Sourdough English Muffins - Easy Overnight Whole Wheat

4.97 from 78 votes

Sourdough English Muffins - Easy Overnight Whole Wheat

Make easy sourdough english muffins with whole wheat and this tutorial that are amazing for breakfast, sandwiches, mini pizzas, and more.

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Overnight sponge + rise14

Total Time14 30

Course: Breads

Cuisine: American

Servings: to 13

Calories: 110kcal

Author: Jami Boys

Ingredients

Overnight Sponge:

1/2 cup (100g) sourdough starter, fed or unfed
1 tablespoon (20g) honey (or maple syrup or sugar)
1 cup (240g) milk (can use water, but milk makes them more tender)
2 cups (240g) flour*

For the Muffins (the next day):

1½ teaspoon (7.5g) baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt (5g)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (60g) (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. (It should be stirrable - if it's too stiff from a flour that absorbs more or a dryer starter, add a bit more milk or water). Cover and leave at room temperature overnight. (Note: it's safe to leave this at room temperature because of the fermentation.)
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 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 more, a tablespoon at a time, to bring the total amount of flour to about 1/3 cup (it should still be slightly sticky).
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 (if wanting bigger muffins, use a 4-inch cutter).
Place the muffin rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone and sprinkled with a good dusting of cornmeal or flour. Leave about 2 inches between each muffin, as 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 be just slightly more puffy.
Heat a griddle to a medium-low to medium setting (about 275 degrees) in order to cook the inside of the muffin without burning the outside. Do not grease (for even browning.)
Transfer the muffins, one at a time, to the heated griddle or pan 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 and an instant read thermometer inserted in the center of the muffins reads 195-200F.**
Cool on a rack. Store for a couple days in an airtight container or freeze for longer storage.

Notes

*Flours to use: White whole wheat, whole wheat pastry flour, spelt or half regular whole wheat + half all purpose (using all regular hard red whole wheat tends to make a denser muffin). Reader comments also suggest:

"For 100% [hard red] whole wheat, add either a few teaspoons of vital wheat gluten or a scant 1/2 teaspoon diastatic malt powder for a soft muffin."
"[I] used whole wheat pastry flour and they were the best batch yet."
"I used whole spelt and a little rye flour. These were delicious! I used 100% fresh milled spelt flour for these and they are AMAZING!!! I just rolled them a little thicker, and used a smaller cutter because spelt tends to spread out more than it rises."
"They are delicious. I did use 100% whole wheat that I grind."

**If muffins are browned enough, but still don't seem cooked through, you can put them in a 350 degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes, though I've never needed to if cooked on medium-low. You can also use one of the other tips in the recipe post. Note: The sides may look a bit doughy initially, but will firm up as they cool.

Storage: You can keep for a day or two in a sealed container or freeze for longer storage.

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