came only from San Francisco, right?
Now in addition to sourdough sandwich bread and artisan bread, among others, I have learned not only that English muffins can be made at home, but also that they taste incredible.
AND they are really easy – I promise.
Plus, this is a great recipe for your sourdough discard.
I wish the term wasn’t discard, because you definitely don’t want to through this precious stuff away! But I understand that from the starter’s perspective, it’s is the amount you’re removing to keep the starter strong and viable as you feed it.
However, that “discard” is what we want to use in our baking. If it’s been fed in the last 6-12 hours, it’s active and can be used in bread making.
However, if it’s a discard from the first months of the starter’s life, or from waking up a sleepy starter, it’s better to use it for low-rise things like crackers, quick bread, and these English muffins.
And then if you’re keeping the starter on the counter for awhile to bake more regularly, you might find you have too much discard that you’ve stashed in the fridge.
If a recipe calls for another type of leavener like baking soda or baking powder, you can successfully use the refrigerated starter in them, without feeding, so none of it goes to waste.
(New to sourdough and want to get started? Check out my easy guide to all things sourdough.)
The #1 Thing to Remember For This Recipe
In this easy recipe, there is one thing that’s been hard for me:
To remember to start the night before.
I’ve been known to make a big note and leave it on my bed to remind me I can’t climb in until I’ve mixed up the initial dough!
Do what you need to do to make it happen – you won’t be sorry.
Whole Wheat Sourdough English Muffins
Ingredients
Overnight Sponge:
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup milk (you can use water, but milk makes them more tender)
- 2 cup whole wheat flour (I’ve used white whole wheat, whole wheat pastry flour, spelt, and half regular whole wheat + half all purpose – using only regular whole wheat tends to make them heavier.)
For the Muffins:
- 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (you may need a bit more during kneading)
Instructions
Take five minutes the night before to mix the sourdough starter with a bit of honey, flour, and milk.
Water will work if you’re avoiding dairy, but they won’t be quite as tender. You can try a milk substitute, but I haven’t so I don’t know if it would work to tenderize the dough like milk.
In the morning, it will look like the photo above (or it may have risen higher, depending on your starter, the temperature, how active your starter is, etc.).
Go with whatever yours looks like. I’ve found English muffins, thankfully, to pretty forgiving.
Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl if stirring by hand.
Add baking soda, salt, and 1/4 cup flour to the dough and mix together.
Knead with the mixer (or by hand) for 3-4 minutes, adding another 1/4-1/3 cup of flour gradually (1-2 tablespoons at a time) during the kneading process.
When the 1/4 cup of flour has been added, the dough should be moist enough to stick to the bowl, but only be a bit tacky when touched with a finger.
If a lot sticks to your finger that’s how you know to add more flour, but no more than 1/3 cup total, as stated in the recipe.
I’ve found that the enemy of any bread is too much flour– it’s best for the dough to need to be scraped out of a bowl.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it into a round. I like to use a lightly floured tea towel. It makes for easy cleanup and also helps you use less flour in the rolling out process.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to about 1/2- inch thickness. Cut the dough into rounds using a 3-inch biscuit cutter…or anything that will produce uniform rounds.
I like using biscuit cutters- there are recipes I saw that require you to shape each muffin with your hands- who has time for that?
It’s OK to gather the dough and re-roll to cut more muffins- I haven’t noticed any difference between the first roll and the second.
Set the rounds on a lined baking sheet (parchment or silicone) that has been dusted with cornmeal or a bit of flour.
Don’t let them touch as they will stick together, but an inch or two apart is fine. Dust the tops with a bit more cornmeal or flour.
Cover with a towel and set in a warm place to rise for a couple of hours.
The picture above is the cut muffin dough after a 2-hour rise and you can see that they actually don’t rise all that much- just puff a bit. They will rise more when cooked.
I’ve cooked these after letting them rise only one hour and they were fine, but the holes inside are bigger after the full 2 hour rise.
Heat a griddle or pan to a medium to medium-low setting (about 275 degrees, you may have to play with it a bit). I’ve found a slightly lower temperature works better for the muffins have time to cook inside without burning on the outside.
Transfer the number of dough rounds your griddle/pan can hold with a few inches in between to the dry surface (for even browning, do not grease).
Transferring Tip: The muffins do tend to stick to the lining even with a dusting of flour/cornmeal, so as you slide a spatula under to transfer to the griddle, pick up a bit of the flour/cornmeal as you’re lifting the muffin with the spatula. Then invert onto the heated griddle.
Cook on one side about 4-5 minutes until browned. Turn and flatten slightly with the back of the spatula to get that characteristic English muffin shape.
Cook for about another 4-5 minutes, looking to make sure the muffin is browned on the bottom.
Remove to a baking rack to cool.
You can keep for a day or two in a sealed container or freeze for longer storage.
Slice – or better yet, split with a fork to preserve all the nooks and crannies – toast, and butter like you would any English muffin.
Just be prepared for a major taste difference!
