Whole Wheat Sourdough English Muffins – Pumpkin Spice!
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Your autumn just got cozier with these delightful pumpkin spice whole wheat sourdough English muffins! These wholesome breakfast treats are super easy to whip together the night before you want to eat them. Made with nutritious ingredients, they will be the perfect start to your day!
Why You’ll Love the Recipe
You’ll love how simple this dough is to make! Making English muffins is as simple as rolling out the dough and cutting circles (I use a wide-mouth mason jar as my cutter), then baking them up on the stove in a cast iron skillet. You’ll love the smell of pumpkin spice filling your kitchen as you toast these up!
I just love English muffins. They may not seem like anything fancy, but homemade sourdough English muffins are incredible!
After testing several batches of English muffins, we had English muffins coming out of our ears. What better way to use them up other than making some breakfast sandwiches?
Whether you like your English muffins as part of a sausage & egg sandwich or toasted with some peanut butter and honey, these pumpkin spice whole wheat sourdough English muffins are sure to be exactly what you’re looking for.
I made these with fresh milled flour from my Mockmill. I used hard red wheat berries to give these a deeper color and more complex flavor, but they can also be made with hard white wheat if desired.
Nourishing Ingredients
These muffins are not your ordinary store-bought variety. These wholesome, orangey-red English muffins are made with ingredients you can feel good about.
Hard Red Wheat – We use classic whole wheat flour for this recipe. I milled 520 grams of wheat berries. If using bagged flour, see the Fresh Milled vs Bagged Flour section.
Check out my article on how to bake with fresh milled flour for a complete guide!
Pumpkin Puree – Canned pumpkin puree is great for this recipe! Make sure you get pumpkin puree, not pie filling.
Sourdough Starter – I used refrigerated, unfed starter for this recipe, but active starter works great, too! This is still a fully fermented sourdough recipe, not a discard recipe. However, I find that I can easily bake with discard (aka- unfed starter) as long as my starter has been fed within the last week or two without any problems.
Maple Syrup – This adds a touch of wholesome, autumnal sweetness.
Brown Sugar – In addition to the maple syrup, I like a small amount of brown sugar to help accent the pumpkin flavor.
Butter
Pumpkin Pie Spice & Salt
Cornmeal to prevent sticking.
Equipment
You most likely have everything you need to make these!
Kitchen Scale – I always recommend a scale for baking. While using cups & spoons can get the job done, everyone measures flour differently.
When I fill a cup of flour, the weight might be 130 grams, but when someone else does it, they get 150 grams (very easy to have a discrepancy this high, too!)
Over the course of the full recipe, that is an extra 120 grams…or nearly 5 cups of flour when this recipe calls for only 4. This can result in a dry, dense dough.
Kitchen scales are cheap and definitely worth it if you do a lot of baking.
Mixer – I use my Kitchenaid mixer, but this is optional. This dough would be relatively simple to make by hand as it does not require heavy kneading.
Rolling Pin
Wide-Mouth Masion Jar or Biscuit Cutter to cut the circles.
Small Spatula – I like using my dessert serving spatula for these. You want to treat the English muffins gently to avoid de-gassing the dough as you handle them. I find I have more gentle control with a small spatula.
Baking Sheet – This is only used as a place to set the cut English muffins to allow them to proof. You won’t actually be baking these in the oven, so if you don’t have a large enough baking sheet, no worries! Use plates, platters, etc.
Cast Iron Skillet – Use a large cast iron skillet to cook up multiple English muffins at once. If you do not have a cast iron skillet, you could use another nonstick pan. I would avoid stainless steel as I find it gives me a bit of trouble with sticking.
Optional: Grain Mill – I use fresh-milled flour for this recipe which gives an incredible flavor and the most nutrition. But it’s not required! See how to use bagged flour in the next section.
How to Use Bagged Flour in this Recipe
While grain mills are becoming more popular, I understand that they are far from a common household appliance.
If you do not have a grain mill, you can still make this recipe with regular whole wheat flour from the grocery store with a few adaptations to the recipe:
- Start with about 1/2 cup less flour (65g) than the recipe calls for to see how the dough comes together. If the dough is too sticky, gradually add more flour. The dough should be firm enough that it comes together in a nice ball, and it should not stick to your hands or be messy. But the dough should not be too dry, either.
