Sourdough English Muffins

• ⅔ cup (150 g) active bubbly sourdough starter 
• ⅔ cup warm water 100F
• 2 Tablespoons (40 g) honey
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 3 Tablespoons (43 g) butter
• 2 cups (250 g) bread flour (I like half white whole wheat)
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raisins and 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, optional 
• 1 Tablespoon cornmeal 
• Coconut oil or butter for cooking muffins

Slightly warm water and butter in large glass bowl in the microwave. Whisk in egg, honey and sourdough starter until well-combined.

Add the bread flour and the salt to the bowl (inclusions if using) and stir until a sticky dough forms, stirring until combined. It will resemble a thick pancake batter.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate overnight before proceeding.

Once dough has rested overnight, remove from refrigerator and allow it to sit, covered for at least an hour. Ideally the dough should be at room temperature before you begin cooking it.

Preheat oven 350F. On stovetop heat two cast-iron skillets with coconut oil over medium heat then turn to low once hot. Dust both cast iron pans lightly with cornmeal, use muffin scoop to portion out batter into 8 rounds, ~100 g, or use metal rings, and allow to puff 10 mins on first side with cracked lid on. Turn heat up and flip, cooking a few minutes on second side. Then finish off with a few minutes baking, temp to 205°. Transfer to wire rack to cool. 

Alternate recipe:

245 g Milk (buttermilk, whole, almond)

12 g Water

56 g Unsalted Butter 

75 g Sourdough starter

24 g Sugar

500 g All Purpose flour

6 g (1 Tablespoon) Buttermilk powder

9 g Fine Sea salt

Cornmeal or semolina flour, for dusting

Instructions:

Make the dough: in a small saucepan, warm the milk, water and butter together. Cool slightly before adding to the dough. In a large bowl, add the sourdough starter and sugar. Pour in the warm milk mixture while whisking to combine. Add the flour and salt. Mix with a fork to form a rough dough, then finish by hand to fully incorporate the flour. Cover with a damp towel and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

After the dough has rested, work the dough into a semi-smooth ball.

Bulk rise: Cover the bowl with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 8 – 10+ hours. Once risen, chill overnight in the refrigerator.

Shape: In the morning, remove the cold dough onto a floured work surface. Rest for 10 minutes. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper; lightly oil and sprinkle generously with cornmeal to prevent sticking. (if parchment does stick, cut muffins apart and place in refrigerator for a couple of minutes before cooking.)

With floured hands, pat the dough into a rectangular shape, about 1/2-inch thick. Cut into rounds approximately 3 inches in diameter. Place rounds onto the sheep pan and dust the tops with cornmeal.

Second rise: Cover the dough with a damp towel or inverted rimmed sheep pan. Let rest at room temperature until noticeable puffy, about 1 hour or more depending on temperature.

Cook: Warm a large, non-stick griddle to about 325⁰ F for about 15 minutes to ensure move even heating and fewer hot spots. Test with one round to check for appropriate temperature and adjust if necessary. Place the round on the griddle and cook until golden about 6 – 8 minutes. Flip the round and cook for about 4 minutes. Then cover the muffin with a deep rimmed pan to assist with fully cooking interior. I use two 8-inch square pans. Each pan covers 4 muffins. Remove the muffins from the griddle when golden on both sides and interior measures between 105 -205⁰ F. Sides should spring back when pressed gently.

Note:

The trick to English Muffins is finding balance between heat and time. If the heat is too high, the muffins will brown too quickly on the outside and the center will be under cooked. You can use the pan cover like I do, or you can finish baking them in a low-heated oven at about 250⁰ until cooked through.