The Fresh Loaf

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Sourdough English Muffins

AlexanCerna's picture
AlexanCerna

Sourdough English Muffins

I just made King Arthur Sourdough English Muffins and they turned out ok except they don't have big holes in the crumb like the ones you buy in the store.  The inside looks like sandwich bread.  Has anyone had luck with a large crumb in an English muffin?  If so please share the recipe and tell me what you think I did wrong.

 

VE11's picture
VE11

The British Baking show did a piece on English muffins and to my surprise they cooked them in a skillet!

Worth a look.

Enjoy

VE11's picture
VE11
Janetmv's picture
Janetmv

I use the King Arthur recipe too, only I edited it to increase the hydration. It works much better for me. I can’t roll it out because it’s very sticky, but I weigh, make into balls and flatten. Unfortunately I don’t have a crumb shot.

This is how I do it for one dozen.

Ingredients:
12.5g  sugar
300g  warm milk (110°F-115°F)
½ tablespoon active dry yeast or instant yeast
120.5g sourdough starter, fed or unfed; fed will give you a more vigorous rise
421.5g  King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
28.5g  butter, at room temperature
8.5 grams salt
semolina or cornmeal, for coating

Directions:
Combine all of the dough ingredients, except the cornmeal/semolina, in a large bowl.
Mix and knead — by hand, electric mixer, or bread machine — to form a smooth dough. The dough should be soft and elastic, but not particularly sticky; add additional flour if necessary.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and set it aside to rise for about 1 1/2 hours, or until it's noticeably puffy. For most pronounced sour flavor, cover the bowl, and immediately place it in the refrigerator (without rising first). Let the dough chill for 24 hours; this will develop its flavor.
Gently deflate the dough, 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 in half. Working with one piece at a time, roll 1/2" thick, and cut in 3" rounds. Re-roll and cut any remaining scraps. Repeat with the remaining half of dough.
Alternatively, divide the dough into 12 pieces (total). Shape each piece into a round ball, then flatten each ball into a 3" round. For a somewhat more even rise as the muffins cook, flatten each ball slightly larger than 3", and trim edges with a 3" cutter (or trim all around the edge with a pair of scissors). Muffins with cut (rather than flattened) sides will rise more evenly.
Place the rounds, evenly spaced, onto cornmeal- or semolina-sprinkled baking sheets (12 per sheet). Sprinkle them with additional cornmeal or semolina, cover with plastic wrap, and let them rise until light and puffy, about 45 to 60 minutes. If the dough has been refrigerated overnight, the rise time will be about 2 hours.
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-low heat.
Cook the muffins 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. The edges may feel a bit soft; that's OK.
Remove the muffins from the griddle, and cool on a rack. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature for 4 or 5 days; freeze for longer storage.
Yield: 1 dozen large muffins.

Source: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-english-muffins-recipe