Don't toss your sourdough discard! Give your breakfast routine a delicious upgrade by transforming leftover sourdough starter into these flavorful Sourdough Discard English Muffins. This recipe combines your excess starter with the convenience of commercial yeast, creating fluffy English muffins that are so much better than store-bought.
Why I love this recipe
- Mixed by hand, no stand mixer required.
- Great way to use up sourdough discard!
- Delicious sourdough flavor with shorter rise times.
- Healthy with a delicious earthy flavor thanks to whole wheat flour.
- Freeze a big batch for a quick and easy breakfast.
What makes English muffins unique?
Unlike most breads, English muffins are griddled on a cast-iron pan or skillet, instead of being baked. This creates their signature shape and thin, crispy crust. However, this step doesn't fully cook them through. To ensure they're fully cooked, English muffins must be toasted! This final step ensures the center is cooked through.
English muffins are traditionally split with a fork rather than a knife. This might seem unusual, but it has a purpose! Poking holes around the muffin instead of slicing it exposes all the nooks and crannies in the soft interior. This allows for even better toasting and creates the delightful textural contrast we love in a classic English muffin.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Bread flour: High protein content (at least 11.5%) of bread flour results in chewy English muffins with a delicious bite, you can sub all-purpose flour for softer bread.
Whole wheat flour: Adds an earthy, nutty flavor to these English muffins. Substitute spelt flour, rye flour or leave it out completely and replace it with all-purpose flour or bread flour. Check out my sourdough flour guide for more information on different types and their impact on baked goods.
Active-dry yeast: You can also use instant yeast for this recipe (you don’t have to activate or bloom the yeast if you use instant yeast).
Sourdough discard: Both active starter and sourdough discard work for this recipe. If you don’t have a sourdough starter, add 56 grams flour and 56 grams water to your dough.
Cream of wheat: English muffins are traditionally dusted with cornmeal (or another option like cream of wheat, used here) for a delightful textural contrast and to prevent the shaped dough from sticking to surfaces.
See recipe card for detailed ingredient information.
Tip
Check the expiration date on your yeast! It has a shelf life and won’t be able to make your dough rise once it is past its prime.
Baking with sourdough discard
Sourdough Discard English Muffins are much quicker to make because it uses commercial yeast instead of active sourdough starter to make the dough rise.
The addition of sourdough discard contributes a rich and nuanced flavor to these English Muffins. Since the sourdough starter is used solely for flavor enhancement, there's no need to activate or feed it and you can use it directly from the refrigerator.
Should I leave the yeast out if I use an active sourdough starter?
Using active sourdough starter instead of active dry yeast will drastically increase fermentation time.
Wild yeast in a sourdough starter ferments dough at a much slower pace. So, instead of a 30 to 45 minute proofing time, you should expect your dough to rise for about 4 to 6 hours. Final proof may also stretch out to 2 to 4 hours.
How to make Sourdough Discard English Muffins
STEP 1: Make the dough
If you're going to Bloom the yeast. Fold the ingredients in until a shaggy dough forms. Knead the butter into the dough. Continue kneading until all the butter is absorbed. make this recipe, make sure to follow this top tip!
Tip
Your dough will feel less greasy as the butter is absorbed. This may take up to 5 minutes.
STEP 2: Stretch and fold the dough
Pull one side of the dough up as far as it will stretch, then fold it over itself. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until all 4 sides of the dough are folded. Round the dough into a tight ball.
Tip
While the dough might feel quite wet and sticky at first, don't worry! The stretch and fold method is a gentle technique perfect for handling wet doughs. This gentle technique is ideal for wet doughs and effectively develops a strong gluten network.
STEP 3: Bulk ferment
Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly-oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in volume, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Tip
Fermentation is the most important step in baking. Make sure you give your dough enough time to rise, or your English muffins will turn out dense and gummy.
STEP 4: Shape the English muffins
Flatten the dough into a 12 by 10-inch rectangle, about ½-inch thick. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut as many rounds out of the dough as you can. Knead the dough and flatten it once more until it is about ½-inch thick. Cut out rounds and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet dusted with cornmeal or cream of wheat.
Tip
Don’t crowd dough on the baking sheets since they get stuck to each other very easily.
STEP 5: Griddle the English muffins
Let the dough rise covered until puffy and well risen, about 15 to 20 minutes. Fry the dough in a preheated, dry skillet for 6 to 8 minutes with a cover. Flip the English muffins and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 350 F.
Tip
Cook the dough over low heat to ensure the interior cooks through while preventing the exterior from becoming overly browned.
STEP 6: Toast the English muffins
Poke the sides of the English muffin with a fork. Gently pull the sides apart. Toast the English muffins until golden brown.
Baker’s Tips
- Weigh your ingredients. Measuring by weight is much more accurate than by volume (with tablespoons and cups).
- Active starter and sourdough discard will both work for this recipe.
- Both instant yeast and active-dry yeast will work for this recipe.