- After mixing the ingredients together, you can go straight into kneading. You do not need to do a dough rest period with bagged flour, but it won’t hurt anything if you do one, either.
How to Make Sourdough English Muffins
1. Measure & Mill Flour
I recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your wheat. This recipe uses 520 grams.
The hydration level in fresh flour vs. bagged flour varies a bit. If using bagged flour, I would start with about 460 grams of flour and add the additional 60 grams after mixing if needed to get the right consistency.
See photos of the dough below to know how it should look.
2. Combine Ingredients & Rest
Add all of the dough ingredients (NOT the cornmeal–that’s for rolling) to the mixing bowl: flour, water, sourdough starter, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
I use my mixer, but you can hand mix, too.
After the ingredients are mixed, cover the dough and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
3. Knead Dough
After letting the mixed dough rest for 20 to 30 minutes, knead the dough using the dough hook (or knead by hand) for just a few minutes until the dough comes together in a nice, smooth ball. This does not require a lot of kneading–a couple minutes should be just fine.
4. Bulk Ferment
Transfer the dough to a clear container, cover, and let it rise until it has risen by about 50%.
The photo above shows my dough at the beginning vs. the end of the bulk fermentation.
5. Coat with Cornmeal
Put 2-4 tbsp of cornmeal down on a clean work surface. This will prevent sticking to the counter as well as prevent sticking when cooking!
Gently roll the dough in the cornmeal. It does not need to be perfect but try to get some on all sides.
6. Roll & Cut out the English Muffins
Roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or wide mouth mason jar to cut the English muffins.
7. Scoop & Proof
Use a small spatula to carefully remove the cut muffins and place them on a baking sheet or another large platter to proof.
Repeat the rolling & cutting process with the scraps until all of the dough is used. Try not to de-gas the dough too much when you roll it out a second (or third) time.
Cover the English muffins with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. Let them proof in a warm place for 60 to 90 minutes or so until slightly puffy (but they do not need to grow much).
8. Cook on the Cast Iron Skillet
Put a large cast iron skillet on the stove and heat it to medium-low. I use 2 notches below medium on my induction stove–you may need to adjust a notch higher for electric or gas stoves. Start on the lower setting first before adjusting.
Give the skillet adequate time to heat up before starting.
After the skillet is hot, use a spatula to scoop the English muffins from the baking sheet and set them in the skillet. Let them cook until the bottom is nicely browned, then gently flip them over.
Cook the English muffins until both sides are nicely browned and the middle is baked all the way through. This can take 5 to 7 minutes per side. Then place on a cooling rack to cool.
Do not to try to speed up the process by turning your stove higher–they could burn. Leave the stove at medium-low and just give them more time to cook.
Essential English Muffin Tips & Tricks
To ensure this recipe is a perfect success, follow these tips & tricks:
How Much Sourdough Starter Do I Use?
If you are making this dough before bed to ferment overnight, I would use only 50 grams of starter, or maybe even a little less if your starter is particularly robust or active.
If you are making these during the day when you can keep an eye on it, then 100 grams is fine.
Ultimately, you need to know your starter and evaluate how fast (or slow) you want the bulk fermentation period to go. If you are fermenting overnight and know your starter works fast, use less of it. If it’s slow, use more.
Preventing Sticking
Rolling the dough in cornmeal before rolling it helps prevent sticking to the cast iron skillet. You don’t need a ton, but make sure all sides get some cornmeal. Nothing worse than your English muffin getting stuck to the pan!
While many recipes call for a very hot cast iron pan to prevent sticking, the inclusions in this recipe, such as the pumpkin puree, sugar, and syrup make this recipe more susceptible to burning so I do not recommend that.
We prevent sticking by rolling them in cornmeal and cooking them on medium-low. This will give the middle ample opportunity to cook all the way through and rise without burning the outside.
Do Not Overproof the English Muffins
After cutting the English muffins, let them proof for an hour or two in a warm place until they get slightly puffy.
You do not want them to grow too much or they will become very difficult to handle. Believe me–I’ve made this mistake! When they are overproofed, they’re too easy to de-gas as you transfer them to the skillet, and then you don’t get hardly any rise while they cook.
Do Not Rush the Cook!
