The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Sourdough English Muffins and Introduction

Rennie1686's picture
Rennie1686

Sourdough English Muffins and Introduction

Hello from Oregon, USA.  I'm Rennie and I've been lurking about Fresh Loaf for quite some time.  My first goal was to learn how to make my own sourdough starter.  My first effort was a failure; but, my second sourdough starter took off and after a few months has developed into the starter I had hoped I could create.  It is amazing stuff!  I've only made a couple of loaves of bread as yet.  Both of them turned out nicely and wish I had taken pictures of them.  I am a newbie at sourdough bread making and have learned so much from you all. 

I love sourdough English muffins and when I read a post here about them, I had to attempt them.  Here is a picture of my very first batch!


I am so jazzed!  They came out excellent, and the sourdough flavor was perfect.  I love my starter!! Oh, here is a pic of what the crumb looked like.  I fork split them all.


Look at all those nooks and crannies! They are so good toasted with a bit of  butter and jam.
I cooked my muffins on a griddle and was able to get them thoroughly done without having to put them in the oven.  I used a dough thermometer to make sure the centers were done. 

Here's the pic of them baking on the grill. 

I'm just an at home baker, here.  My goal is to learn all I can about how to make great breads.  I get so inspired every time I visit Fresh Loaf.  Thank you all for posting your tips and techniques.  I'm reading them and putting them into practice and I'm starting to make some amazing breads!

 

 

Floydm's picture
Floydm

Welcome, Rennie.  Your English Muffins look great.

megsan's picture
megsan

Hi Rennie, the muffins were the first thing I made from this forum too! I make them regularly now - once or twice a week. Love them! My husband & I often have them for our morning tea at work.

carblicious's picture
carblicious

Welcome, Rennie.  You've inspired me to make sourdough muffins this weekend.  Nicely done!

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

We love SD English Muffins but don't make them round since we don't have a cutter, but we do have cans of tuna and I will make one for this week end.  We don't get to say it often but.....

 nice grilling!

tomsw's picture
tomsw

Hi Rennie and welcome. Your Muffins look great!!! Could you let us know what recipe you used or post it. Thanks,

Tom

Rennie1686's picture
Rennie1686

I used a modified version of the King Arthur flour recipe.  I didn't have some of the ingredients called for in that recipe , like dry powdered milk and sour salt, so I improvised.  This is the recipe I used:

2 tablespoons (7/8 ounces) granulated sugar
1   cup (8 ounces) warm water, 105° to 110°
1  cup (8 ounces) warm milk, 105° to 110°F  
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 cup sourdough starter
7 to 8 cups (1 pound, 13 3/4 ounces to 2 pounds 2 ounces) All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon salt (yes, 1 tablespoon is correct)
approximately 2 tablespoons cornmeal or semolina

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water and milk. Stir in and dissolve the yeast, and then mix in the sourdough starter and 1 cup of flour. Let this sit for a few minutes, until the mixture begins to bubble.

Add the butter, salt, and a second cup of flour, and beat well. Add 5 to 6 cups of flour, one cup at a time, to form a dough that holds together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until it's smooth and springy, but slightly on the slack side, about 8 minutes. Add flour only as necessary to prevent sticking.  (I used my Kitchen Aide with dough hook to do this part.) 

Clean out and grease your bowl and place the dough in the greased bowl, turning it so that a thin film of oil coats all sides. If you want muffins with just a hint of sourness, cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel, let it stand until it has doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, and proceed from * below.

If you want muffins with a more pronounced sour flavor, cover the finished dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it sit overnight, or up to 24 hours, in a cool place. (I put my dough in the fridge and by morning it was perfectly doubled.)

* When the dough has risen your chosen length of time, punch it down, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface, cover it and let it sit for a few minutes (to relax the gluten). Divide the dough into two pieces and roll each piece out separately to a 1/2-inch thickness. Cut the dough into 3-inch rounds; re-roll and cut any remaining scraps. (I didn't have a 3-inch round cutter so I used a water chestnut can, empty, of course, as a cutter)

Place the rounds, evenly spaced, onto cornmeal- or semolina-sprinkled baking sheets (12 or 13 rounds per sheet), sprinkle them with additional cornmeal or semolina, cover with plastic wrap, and let them rise until light and puffy, about 1 hour.

Carefully transfer the rounds (as many as a time that will fit without crowding) right-side up to a large electric griddle preheated to 350°F, or to an ungreased frying pan that has been preheated over medium heat.

Cook them for about 10 to 12 minutes on each side, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of a muffin registers 190°F. (Using a spatula, I turned my muffins every minute or so to keep them from burning on the outside before the insides were cooked.  I got much better results turning them continously while they cooked rather than leaving them on the griddle for ten minutes then turning. )

Remove them from the griddle and cool on a rack.
Note: If you find you're having trouble getting the muffins to cook all the way through on a griddle, cook on both sides as directed, then finish in a 350°F oven.
Yield: twenty-five 3-inch English muffins.

 

 

mrfrost's picture
mrfrost

Those look so good that I am grabbing my starter right now.

Papist's picture
Papist

Can this be modified for fresh ground spelt?

Song Of The Baker's picture
Song Of The Baker

I have been thinking about making English Muffins for a while now.  Would anyone suggest using bread flour instead of AP?  I like English Muffins that have a bit of chewy texture and less cakey.  Not sure if using BF instead of AF would even do that.