And that’s it- one quick mix the night before, another stir in a mixer, a simple roll-and-cut, a rise and a super-quick eight minute cook. I think it might be 20-25 minutes total hands-on time.
Not too bad for a baker’s dozen great tasting fresh English muffins that cost about $1.00.
Definitely worth it!
Oh, and our family’s favorite way to eat these is as a base for Eggs Benedict with super easy Hollandaise sauce – yum.
Easy Whole Wheat Sourdough English Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
Overnight Sponge:
- 1/2 cup (100 g) sourdough starter
- 1 tablespoon (20 g) honey (or maple syrup or sugar)
- 1 cup (240 g) milk (can use water, but milk makes them more tender)
- 2 cups (240 g) whole wheat flour*
For the Muffins:
- 1½ teaspoon (7.5 g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (5 g)
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (60 g) (may need a bit more when kneading)
Instructions
- The night before: Mix the starter, honey, milk, and 2 cups flour in an 8-cup measuring bowl or batter bowl the night before you want to make the muffins. Cover and leave at room temperature overnight.
- In the morning: Transfer the sponge to the bowl of a mixer (or large mixing bowl to be made by hand). Add the soda, salt and 1/4 cup of the flour.
- If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment to mix together, then switch to the dough hook and knead for 3-4 minutes, adding another 1/4 cup flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is just tacky to the touch, clears the sides of the bowl, but still sticks to the bottom. If too much dough sticks to your finger when pressed, you can add another tablespoon to bring the total amount of flour to about 1/3 cup.
- If making by hand, stir the ingredients together well, turn out onto a floured surface and knead 5 minutes, adding the same 1/4-1/3 cup of flour until it's tacky but doesn't stick to your fingers.
- From the mixer, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead a few times into a round shape – just shape if kneaded by hand. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough about 1/2-inch thick. Cut into rounds with a 3-inch biscuit cutter.
- Place the muffin rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone and sprinkled with a dusting of cornmeal or flour. Leave about 2-inches between each muffin (they will stick together if they touch after rising), and dust the tops with a bit more flour or cornmeal.
- Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours. They will just slightly puff.
- Heat a griddle to a medium-low setting (about 275 degrees) in order to cook the inside of the muffin without burning the outside.
- Transfer the muffins, one at a time, to the heated griddle or pan (do not grease for even browning) and cook for about 4-5 minutes on one side. Flip the muffins, flatten slightly with the back of the spatula, and cook for another 4-5 minutes on the other side until both sides are nicely browned.**
- Cool on a rack. Store for a couple days in an airtight container or freeze for longer storage.
Notes
Nutrition
Other Sourdough Recipes To Try:
This recipe has been updated – it was originally published in 2011.
Debbie A. says
I made these yesterday and had one for breakfast this morning. Very good! I made a few adjustments to mine. I used half whole wheat and half pastry flour. Also, my starter is on the wet side, so I cut back on the milk by about 2 Tbsp. (both for the flour substitution and and wet starter.) I also found that my griddle needed to be set at 300 degrees, in order to brown the muffins. After cooking, I did as you suggested and baked them for 5 min. in the oven. Thanks for the recipe!
Jami says
Wonderful, Debbie – thanks for the review!
Stacey Hyland says
I just made these! They are delicious. I did use 100% whole wheat that I grind. I would highly recommend trying this recipe. It is so easy.
Jami says
Awesome, Stacey – and so glad to know it worked with your home ground wheat!
Pam says
I’ve made these several times and they are tasty but they don’t look like the picture. They are very hard to get off the parchment so they are misshapened. Also you said to use fed discard. What do you mean. I make these from the sourdough starter that is left over after I take out what I want to feed. Is this wrong?
Jami says
Hmm, I use a silicone liner, but I wouldn’t think that would make that much of a difference.
What I mean by “fed discard” is that after your initial feeding (like after waking it from refrigeration) and there is activity, remove half (or amount you need) and then feed again to get more. The part removed is the fed discard. If you are using a starter that hasn’t been fed in awhile, that will affect the outcome.
Karen Kirchner says
These are the best! I used whole wheat pastry flour, 3 1/2 inch cutter and found that kneading in the stand mixer really helped with texture. The taste and texture are perfect. Was hesitant about using all whole wheat, but will always make them this way from now on
Jami says
Oh, I’m so glad you tried this and saw that WW can be used successfully with the right recipe. 🙂 Thanks for this review!
Noelle says
These were delicious! I made a half batch in case they didn’t turn out well, but I’ll for sure make the full 12 muffins from now on. I used whole spelt and a little rye flour. Thanks!
Jami says
So glad you liked these – thanks so much for the review!
Carrie says
Do you have the measurements in weight? Volume is not very accurate, especially when you’re talking about different types of flour, etc. thanks.
Jami says
I don’t – I would just go onto a conversion website to find them.
Laura says
Hello Jami! What is the hydration percentage of this dough? Not the starter, but the entire dough? Thank you.
Jami says
Sorry, I have no idea Laura!
