Sourdough English Muffins

 

Almost every morning I wake up for work I make myself a egg and cheese muffin for breakfast.  I used to buy a lot of Thomas' brand from the grocery store especially since the bakery is right in town where I live.  I found some great satisfaction in making these muffins myself at home and it is surprisingly easy. Since I have been sourdough obsessed, I already had the starter ready and fed.  I make a batch typically on the weekend and freeze what I will not use during the week.  The added benefit from making them myself is simple ingredients (really just flour, water, milk, salt, and sugar or honey) and no preservatives, additives, or soy.

To learn about making the starter check out my Sourdough Starter Post.

This is my recipe for making English muffins. 

Ingredients;

1 cup fed sourdough starter

4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup powdered milk (or regular milk just reducing water)

About 3/4 - 1 cup water

tablespoon or honey or sugar

1 teaspoon salt

some yellow cornmeal for sprinkling

In a large mixing bowl add 1 cup of sourdough starter.  Then I like to use 1/4 cup of dry powdered milk, but you could also use 1 cup of regular milk and reduce the added water. 

Next, add about a tablespoon of honey (or granulated sugar), 4 cups of all purpose flour, and about 3/4 cup of warm water.  

 

Mix with a sturdy wooden spoon until the mixture start to become tacky, then wet your hands well and turn it onto a floured surface and knead the dough until it is smooth and just slightly tacky adding more water if necessary.

Now there is just some time to wait.  Place the dough ball into a bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or I like to use my corningware dish that has a plastic lid to seal. 

 After 8 -10 hours (or shorter if it is warm in the kitchen) turn the dough out onto a floured surface andpress it out using your hands or a floured rolling pin until it is about 1" in thickness   Using a 3" biscuit cutter, cut rounds and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet that's been sprinkled with cornmeal.  

 

 Sprinkle the tops with cornmeal, cover with a tea towel and allow to rise for 1 hour at room temperature. 

  Preheat your lidded iron skillet over LOW heat and let it fully heat up the lid and pan. No oil is needed, sprinkle corn meal over the pan and place muffins into the skillet spaced 2" apart, cover and cook the first side for about 4 minutes.  

 Sprinkle additional corn meal over the tops and turn the muffins over and cook for an additional 4 minutes with the lid on. It helps to press down with a spatula lightly to eliminate the dome and get an even brown. 

  When done, the center of a muffin should register about 200°F on an instant-read thermometer.  Cool on a wire rack and your done. You can then freeze them in freezer bags or keep at room temps for a week.

Split them with a fork for maximum "nooks and crannies" before toasting.