These whole wheat sourdough english muffins are surprisingly easy to make – and the taste is so far above store bought that it’s worth the effort.
English muffins are one of those things that, up until a few years ago, it would have never crossed my mind to make (like so many other pantry basics I discovered were easy). I don’t know…when you don’t grow up around bread making and homemade stuff, it’s easy just 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 anyone who did.
Oh, but have I learned they can be made at home, AND they taste incredible (Promise! I’m not just saying that because I make them), AND they are really easy.
Really.
And when you add whole wheat and sourdough into the equation? L.o.v.e.
Making whole wheat sourdough English muffins is a great way to use up your sourdough starter in a way that will turn out some seriously delicious sourdough bread. (New to sourdough and want to get started? Check out my easy guide to all things sourdough.)
MY LATEST VIDEOSThe only thing that’s hard about this recipe is 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, though – you won’t be sorry.
Here’s all the steps you need to follow to make your own fresh-off-the-griddle English muffins.
Whole Wheat Sourdough English Muffins
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.
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 c. 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, like shown above.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it into a round.
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. I take the little scrap from the last bit and hand-shape it into a cute little muffin. No waste here.
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.
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. The picture you see above is 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.
Heat a griddle to a medium-low setting (about 275 degrees) so the muffins have time to cook inside without burning on the outside.
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 minutes, or until browned. You can see above how they puff during the initial cooking.
Turn and flatten slightly with the back of the spatula to get that characteristic English muffin shape.
Cook for about another 4 minutes, looking to make sure the muffin is browned on the bottom. Remove to a baking rack to cool. Keep for a day or two in a sealed container or freeze for longer storage.
Slice, 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 dozen great tasting fresh English muffins that cost about $1.00.
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.
Click the arrow for the full printable recipe!
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I am planning on making these this weekend! JUST had a question – I have English Muffin ring rounds that I bought. Do you know how I couldn’t utilize these with this recipe? TIA. 🙂
I don’t know, Anne. I’m late answering and wonder if you figured out a way? These are pretty easy to shape and stay in shape, so it might just be extra work to make them fit the rounds…
I am not sure how the overnight sponge for this recipe is supposed to work. It calls for 2 to 1 flour to milk ratio which resulted in a hard ball of very dry dough. What consistency should the sponge be when first mixed? Is the a variance to the flour required for the sponge?
I see others having success with this recipe, so there must be something I am missing.
There is also a 1/2 cup of sourdough starter included in the sponge – is yours a stiff starter? My starter is usually a 1:1 ratio. The sponge should be more dough-like, since you’re not adding a lot of flour the next day. But not a ball. Feel free to add more liquid if your starter is dryer.
Made the muffins this morning. Fantastic! I subbed 1/2 cup spelt and used unsweetened almond milk. Also sprinkled corn meal on the parchment and the griddle. I posted my success on FB Whole Grain Sourdough Baking group.
Wonderful to hear, Robert. I know that cornmeal is more traditional, but I don’t care for the gritty texture on the muffins, so left it out. 🙂 I’ll have to check out that FB group – sounds like a good one.
I don’t have a griddle, but I do have cast iron skillets. Any tips for cooking them in a skillet on the stove?
You’ll have to do it in batches, but otherwise it would be the same – just monitor your heat level and browning and you should be good to go, Sara!
I just made these…They’re amazing!! This will be a go to in my home!! Thank you for sharing!
I love hearing that, Kim – yay!
Could you tell me how much a cup of your flour weighs? I grind my own, so volume varies, but I usually substitute 127g of flour in any recipe that calls for 1 cup and things turn out fine. In this recipe, though, I had a terrible time with sticky dough. The sponge was really wet, and I had to add nearly a cup of flour to the knead step to even be able to handle the dough a little. Rolling and cutting was a challenge still….they are rising now, so time will tell, but I am more than a little interested in how much 1 cup of your flour weighs. Thanks!
I can’t stop making (and eating) these muffins! Between breakfast sandwiches, chicken melts and as a sweet alternative using fruit preserves we devour them. They are so easy to make. I initially had a problem transfering them to the pan. They would stick (even on cornmeal) and either deflate or become misshapen. Today I tried something new and it was perfect. I lined the pans with aluminum foil sprinkled with cornmeal (I interchange foil with parchment paper depending on what I have the most of). After their 2 hour rise, I cut the foil into “squares” around each muffin and sprinkle the tops with cornmeal. I then took each square and invert it onto my griddle. If the foil sticks, leave it for a few seconds and it will pretty much peel right off. Today, success! 25 perfectEnglish Muffins!
So glad to read this, Sandra, thanks for sharing that tip with us!
Thanks for the info! I think I will go ahead and try your recipe. Your instructions are so clear and I’m always a fan of pics. Lol
Hi, I was wondering if the sourdough taste is pretty strong in these English muffins? Because I actually don’t like the sourdough taste but really wanted to try this recipe. Is there a way to maybe make the whole wheat English muffins without the sourdough starter?
My sourdough is usually not strongly flavored – I keep it a bit thicker (adding more flour and less water at each feeding), which results in a mild sourdough flavor (if any at all). It’s all about the starter. I’m sure there are whole wheat english muffin recipes out there that aren’t sourdough – I’m not sure how to convert this recipe, though – sorry!
I cannot believe how easy they are to make! I would never have imagined that. Thanks for the great tutorial, Jamie!
oh i love english muffins and it’s great knowing that the recipe for a sourdough version is so easy! i’m definitely doing this!! another use for my sourdough starter!
http://mummyicancook.blogspot.com/2011/01/pumpkin-ravioli-with-basil-browned.html
I too have just started making sourdough English muffins. And I’m in love! They are so good!
Gina
I got my sourdough starter going last week to make these; I think I found my recipe on GNOWFGLINS last year. However, things got so busy that I forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder! These are on the list for next week, though I think I’ll try your recipe this time and see how it goes.
Thanks for stopping by by and leaving a comment Jami. So glad I came back to check your blog out. I’ve been wanting to make English muffins but have not tried as of yet. And I was just telling ym husband last night I really needed to find a good homemade ranch dressing recipe cuz we go through it like crazy (at least a bottle a week or so).
Oh, these look really good! I love English muffins, but we try not to buy premade food, so we never have them anymore. I’ve been meaning to try homemade but hadn’t found a recipe yet! Thanks! I will try these this week for sure!
~Angela~
Trying out homemade English muffins had been on my to-do list for awhile. I seriously need to try! And I am totally trying out your ranch dressing recipe. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Why have I never made these? We make biscuits quite often in the morning, I think we should make these! Thanks for sharing!