Sourdough English Muffins (Overnight Recipe)

Last Updated on June 1, 2026 by Jamie Saechao

These sourdough English muffins are tender, soft, and filled with nooks and crannies for butter, honey, and jam!

English muffins are a popular breakfast item in our household, and I’m excited to share this sourdough version with you!  Unlike the store-bought version, these homemade sourdough English muffins have just a few ingredients.

This is a long-ferment, overnight recipe, making the muffins more easily digestible. And the flavor is incredible: they are slightly tangy, chewy, and irresistible!

I love to make these muffins the day before for a quick breakfast or use them for sandwiches the next day.

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This English muffin recipe features key tips on how to bake them perfectly. I have a few tricks up my sleeve to help you cook up muffins that are perfectly shaped, baked through, and delicious!

Looking for more easy sourdough breakfast recipes? Try these sourdough pancakes, sourdough pikelets, sourdough French toast, or easy sourdough bagels.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour: I always use organic flour when possible. 
• ​Active Sourdough Starter: You need an active, bubbly starter for this recipe. 
• Butter:  Use soft but firm, room temperature butter
• Salt: I like using sea salt
• Honey: Softens the dough and adds a slight hint of sweetness
• Milk: Instead of water, milk is used in this recipe, resulting in fluffy, thick English muffins.

Why this recipe works: This is a very soft dough made with butter, milk, and all-purpose flour. Sourdough starter mixed into the dough provides the levain.  I walk you through a tried-and-true approach to cooking English muffins that yields perfectly cooked, golden brown muffins every time. 

How To Make Sourdough English Muffins

Feed your sourdough starter 4-8 hours before making this recipe.  You want the starter to be active and bubbly when adding it to the dough. This will be temperature-dependent. In warmer temperatures, the starter will become active more quickly. 

Add the milk and sourdough starter to a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer and whisk well (use a dough whisk for easy mixing).  Add the flour, butter, salt, and honey to the dough.  Mix all ingredients to create a shaggy dough.  Cover with plastic wrap or a shower cap and let sit for 30 minutes. 

Transfer the dough to a stand mixer to knead.  Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes or until it is smooth and silky.  This dough is very sticky and will not form a smooth ball. 

Cover the dough with plastic wrap or your preferred cover.  Set it in a warm place overnight, until it has doubled in size, about 8-10 hours. The temperature should be between 70-72 degrees. In warmer temperatures, the dough will ferment more quickly. In colder temps, it will take longer to bulk ferment.

The next morning, dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll the dough out until it is about 1/2 inch thick.  At this point, I highly recommend covering the end of your spatula and biscuit cutter with flour; this will make it easier to maintain the shape of each muffin.

Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter or the lid of a mason jar, cut out round shapes in the dough. Use a spatula to transfer each circle to the parchment paper.  Once all of the dough has been cut, cover it with plastic wrap or a light, damp tea towel. 

Allow the dough to double again, about 60-90 minutes. 

Preheat a cast-iron skillet or non-stick skillet over low heat for about 10 minutes. Even though we are using low heat, you want the pan to be thoroughly heated BEFORE you start baking your English muffins.  

Transfer four muffins to the preheated pan and cover. Cook for 4-5 minutes, then flip and cook the other side for an additional 4 minutes. 

Enjoy immediately or save for later!

Important Tips

• This dough is sticky and can be hard to mix by hand.  I recommend using the dough hook of a stand mixer. 
• To hold their shape, you can cook these muffins inside an English muffin ring.  Alternatively, use your fingers carefully to shape the dough into a circle after placing the muffins in the pan. 
• I use a cutter that is 3 inches across to cut the dough. 
• To maintain the dough’s shape while transferring the muffins to the baking sheets, dust your spatula with flour. This will keep the dough from sticking and losing it’s shape as your move it.

Timeline

9 pm:  Mix the dough and cover

9:30 pm:  Knead dough, shape into a loose ball, and cover for overnight ferment

7:00 am: Cut the dough into English muffin shapes and begin the second fermentation. 

8:20 am: Heat up the skillet and cook the muffins. 

How To Make Same-Day English Muffins

For same-day muffins, mix the dough very early in the morning, then place it in a very warm spot and wait for it to double. Later in the day, you can do the second ferment and bake.  I like to do this schedule on a Sunday, so I have an easy breakfast option for the kids the next morning. 

Storage

Store English muffins in an airtight bag at room temperate for 5-7 days. To freeze, slice each muffin half, then put in a freezer safe, airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

I hope you love this sourdough English muffin recipe!