Variation: Homemade English Muffins
Here is the recipe for the sourdough English muffins that I made.
BREAD RECIPE HELP
INGREDIENTS
Sponge:
110g Wild Yeast Sourdough Starter; Orange Piggy Says: I use ripe, 100% hydration white starter
260g unbleached all purpose flour (or 160g all purpose flour + 100g whole wheat flour)
276g 2% milk
Muffins:
75g unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons honey or sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
semolina or fine cornmeal for dusting
INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a medium glass bowl, combine the sourdough starter, 260g flour and milk to make a sponge. Mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight. (I let it rest for 12 hours) It will rise and bubble.
2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and lightly dust with semolina flour. Set aside.
3. Mix the 75g flour, baking soda, honey, and salt, together in a small bowl and add to the sponge mixture. Mix thoroughly to form a wet dough.
4. Turn it onto a well-floured work surface and knead by hand for 8 minutes.
ORANGE PIGGY SAYS: The dough will be pretty wet and sticky at first but just keep working, it will become less sticky. If you feel that the dough is really too wet, add more flour, a teaspoon at a time until you can handle it with floured hands. Don't be tempted to add more flour than necessary. Re-flour the work surface and your hands as needed.
5. Pat or roll the dough out to 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness on a floured surface. Using a floured 2-1/2 or 3-inch cookie cutter, cut the dough into 10 to 12 circles.
ORANGE PIGGY SAYS: Instead, you can just divide the dough into 10 to 12 pieces and shape into balls and flatten them lightly.
6. Place them on the prepared baking sheet. Gather the scraps and pat them into one piece of muffin.
7. Cover loosely with a greased side down piece of plastic wrap, and let puff for 45 to 60 minutes in a warm place.
NOTE: The dough will not rise much or double in size but will just puff up.
8. Heat a griddle or non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat, carefully use a wide angle spatula to transfer the muffins to the griddle. Sprinkle the top with more semolina.
Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side or until rise and browned and the sides are firm.
NOTE: You can optionally bake the muffins in a preheated 175 degrees C (350 degrees F) oven for 5-6 minutes to make sure the inside is thoroughly cooked.
9. Cool on wire rack.
SERVE
Pry in half with a fork, rather than a knife to accentuate the interior nooks. Toast and serve with butter, honey, or jam.
STORAGE
Keep muffins tightly wrapped and store at room temperature for a few days; refrigerator storage is not recommended because they quickly dry out and become stale.
They freeze well for a month or more, tightly wrapped. (You can split them ahead of time). Thaw in their wrappers at room temperature.
VARIATION
Homemade English Muffins
