This sourdough English muffin bread makes THE perfect toast. It’s also a superb companion to salted butter and homemade jam or preserves!
English muffins, though worth the effort, can be a bit time-consuming to make. On the other hand, sourdough English muffin bread is a one-shot bake! It’s a springy, coarse-textured loaf perfect for slicing and toasting. All of the English muffin glory with none of the fuss!
About Some Of The Ingredients For Sourdough English Muffin Bread:
- Milk – You can use cow’s milk or plant-based milk. Both work well in this recipe.
- Bubbly, active sourdough starter – To make English muffin bread you need sourdough starter that has been recently fed. You’re looking for bubbles and the texture of melted marshmallows when you stir. We recommend feeding your starter 8-12 hours before you want to bake this bread. To learn more about sourdough starter visit this post called How To Make A Sourdough Starter. For the loaf you see in these photos, we used a rye sourdough starter. If you are using a regular all-purpose flour starter, your bread will look more like a light whole wheat bread than ours.
- Flour – White flour gives the bread springiness, while whole wheat flour adds texture and depth of flavour. You can make the recipe with all white flour for a lighter bread. If you use all whole wheat flour the bread will be more heavy and dense.
- Baking Powder – Baking powder adds a little extra lightness to the batter, and helps develop the classic nooks and crannies similar to an English muffin. Please note, the baking powder DOES NOT go in to the bread dough when initially mixing. It goes into the dough JUST BEFORE the final rise. Just work the dough a bit to mix it in. It will deflate, that’s ok.
The Importance Of Using A Scale
We can’t stress enough the importance of using a scale for this recipe. We’ve measured sourdough starter by both weight and volume on several different occasions and have gotten completely different results each time. For sourdough English muffin bread the level of hydration matters. Weighing your ingredients on a scale ensures that exactly 245 grams of sourdough starter is added to the dough.
An Easy Way To Proof Sourdough English Muffin Bread
To create a makeshift proofer for your sourdough English muffin bread (or any other bread), place the dough inside the oven inside its covered bowl or loaf tin. Turn the oven on to 400ºF / 205ºC, close the door, and preheat the oven for 1 minute. When the time is up, immediately turn the oven off. The initial heat produced will create a perfect temperature and environment for proofing bread. Don’t open the door unless you need to!
How To Store And Reheat This Bread
- If you make your bread with plant milk, it will store well at room temperature cut-side down on a cutting board for a couple of days. You can also keep it in a clay römertopf on the counter, or in a ziploc bag in the fridge for a few days. (affiliate link)
- If you make your bread with dairy, it will only keep for one day on the counter (same storage method as plant-based milk), or in the fridge for a few days.
- To freeze, slice the bread and store it in a ziploc bag in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.
- To reheat your bread we recommend toasting. Toasted and slathered with butter or homemade jam is our favourite way to eat this bread!
Homemade Jam And Preserves That Would Be Perfect On Toasted English Muffin Bread!
Small Batch Maple Rhubarb Cardamom Jam
Recipe
Sourdough English Muffin Bread
Description
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- 8 x 4 inch (20 x 10 cm) loaf pan
- Tea towel
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Small saucepan
- Wire rack
- Instant-read thermometer optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk, cow or plant milk both work, gently warmed until lukewarm
- 1 + ¼ cups active sourdough starter
- 1 + ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 + ¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon water
Instructions
- On the stove top or in a microwave, warm the milk until lukewarm to the touch. Transfer it into a large mixing bowl and add the starter. Stir to combine.
- To the same bowl, add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, and sugar and, using a dough whisk or your hands, mix to form a sticky, wet dough.
- Cover with a lid and set aside in a warm, draft-free environment until doubled in size, about 2-3 hours. See notes.
- Once doubled, mix the baking powder and water together and stir the mixture into the dough until thoroughly combined. This will be a require a sturdy hand and the dough will get deflated, which is okay.
- Transfer dough to a greased 8 x 4 inch (20 x 10 cm) loaf pan and smooth it out as best as possible with the back of a spoon.
- Cover with a tea towel and place back in a warm, draft-free environment to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Bake until golden brown and bread begins to pull away from the pan, approximately 35-40 minutes. Alternatively, an instant-read thermometer inserted into the centre of the loaf should read 200°F (95°C) when ready.
- Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into it. Bread is best served toasted, warm, and slathered with your favourite spread.
Notes
Nutrition
If you make this recipe, let us know by tagging @baked_theblog + #bakedtheblog on Instagram! We love to feel like we’re in the kitchen with you.
