Sourdough English Muffin Loaf

for those of us who don't have time to make a ton of little circles.

I absolutely love sourdough English muffins, and so do my kids, but none of us really enjoy the store-bought packaged ones. I’ve always found it tough to make them from scratch during a busy school morning. Between shaping a bunch of little circles, flipping them in cast iron, and baking them in the oven, it just doesn’t work on weekdays—even with a 5 AM start! Sure, on a Sunday, it’s doable, but on a school day? Impossible.

Recently, a friend of mine mentioned that he found a sourdough English muffin loaf at a local spot, and it inspired me to try making my own at home. I love a good kitchen challenge, so I decided to adapt my favorite sourdough English muffin recipe into a loaf version. After a couple of attempts and some tweaking, I think I’ve finally nailed it.

Now, instead of spending time flipping individual muffins, you can just bake the whole dough as a loaf. The result still has that soft, chewy texture and the delicious tang we all love—perfect for slicing and toasting in the morning without all the fuss. It’s a total game-changer for busy mornings, and I hope it helps you find a little more ease in making these, too.

Overnight Sourdough Bread Recipe (makes 2 loaves) adapted from Feasting at Home

Ingredients:

Overnight Ingredients:

• 1 cup active sourdough starter (276 grams)

• 2 tablespoons honey** (42 1/3 grams)

• 2 cups milk

• 4 cups bread flour (548 grams)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda (4 2/3 grams)

Morning Ingredients:

• 1–2 cups additional bread flour or all-purpose flour (137-250 grams, for kneading)

• 2 teaspoons sea salt

• olive oil for greasing bread pan

Instructions:

1. Mix the Dough (Night Before):

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the sourdough starter, honey, milk, and 4c of bread flour. Mix (or knead) with dough hook on stand mixer for 7 minutes.

• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let it sit at room temperature overnight.

2. Morning Preparation:

• The next morning, the mixture should be bubbly and have risen.

• Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 2 teaspoons of sea salt over the dough. Place back on the mixer or knead it into the dough by hand. Add 1-2 cups of additional bread flour, depending on the dough’s consistency and amount of humidity in the air, to where it is still sticky but not so sticky you won’t be able to shape the loaf. I added 1 cup in total.

• Using your bread hook, knead this dough on the mixer for 7 minutes. It should become more smooth and less sticky by the 7 minutes, and if not, please add a little more flour.

3. Shape & Rise:

• Grease 2 9x5-inch loaf pans. Turn the dough onto a floured counter, divide in half, and shape the dough into rectangles. This King Arthur video will help guide you through shaping the loaf.

• Cover the loaves and let them rise for 60 minutes in a warm place. The dough should be visibly puffed up before baking.

4. Baking:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F during the last 15 minutes of the rise.
  Score the top of each loaf with a line 1.5” into the loaf to get the best rise and make sure the center cooks.

• Bake the loaf for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown.

• Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before dumping onto a wire rack for further cooling.

The crust should be soft enough for kids to enjoy. Slather it with butter or fresh jam!