Easy Sourdough English Muffins
A delicious sourdough twist on the classic english muffin. Soft, crispy, and bursting with flavor!
Equipment
- Stand mixer w/ Dough Hook optional
- Sheet pan
- Round Biscuit Cutter optional, wide mouth canning ring works great
- Plastic wrap or damp towel
Ingredients
For The Leaven
- 10 g from mother starter
- 50 g flour
- 50 g water
For The English Muffins
- 100 g active starter
- 20 g honey
- 240 g water
- 360 g all-purpose flour
- 5 g sea salt
- Cornmeal for dusting
Instructions
Make Your Leaven
- Begin by making your leaven around 1-2 PM. This ensures that it will be at its peak around 9-10 PM. If you prefer to go to bed earlier or later, adjust your time accordingly. Just be sure you have about 2 hours to build your dough before you call it a night and let it sit. 10 g from mother starter,50 g flour,50 g water,
Mix the Dough
- When your starter is at peak, combine all the ingredients (except the cornmeal) into the bowl of a stand mixer. Use your dough hook to mix the ingredients thoroughly. You can also mix and knead by hand if preferred. 100 g active starter,20 g honey,240 g water,360 g all-purpose flour,5 g sea salt
Kneading
- Knead the dough with the dough hook for about 10 minutes after everything is combined. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for about 20 minutes before kneading another 15 minutes with the dough hook or by hand.
Stretch and Fold
- Cover the bowl again and allow the dough to sit for 30 minutes before performing several stretch and folds. To do this, take one side of the dough and stretch it up and over to the other side. Rotate the bowl and repeat until a smooth ball has formed. Avoid overstretching, which can cause the dough to tear.
Overnight Rise
- Allow the dough to sit, covered, for another 30 minutes. Do at least 4 more stretch and folds before covering the dough and letting it sit overnight at room temperature.
Morning Preparation
- In the morning, the dough should have more than doubled in size, with lots of air bubbles throughout. Heavily flour your counter before dumping the dough out of the bowl.
Shaping
- Stretch the dough out flat with gentle fingers instead of a rolling pin to preserve as many air bubbles as possible. These bubbles will become the air pockets in your English muffins. Press and stretch the dough until it’s about 1 inch thick.
Cutting the Muffins
- Flour the top of the dough and your cutter before cutting out your rounds. You can use a biscuit cutter or a wide-mouth canning ring for perfect rounds. Alternatively, you can press the dough into a square and cut out squares to avoid wasting any dough. Re-roll the excess dough if needed, but note that these muffins might not be as airy.
Second Rise
- After cutting your muffins, heavily dust a parchment-lined baking sheet with cornmeal before placing the muffins on the tray. Leave about 1-2 inches of space between each muffin as they will rise again. Dust more cornmeal over the top and then cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Allow the muffins to sit for an additional hour or two until they puff up slightly.Cornmeal for dusting
Cooking
- Preheat a skillet or griddle on low to medium heat. I prefer using a cast iron skillet on low for a soft golden brown finish. Add a little butter to the pan before placing the muffins in. Leave enough room between muffins as they will expand a bit as they cook. Cover the pan to trap in heat and steam, and allow the muffins to cook undisturbed for 6-8 minutes.
Flip and Finish
- Flip the muffins and cook the other side, covered, for another 6-8 minutes. The top and bottom should become golden and crispy, and the internal temperature should reach 197-200°F.
Cooling
- Allow the muffins to cool before slicing them open or pulling them apart with two forks. Slather with jam, jelly, or honey, or make a delicious breakfast sandwich.