- Don’t let your dough overproof. Letting your dough rise too much will result in flat, gummy English muffins!
- Avoid the knives! Slicing your English muffins with a knife will flatten out the crumb and destroy the nooks and crannies that give them their delicious texture.
- Finish your English muffins in the toaster. English muffins aren’t fully baked even after they come out of the oven. They truly shine once they are toasted.
How to Store Sourdough English Muffins
These Sourdough Discard English Muffins freeze beautifully. They retain their freshness for up to a month, and taste as good as the day they were made.
- Split & Wrap: Use a fork (no knife needed!) to gently split each muffin in half. Wrap in plastic wrap to keep the muffins together.
- Bag: Place the wrapped muffins in a freezer bag.
- Toast: When you're ready to enjoy a muffin, simply grab one from the freezer, toast it until warmed through.
If you need make-ahead bread ideas, try my recipe for Sourdough Discard Bagels!
Recipe FAQs
Sourdough discard is any portion of your starter removed during the feeding process or any part not used to leaven sourdough bread. You can use it in other bakes and dishes or store it in the refrigerator.
Absolutely! This will help develop an even stronger gluten network. Simply add the ingredients to the bowl of your stand mixer, and knead with a dough hook until completely smooth (about 5 minutes).
No! You can simply toast the English muffins straight from frozen.
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Sourdough Discard English Muffin Recipe
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Ingredients
Dough
- 340 grams water
- 7 grams active-dry yeast
- 14 grams brown sugar sub honey or maple syrup
- 60 grams whole wheat flour
- 450 grams bread flour
- 10 grams salt
- 113 grams sourdough discard
- 28 grams unsalted butter softened
Topping
- 14 grams cornmeal sub cream of wheat
Click US Customary to view volume measurements
Instructions
- Bloom the yeast: Whisk the water, brown sugar and yeast together in a large mixing bowl. Cover the bowl and let the yeast bloom until foamy, about 15 minutes.340 grams water, 7 grams active-dry yeast, 14 grams brown sugar
- Make the dough: Using a stiff spatula or a wooden spoon, stir the remaining dough ingredients into the yeast mixture until no dry bits of flour remain. Switch to your hands and knead until a cohesive dough forms.60 grams whole wheat flour, 450 grams bread flour, 10 grams salt, 113 grams sourdough discard
- Knead the butter into the dough until completely absorbed. The dough should start greasy and gradually become smoother and less sticky.28 grams unsalted butter
- Stretch and fold the dough: Pull one side of the dough up as far as it will stretch, then fold it over itself. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until all 4 sides of the dough are folded and the dough looks smooth. Round the dough into a tight ball.
- Bulk fermentation: Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 30 to 45 minutes.
- Prep: Line two large baking sheets (18 by 13-inch) with parchment paper. Dust the baking sheets with cornmeal or cream of wheat. Set aside.14 grams cornmeal
- Shape the dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough out to a 12 by 10-inch rectangle, about ½-inch thick. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut as many rounds as you can out of the dough. Place the dough rounds on the prepared baking sheet, be sure to leave about 2 inches of space between each dough round on the prepared baking sheet. This prevents them from sticking together
- Re-roll the dough: Gather the dough up into a ball and knead until it comes together into a smooth ball. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes, this will make it easier to roll out.
- Flatten the dough out into a 10 by 6-inch rectangle, about ½-inch thick. Cut out as many rounds of dough as you can. Re-roll scraps once more. I ended up with 16 rounds. Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheet.
- Final Proof: Let the dough rise until puffy and well-risen, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Prep: While the dough rises, preheat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Griddle the English muffins: Lower the heat to medium-low and gently transfer 3 portions of dough to the preheated skillet. Be very gentle and avoid flattening or stretching them. Fry the dough, untouched for 6 to 8 minutes or until one side is golden brown. Flip the dough and continue frying for another 6 to 8 minutes.
- Bake the muffins: Transfer the cooked English muffins back to the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. This will dry out the interior and ensure the crumb is no longer gummy and raw. Transfer to a wire rack and let the muffins cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Finish the English muffins in the toaster: Using a fork, poke holes into the side and pry the sides apart. Toast the muffins until heated through and some spots are lightly browned. Top with your favorite spreads and enjoy!
- Store: Split up the English muffins, and wrap in plastic wrap. Store wrapped English muffins in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Toast the English muffins without defrosting
Tips
These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I've included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.
Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.
Notes
- Make sure your yeast is not expired before baking these rolls or your dough may not rise.
- Give your dough enough time to rise, waiting until it has doubled in volume before shaping. Otherwise, your bread may be dense and gummy.
- Feel free to use active sourdough starter or sourdough discard to make this recipe.
- Both instant yeast and active dry yeast will work to make this recipe.
- Don’t skip toasting! English muffins are not fully baked after they come out of the oven. Toasting ensures the interior reaches a safe final temperature and achieves a desirable texture.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist or dietitian, any nutrition information provided is an estimate.
Did you make this recipe? Do you have questions? Let me know below!