Sourdough English Muffins
Who doesn't love English muffins? Homemade sourdough ones seem even more scrumptious, and some of the taste-testers here had to admit that these crusty, chewy and tangy gems were the best they'd ever eaten. Quite a compliment, we confess, so we hope you and your family and friends agree. Especially if you've never made English muffins before, go for it; they're a cinch and great fun because you can watch them rise before your very eyes as they cook. With these you might even be able to resist the urge for slathered-on butter. Wow! (When else does that happen?) These freeze really well, too.
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 cups (16 ounces) warm water, 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) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) non-fat dry milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sour salt (citric acid), optional
approximately 2 tablespoons cornmeal or semolina
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. 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 dry milk, butter, salt, sour salt (if you're using it; it's a nice flavor-booster) 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. 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, be sure to add the sour salt to the dough for extra tang; then 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.
* 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. 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 2 minutes on each side, then 6 additional minutes on each side. Be gentle during these first few flips, so the muffins don't deflate! Cook six minutes more on each side, then up to an additional 4 minutes on each side, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of a muffin registers 190°F. Remove them from the griddle and cool on a wire rack. Yield: twenty-five 3-inch English muffins.
Nutrition information per serving (one whole 3-inch muffin, 76g): 171 cal, 2.3g fat, 5g protein, 32g complex carbohydrates, 1g sugar, 1g dietary fiber, 6mg cholesterol, 270mg sodium, 100mg potassium, 31RE vitamin A, 2mg iron, 102mg calcium, 64mg phosphorus.
Reviews
01/28/2010
Wow, I have to say, I am impressed, I thought I messed up but ended up very happy. To start off, I am a new baker, I hit upon a coupon for the KA store, and I bought a digital probe thermometer as a Xmas gift (which turned out great). I found some other prizes on the site that I bought for myself and included a KA Sourdough starter. I started making bread, well about a month ago, I decided to try these English Muffins last night. I made them the same night I made my Sourdough bread. 1/2 way into the recipe, I realized I was short on KA flour, especially because after making bread and this recipe, my starter was very low and hungry. It was a choice between using some whole wheat flour in my English Muffins or in my starter. Well my starter has been pure KA flour from the beginning so I decided to use 2 cups of the whole wheat in this recipe and keep my starter pure. I decided to do the all night method and I though my laundry room was cool enough. But cooking of the bread heated the house, and my English Muffin dough had tripled in size in two hours, I let it go all night. Tonight when I got home, I was certain the dough had pooped out. But I rolled it, and let it rise (which it didn't really change). BUt as soon as I put them on the griddle, they puffed up. And the overnight method made the a great sourness. They are delicious, my spouse is so impressed. Thanks!
10/24/2009
After trying a half dozen English muffin recipes, all found to be unimpressive, I tried this recipe using KA's sourdough starter. I didn't find the muffins to be sour but instead full of flavor which was lacking in the other recipes I had tried. My husband thought they were a bit doughy, but he is used to grocery store brands which come out of the package stale. I will age these a few days and I am sure they will be more like what he is used to. Because they are so fresh, they take a long time to toast but worth the wait. They were easy to make. The only trouble I had was that I didn't have an electric griddle so I had to use a stove-top pan. I had trouble keeping a steady 350°. Those muffins that browned too quickly were placed on a baking sheet and baked at 350° in the oven for an additional 5 to 8 minutes. The internal temperature of the muffins reached 205° but did not suffer from the higher heat.
09/13/2009
Well, not sure what I did wrong. I made the recipe, substituting 2 cups of the AP flour for white whole wheat. I used ~ 6 1/2 cups all together. I used my Kitchenaid. The dough did pull away from the sides, and I kneaded about 4 minutes. The dough was slightly slack. It made about 20 muffins. I have 8 english muffin rings, so I used those, and free formed the rest. The hand formed spread out alot. They taste good, but there are no nooks and crannies. Pretty solid. And I went thru the recommeneded rise times, and the dough did rise as indicated. Any advice for getting these to maintain their height, and for getting those nooks and crannies?
Cindy, I think your dough may have been a bit too dry. Replacing 25% of the flour with white whole wheat added a lot of bran. With out a corresponding addition of water (1-2 Tablespoons per cup) the bran took up too much water. Try again, using the recipe as written or with additional water if you enjoy the flavor of the whole grain. This accommodation will improve the interior of the muffins. Frank @ KAF.
08/23/2009
I assumed the recipe calls for "fed" starter, which I used. For me, the yield was 21 muffins. The ones resulting from "rerolled" dough turned out as nicely as those from the first roll of dough. I found it difficult to use a thermometer to test for doneness so I "eyeballed" it. If they turn out a little underdone, that's okay, because most English Muffins are toasted. Delicious!
02/25/2009
The recipe is easy to follow and the results are perfect. I will be using it over and over again. I have already recommended it once and look forward to sharing it with more friends.
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