Homemade Sourdough English Muffin Bread Loaf Recipe

Last Updated on February 20, 2025 by TheFarmChicken

sliced bread on a towel and cutting bread

Imagine you want a homemade sourdough English muffin but really don’t feel like going through the work. This is your new best friend. Sourdough English Muffin Bread is the best of both worlds. Simple to put together, crunchy, and delicious. It’s like a toasted sourdough English muffin. This Homemade Sourdough English Muffin Bread Loaf Recipe is the perfect toasting bread and works so well as a treat or with breakfast paired with eggs or peanut butter!

This dough is a little higher hydration, so it makes it a little stickier than my sourdough sandwich bread recipe. Even though it can be a little sticker the gluten development helps it to be easier to work with. As a kid my mom would buy this bread from the grocery store and we would enjoy Saturday nights in the winter eating fried venison steak, hot cocoa and toasted English muffin bread with butter on top. SO good! I loved dipping my English muffin bread toast in the hot cocoa. This is a fun version of sourdough bread, and it is surprisingly soft. Enjoy!

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Ingredient in Homemade Sourdough English Muffin Bread Loaf

Active Sourdough Starter – You will want an active and bubbly sourdough starter for this recipe. I like to use my starter when it has at least doubled. This ensures you’ll get the best results when baking this bread loaf.
- If you don’t have a sourdough starter you can get one from my Farm Goods store or start one from scratch with Learning Sourdough with Agnes.
Whole Milk – I use cold milk straight from the fridge. This also helps the bread not to overproof when it is sitting on the counter overnight.
Water – I like using distilled water for my sourdough baking, but you can also use filtered water…really any water without a high chlorine content should work well.
Brown Sugar – To add a little bit of help to the sourdough starter. You can also use honey if you prefer.
Salt – I have started using salt that doesn’t have caking agents in it and have loved it! It has left me with what seems softer, better rising bread. Definitely worth checking out. I want to try Baja Gold salt.

Ways to Use Sourdough English Muffin Bread:

Fresh with your favorite topping.
Grilled Cheese
Toasted with peanut butter, jam, butter, honey, etc.
Toasted with eggs.
Toasted with avocado, everything bagel seasoning and an egg with cheese.
Toasted, topped with butter, and dipped in hot cocoa with a side of venison steak…IYKYK. (A childhood favorite.)

up close of honey on toast in the sunshine

More sourdough recipes to try:

Looking for a sourdough discard recipe?

Check out my recipe collection for sourdough discard recipes. I have them all in one spot to help you get inspiration quickly!

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Homemade Sourdough English Muffin Bread Loaf Recipe

80 g active sourdough starter, bubbly and at least doubled
230 g milk, whole and cold
90 g water, distilled or filtered
10 g brown sugar
425 g bread flour or all-purpose flour
8 g salt – kosher, sea salt, baja gold

Instructions:

First: Combine the active starter, milk, water and brown sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix by hand or with a spoon/Danish dough hook until well mixed.
Second: Add the bread flour to the mixing bowl and by hand or with the stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment mix until a shaggy dough is formed. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes. This is the fermentolyse.
Third: Add the salt and knead by hand or with the dough hook for 6 minutes. Let rest 30 minutes.
Fourth: Do one set of stretch and folds and let sit covered on the counter overnight or for 8-12 hours. (This is in a 68-degree house.) Let rise on the counter for closer to 8 hours if it is warmer (72 degrees) and vice versa if it is colder. The rise time will depend on the temperature of your kitchen. You want the dough to be about doubled. This is the first rise.
Fifth: The next day spray a 9”x5” bread pan and set aside. Then take your bread dough and gently shape on the counter. The dough is higher hydration so it might be sticky. Try your best to shape without over handling it.

How to shape a dough for a bread loaf:

Gently flatten the dough on the counter into a rectangle. Take one of the shorter sides of the rectangle and fold it in a third. Then take the other side and fold it on top of the other side. Fold the ends over, flip the bread seam side down into the prepared pan.

