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Dense English muffins....twice

samin1987's picture
samin1987

Dense English muffins....twice

I used this recipe

 

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/handbook/whole-wheat-sourdough-english-muffins

 

i made it this morning under its instruction, high heat...and then again tonight because this morning was dense and uncooked and really bad.

after looking at some other recipes...I made the same recipe listed above (it's really simple)...except when I cooked it on the stove I used low heat to try to cook the inside...then popped it in the oven at 350...the attached picture is after baking 40 minutes, still uncooked...per this recipe this should be cooked already....

 

my starter is about a week and a half old....is it possible that my starter is just not strong yet?....the last 3 recipes have been super dense..(bread was because I didn't proof long enough).....but theoretically the English muffins should have cooked, right lol...

 

what did I do wrong

 

 

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Then tell us about the starter.  The more details the better. 

Amounts, when fed, what fed, temps and water.  How does the starter behave?

samin1987's picture
samin1987

Let's see...I keep 4 ounces starter and feed 1:1:1 i started with rye for two feelings now it's on bread flour S its regular maintenance flour...I feed 2x day each 12 hrs as I'm trying to mature it before I refrigerate...I use filtered water the temp in my house ranges from low to high 70s F usually..but I keep it in a plastic container (for now)...plastic wrap and towel covering it and stuck in my microwave.....it had an acetone smell the other day as I mentioned but it's slowly diluting I think and no adverse sign other than that....it bubbles, and has been doubling within 6 hrs for at least 2 days that I've actively noticed, possibly more...

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

when the starter peaks out.  I would expect the starter to be wanting more food esp. during the day when the temps. rise.

How about saving a tablespoon of the discard and changing the feed to 1:4:4 to see what happens?

Keep both of them going at the same time to compare them.

Ford's picture
Ford

"...plastic wrap and towel covering it and stuck in my microwave..."  Do you mean you stick the starter in the microwave, or, did you stick the filtered water in the microwave?  Did you turn on the microwave?  If you are referring to the starter and you did turn on the microwave, then you may have damaged the yeast and the bacteria.

Ford

samin1987's picture
samin1987

Also, I cooked in medium high the first time as the recipe states but quickly turned it to medium for most of the cook as I could tell it wasn't cooking the insides...

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

to rise before tossing into the pan.  

Might want to put the lid on for the first side and give them a teaspoon of water for steam.  Just an idea.  :)

Another way to bake the insides after too much browning is to pop them one at a time into the microwave on high for 30 seconds (or less, have to experiment there.)  

Maverick's picture
Maverick

How old is your baking soda? I would think that the soda should be enough to make it less dense. If it comes down to it you could make it a hybrid with a little yeast until your starter is stronger.

As to the cooking, I have no idea why they wouldn't be cooked quickly. I would think that 10 minutes in the oven would have been enough if they needed more than the pan. Maybe you can split them open and toast them. Other than that you could try cutting the amount of liquid added.

BTW, I don't see the picture.

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

and they come out perfect every time.  They are dry fried in a non stick electrtic skillet set to 350 F.

Sourdough english muffins

I've made these with up to 100% whole grains, with SD and YW combo levains just about every which way..Just like Wofferman's EM's

samin1987's picture
samin1987

mini would that mean.my starter.isnt.100 hydration then? it peaks at 4-6 hrs..could the starter.not.being.fed.or.immature be the issue?..im def, sure they were.proofed etc etc...........the only.thing i.can.think.of.is an issue with the starter..

as far as the microwave, i.just store.it there...i have a brita filter.on.my.sink and thats the water i use

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

That might mean your starter is loosing power due to under feeding when it has to wait out another 6 hrs before the next feed.  I think that a 1:1:1 ratio feeding is too low for your temperatures and feeding schedule.  You have several options.

Feed 1:1:1 but more often, every 6 to 8 hours 

or Feed a small amount of starter with equal weights of flour and water but more of it.  It will still be 100% hydration.  

and Feed enough flour that the fed starter rises, peaks and starts to fall around 10 hrs.  for 12 hour feedings.  Try a 1:5:5 feeding.  

Feeding this way should strengthen the yeast numbers with each feeding.  

Maverick's picture
Maverick

To the OP, the above is assuming you are using weights but that was not made clear. We all assume weights these days, but just in case, can you verify that you aren't using volumes? By volume 1:1:1 tends to be about 125% hydration and would mean you might need less liquid in the final dough. Just checking.

samin1987's picture
samin1987

yes. going by weights