English Muffins!

This week for Whisk Wednesdays we made Eggs Florentine and I decided to make some English Muffins as a compliment. And compliment they did! English Muffins are a snap to make and adding some sourdough starter makes all the difference.

I do use my griddle on my Wolf range but you can use a flat-bottomed frying pan and it works just as well. My griddle does take some time to heat so a frying pan is much quicker although you do need to be careful that the pan is thoroughly heated and it's not too hot.



English Muffins
Recipe adapted from "I don't have a clue"

Sponge Ingredients:

110 grams ripe 100% hydration sourdough starter
160 grams flour
100 grams whole wheat flour (I just used all white flour)
276 grams milk

Final Dough Ingredients:

75 grams flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp honey
all of the sponge

1. In a medium bowl, mix the sponge ingredients until just combined. Cover and let rest for 8 hours or overnight.
2. Add the final dough ingredients and mix to roughly combine. Turn the dough out onto the counter and hand mix for about 7 or 8 minutes, or until the surface becomes quite smooth. The dough will be very soft, and sticky at first. The recipe says to resist adding extra flour but the dough is way too sticky to knead without adding a little extra flour. The more you knead..the better the muffins!
3. Flour the counter and your hands well, and roll or pat the dough out to a thickness of about one-half inch. I just take a handful of dough and pat until it's about 1/4" thick and cut the 3" muffins individually. Place them on semolina-dusted parchment paper.
4. Cover and let proof for 45 – 60 minutes.

5. Lightly oil a griddle, I spay with Pam. Heat griddle to about 350 degrees or medium heat. Cook the muffins for a total of about 7 or 8 minutes on each side, until browned and the sides are firm. I find I get a better shape to the muffins if I flip them every couple of minutes for the first few minutes.
6. Cool on a wire rack. To get the best nooks and crannies for toasting, split the muffins with a fork rather than a knife.





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