Sixth: Place the shaped bread dough in the prepared loaf pan and cover with a damp towel or greased plastic wrap. Let rise until the dough has risen to about an inch over the rim of the pan. (I go off of the center of the loaf because this is always higher than the rest of the loaf.) Sometimes I will put it in a warm place to help it rise faster. I like using my oven with the light on and the door slightly open. This is the second rise.
Seventh: When your dough is about risen to the right level. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and bake the bread once preheated for 32-38 minutes. The top will be a deep golden brown.
Eighth: Remove from the bread pan immediately and cool on a wire rack.
Ninth: Cut and enjoy! I like this bread best toasted I feel like it is a delicious toasting bread!

NOTES:

Storing the bread: You can store your sourdough English muffin bread at for up to 3 days in an airtight container or bread bag or for longer storage freeze sliced for up to 3 months.

Ingredients

80 g active sourdough starter bubbly and at least doubled
230 g milk whole and cold
90 g water distilled or filtered
10 g brown sugar
425 g bread flour or all-purpose flour
8 g salt kosher, sea salt, or baja gold

Instructions

First: Combine the active starter, milk, water and brown sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix by hand or with a spoon/Danish dough hook until well mixed.
Second: Add the bread flour to the mixing bowl and by hand or with the stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment mix until a shaggy dough is formed. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes. This is the fermentolyse.
Third: Add the salt and knead by hand or with the dough hook for 6 minutes. Let rest 30 minutes.
Fourth: Do one set of stretch and folds and let sit covered on the counter overnight or for 8-12 hours. (This is in a 68-degree house.) Let rise on the counter for closer to 8 hours if it is warmer (72 degrees) and vice versa if it is colder. The rise time will depend on the temperature of your kitchen. You want the dough to be about doubled. This is the first rise.
Fifth: The next day spray a 9”x5” bread pan and set aside. Then take your bread dough and gently shape on the counter. The dough is higher hydration so it might be sticky. Try your best to shape without over handling it.

How to Shape a Dough for a Bread Loaf:

Gently flatten the dough on the counter into a rectangle. Take one of the shorter sides of the rectangle and fold it in a third. Then take the other side and fold it on top of the other side. Fold the ends over, flip the bread seam side down into the prepared pan.
Sixth: Place the shaped bread dough in the prepared loaf pan and cover with a damp towel or greased plastic wrap. Let rise until the dough has risen to about an inch over the rim of the pan. (I go off of the center of the loaf because this is always higher than the rest of the loaf.) Sometimes I will put it in a warm place to help it rise faster. I like using my oven with the light on and the door slightly open. This is the second rise.
Seventh: When your dough is about risen to the right level. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and bake the bread once preheated for 32-38 minutes. The top will be a deep golden brown.
Eighth: Remove from the bread pan immediately and cool on a wire rack.
Ninth: Cut and enjoy! I like this bread best toasted I feel like it is a delicious toasting bread!

Notes

Storing the bread: You can store your sourdough English muffin bread at for up to 3 days in an airtight container or bread bag or for longer storage freeze sliced for up to 3 months.

Servings: 16 slices

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This is a bread that my mom bought frequently from the grocery store as a child, and we loved it with hot cocoa and venison. It is such a delicious toasting bread and a great recipe that you will hopefully have on repeat for years to come. I love the tangy flavor the sourdough brings to this English muffin bread. Let me know how you like to enjoy English muffin bread or ask a question you might have down below. Thank you for stopping by!!

Sincerely,

Mariah Nienhuis | TheFarmChicken

He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
Psalms 147:3

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the difference between English muffin bread and regular bread?

The biggest difference is the hydration level. English muffin bread has a higher hydration making it crisp up beautifully in the toaster and makes for an airier nooks and cranny texture like a traditional English muffin.

How can I prevent the dough from sticking to my hands so badly?

The best way I have found to avoid the mess of sticky dough on your hands is to get your hands slightly wet before handling the dough.

Do you eat this bread without toasting it too?

You definitely can but I like it best toasted. It makes it have that crunch and with the sourdough flavor…yum! It really is SO good!