Linda says
Oh my goodness, this bread is amazing. Nice chew and so fragrant. I baked about 38 minutes and the crust was the most wonderful color. Making a second loaf now!
Bethany says
Could this be left to rise overnight or will it over-proof?
Kris Osborne says
It would likely overproof if it was left to rise overnight at room temperature. I’ve been considering putting it in the fridge for a slower overnight proof. I think it could work, but haven’t yet tested it. If you try it, will you please report back?
Sidney says
I proofed it in the fridge overnight and baked it this morning. This is the first time making this bread and made the mistake of mixing in the baking powder and water when making the dough. Even so, the bread turned out perfectly. Also to mimic English Muffins, I sprinkled cornmeal on the parchment and the top of the dough before the second proof.
Jamie says
Wondering if anyone tried an overnight rise in the fridge and if it was successful?
Kris Osborne says
Hi Jamie, I haven’t tried this, but it’s something that I was intending to test at some point. If you’d like to experiment, it’s definitely worth trying. You might want to omit the baking powder though. Can you report back if you try this route? Thanks!
Anita Visentin-Perito says
just tried the overnight method. Did the first prove and then added the baking powder/water, then let it sit for maybe a half hour, put it covered in fridge. LOOKS FAB.
Pamela Schachter says
I have put it into the fridge before the baking powder and water, but after several hours of rising. Works great. Very forgiving recipe and delicious bread.
Leanne says
Bread was a huge hit with the fam! My partner is a but of a bread aficionado and he approves, even my hit and miss toddler will mow this down simply toasted with butter!
It was seriously the EASIEST. Going to keep that one as a regular.
Kris Osborne says
So happy to hear this, Leanne! Thanks for sharing. :)
Brenda says
Step 3 on the recipe card seems to be missing a few words. Do you mix the water and baking soda together into a paste and then knead it into the dough? For how long? I assume that’s what you mean, just not 100%. I’m on my first proof now, so that’s what I’ll do. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
Kris Osborne says
Thanks for pointing that out, Brenda. I’ve adjusted to the recipe so that it reads more clearly. It sounds like you did exactly what was expected and I hope that the bread turned out well for you. In future, I also hope that these adjustments help!
Billie says
How do you think this dough would be shaped into actual muffins and cooked stove top?
Kris Osborne says
This isn’t the recipe for that. But we have it on our list to work on a standard English muffin recipe, so stay tuned.
Susan Battestin says
I was hurried and did not properly read through recipe- added baking soda to first step. Should I still add a little more t=for second rise as written or just let second rise happen without more baking soda/. Thanks
Kris Osborne says
Hi Susan, I’m afraid we’re too late to respond to your question. Let us know how it worked out. Also, for future, it’s baking powder, not soda. Soda could give it a pretty terrible flavour if not blended in properly (which is hard to do with this method).
Lena says
I was so excited to make this recipe as soon as possible, that I accidentally added the baking powder before the first rise. Now bread is rising, and I am wondering if i should add more baking powder later or not? after reading the comments, it looks like this is a common mistake :) Thanks!
Kris Osborne says
Hi Lena, I know that this response is coming too late now. We’re going to update this post to make it clearer that people should add the powder later in the process. I would have left it as is. How did it work out for you this way? I’m curious.
Lena says
Hi Kris, thanks a lot for your reply! The bread came out p e r f e c t! I didnt add ny more baking powder nor the 1/2 tsp of water. Thanks a lot for this amazing recipe, we all loved it so much!
Victoria says
Such a great loaf! Seriously the best way to enjoy is toasted with butter. But it makes a good sandwich too! Just a bit of tang from the sourdough. Love it!
Kris Osborne says
Thanks, Victoria. We love to hear this!
Lee says
I made this recipe using an einkorn starter, type 550 yellow wheat along with about 30 grams each of buckwheat (for depth of flavor) and fine white cornmeal (for a drier texture). Although it didn’t have the chewy crust that a regular English muffin has, all who ate this were quite enthusiastic about the results, and it’s a whole lot easier than making individual muffins! Will definitely be making this often. Thanks for the recipe.
Fran Lunney says
Thank you for this recipe and suggestions/notes. I made it for the first time a couple of days ago and I am already proofing another loaf. This bread has what I call “thunk” especially since the first time I made it, my starter may not have been active enough. It had great flavor and texture and could easily become a new baking obsession.
Alexandra Daum says
So glad you like it, thanks Fran!