Do not be impatient while cooking these. Make sure your skillet is fully heated before starting. I let mine preheat for several minutes.
Keep the heat set to medium-low. If your stove doesn’t run as hot, you can kick it up a notch if needed but it is very easy to burn the outside of an English muffin before the inside is fully baked.
Do not flip the English muffins until the first side has nicely browned. Patience is key to the perfect English muffin!
Serving Ideas
These are a delicious fall recipe that is wonderful toasted with butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon, or some peanut butter & honey.
But they’re also delicious with a fried egg and a slice of sharp cheddar!
You can also use this recipe to meal prep a big batch of breakfast sandwiches for the freezer as we did. 🙂
Storage & Freezing
Keep your English muffins in an airtight container. While these are best the day they are made, they will continue to be delicious, especially when toasted, for 3-5 days.
However, I highly recommend freezing anything you don’t think you will eat in 3 days or so. This will keep them fresher.
Other Sourdough Treats
Try some of my other whole grain sourdough treats and other whole grain baked goods!
Leave A Comment & Review!
I just know you’re going to LOVE these pumpkin spice whole wheat sourdough English muffins!
If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a comment and 5-star review–it means the world to me!
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Spice Sourdough English Muffins
Equipment
- Mixer optional
- Wide-Mouth Mason Jar or Biscuit Cutter
- Small Spatula
Ingredients
- 520 grams hard red wheat berries, milled into flour - Roughly 4 cups flour after milling, or use the same amount lightly spooned and leveled in store-bought whole wheat flour.
- 240 grams water - 1 cup (240 ml)
- 50-100 grams sourdough starter - active OR discard, **see notes
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoon butter - melted
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2-4 tablespoon cornmeal
Instructions
- Mill your wheat berries into flour. Place the flour in the bowl of your mixer (or a large mixing bowl if you wish to mix by hand).
- Add the water, sourdough starter (see notes), butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice to the mixing bowl. Mix with the paddle attachment until everything is mixed together well, or use a wooden spoon to mix by hand.
- Cover the dough and let it rest 30 minutes.
- After the rest period, knead the dough in the mixer with a dough hook, or hand knead until smooth and supple. This does not need a lot of kneading–just get the dough to come together in a nice, smooth, even ball. The dough will be firm, not sticky, but not dry. See photos in the article if needed.
- Cover the dough and let the dough ferment until it has risen about 50%. I like to move the dough to a clear glass container to keep a good eye on it.
- After it has risen about 50%, pour a little cornmeal onto a clean work surface and spread it around with your hand. Pour the dough out onto the surface and roll it in the cornmeal to coat the outside on all sides (this does not need to be perfect or heavy–just enough to keep it from sticking).
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough until it is 1/2 inch thick. Use a wide-mouth mason jar or biscuit cutter to cut your muffins. Use a small spatula to help you scoop the muffins away from the dough. Place on a large baking sheet for proofing.
- Continue preparing the rest of the English muffins the same way. Combine the scraps into a pile and gently roll them out again (be careful not to de-gas the dough too much) and continue cutting more muffins until you have used all of the dough.
- Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and let the English muffins proof in a warm spot until they have puffed slightly, about 60 to 90 minutes. They will not grow drastically, but you want to see that they are growing a bit.
- Put a large cast iron skillet on the stove and heat it to medium-low. I use 2 notches below medium on my induction stove–you may need to adjust a notch higher for electric or gas stoves. However, start on the lower setting first before adjusting. Give the skillet adequate time to heat up before starting.
- After the skillet is hot, use a spatula to scoop the English muffins from the baking sheet and set them in the skillet. Let them cook until the bottom is nicely browned, then gently flip them over being careful not to deflate the dough.
- Cook the English muffins until both sides are nicely browned and the middle is baked all the way through. This can take 5 to 7 minutes per side. Do not to try to speed up the process by turning your stove higher–these will easily burn. Leave the stove at medium-low and just give them more time to cook.
Video
I hope you guys love this recipe! I know I love how these are so easy to make. So simple to get ready before going to bed and then finish in the morning. They are SO delicious and puff up so well on the stove! Goes great with peanut butter & honey–yum!
I’m assuming the pumpkin puree goes in to initial mix as well? Can’t wait until these bulk so I can eat one!!!
Yes! I just mix it all together. 🙂