Anita says
This is the second thing I have made from your site (First was Artisan Sourdough❤️) These are soooo easy! I make the night before and grill in the morning before lunch. I do find that I do need the extra 7-10 min in the oven just to finish them or they are a bit doughy. As we toast these anyway using the bagel setting they were fine! I used 1/2 WW and half AP white flour and they were delicous. LOVE THESE!!!
Jami says
Glad you liked these, too, Anita! That is a good tip about baking them a bit – I do need to add that option to the recipe, as sometimes it’s hard to tell when they are done completely.
Erin says
The taste of the muffins was amazing but I was not doing something right.. I had them on medium to low heat on the griddle as suggested, 4 minutes each side because any longer and the color would be too dark, but they seemed a little undercooked to me.
I wanted to give some to my neighbors, but you can’t check to see if their cooked inside without opening them up first. So I just opened each one as I went to see how they were cooking on the inside. I’m glad I checked because they all seemed undercooked on the inside 🙁
It’s a lot of work so I don’t know if I’ll try again.
Jami says
You can pop them into a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes to cook longer if you’d like!
Christina says
These look delicious! I have the batter stirred up right now and will be rolling them out in the morning. I used water instead of milk because I was afraid to leave the milk out all night at room temperature. Have you had any problems with it? Would it be safer and still have the same “softer” effect to use almond milk instead of regular milk or water?
Thanks! I can’t wait to see how they turn out tomorrow!
Jami says
I haven’t had any issue with milk in the batter and I do know it softens the dough. I’d try almond milk and see!
Pooja says
Hi, great instructions and delicious looking muffins. I will try these out. I wanted to ask, after shaping could I proof them overnight in the refrigerator? So that I can bring them out in the morning and cook them for breakfast.
Thanks.
Jami says
I haven’t done that, but I just read a comment of someone who did and said it worked!
Marta says
These were as tasty and easy as promised! I would suggest using a 4 inch biscuit cutter, however. I used a 3 in and I got delicious, adorable mini-muffins. 🙂 Perfect for my kids but not big enough for an egg sandwich.
Jami says
Ha! Thanks so much for the review, Marta!
Emily says
I am out of whole wheat, would regular, white baking flour work for this?
Jami says
Yes, I believe so, though you may need a bit more flour.
Laura says
I was just going to mention something. Just realized when using white flour it’s a but runny. Thank you!
Jami says
I never tested it with white flour, so thanks for that tip to add more flour.
Laura says
I used whole wheat flour today and made cinnamon raisin ones. Can’t get anouth of these. They are amazingly good!
Jami says
Sounds delish!
Sam says
I just stumbled across your site looking for something to do with my discard starter (I was tearful at the idea of just tossing it). These are the most incredible (and easy!) English muffins. Thank you so much for sharing!
Jami says
So glad you found this, then, Sam – I’m so with you on the discard, I don’t ever throw it away. 🙂
Keri says
So easy and yummy. Did them in a pan, no griddle here. Thanks fro sharing. 🙂
Keri says
That would be for not fro! hahaha!!
Jami says
🙂
Jami says
Great! Yes, I use a pan, too, now – though it was nice to be able to cook them all at once on the griddle. 🙂
Lisa says
Do you use starter that has already been fed, or using discard before you feed it? Thanks.
Jami says
I only use fed discard, fed at least the day previously if not the day.
Kim Jamison says
Thanks for this recipe. It really was easy.
Came out great after the overnight rise of the levain.
Jami says
Glad you liked it, Kim – and thanks for the starred review!
Andrew Daubenspeck says
Wonderful recipe! The instructions are really good and I am so pleased with the results! Thanks! Definitely a 5-star rating.
Jami says
So glad you like these – thanks for the rating!
Debbie says
These English Muffins are the best! Thanks for the great recipe. I had a bit of trouble getting the muffin from the parchment into the skillet, because of the wetness of the dough. Decided to cut the parchment and put muffin with the parchment into the skillet and remove the parchment after I turned the muffin. Worked amazingly!
Would it work to use sprouted wheat flour for the final mixing?
Jami says
Good tip, Debbie – thanks! I haven’t done a ton with sprouted wheat, but what I have makes me think it would work. You can always try 1/2 first and see if there’s any difference.
Nikki says
Thank you so much for this recipe! So easy & my entire family loved them! I’m doubling the recipe this time because they went so quickly. It’s summer & warm, so 1 hour for the final rise was just about right for the last batch. Thanks again!
Jami says
Yay! It’s amazing what a difference a warm kitchen makes, isn’t it? 🙂
Bethann says
These English muffins were so easy to make and came out perfectly! I used a 2 3/4-inch round cookie cutter and ended up with 14 muffins. They are the perfect size—after letting them rise for 1.5 hours they were close to 3 1/4-inches in diameter.
Next time I’m going to let the initial dough sit for a longer period of time in hopes that the sourdough flavor becomes more pronounced. This time I started the dough in the morning, so it had only 8 hours to rise. I’ll try 12 hours next time.
Great recipe—thank you for sharing it!
Jami says
That size does sound perfect, Bethann – good idea about letting it ferment longer for flavor!