Sourdough English Muffin Recipe

English muffins are an excellent breakfast food, or can serve as a flaky treat during lunch with a little butter, jam, or (if you’re feeling indulgent) some chocolate!

You can choose between the traditional variety or add some punch to the flavor by making a sourdough English muffin.

Sound delicious? Oh, it is! Here we’ll walk you through the process of making sourdough English muffins, with a few pairing suggestions, so you can enjoy this treat all the time!

How to Make Sourdough English Muffins

What’s a Sourdough Starter?

First things first, when creating sourdough of any kind, you need to have a sourdough starter.

This is a concoction which gives the dough its sour taste, instead of the smoother or sweet flavors of other types of bread.

While it’s a bit complicated and requires some patience, it’s simple to master with some guidance.

Let’s dive in!

Making a Sourdough Starter

Ingredients

In order to make the starter, you will need:

• Flour (amounts may vary).
• Water (varying amounts, as purified as possible).
• A warm, dry place to ferment (between 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit).
• A glass or plastic mixing bowl.
• A plastic spoon.
• A breathable filter such as a coffee filter or cheesecloth.
• A place to allow the mixture to ferment.

Once you have all of the components together, it is time to begin mixing and prepping.

Sourdough Starter Directions

1. First off, combine a ¾ cup of flour with a half cup of water, using a large bowl to prevent things from overflowing.
2. Now mix at a fast, even pace, so as to create an abundance of air bubbles. This will generate the friction needed to kick-start the yeast necessary for your sourdough. Once everything is thoroughly incorporated, cover the bowl with your filter.
3. Set the mixture in a warm space for between 12 and 24 hours, adding the same amount of water every 12 hours. When you begin seeing bubbles, know that the process is going well and continue feeding the mixture while stirring regularly.
4. After between five and seven days, your starter will have enough yeast and organisms to be usable! Should you make an abundance of starter, feel free to store it in a Ziploc baggy in your freezer. It will last for months at a time!

Now that you have the starter, it is time to begin prepping your English muffins.

Sourdough English Muffin Recipe

Ingredients

In order to create these muffins, you will need the following ingredients:

• 1 full cup of your sourdough starter.
• 2 tablespoons of honey.
• 2 cups of milk.
• 6 cups of unbleached white flour.
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
• 2 teaspoons of salt, preferably sea salt.
• ¼ cup of cornmeal.

Once you have all of these together, it’s time to begin mixing.

Instructions

This recipe will be split into two parts: day one and day two.

Day One:

1. The night before you plan on cooking the muffins, start by mixing the honey, milk, and your starter.
2. Mix in 4 cups of flour (2 cups at a time) and incorporate it until thoroughly wet.
3. Cover the mixture with a clean towel and let it rise in a dry place for between 12 and 16 hours.

Day Two:

1. The next morning, it is time to start working the dough. Begin by stirring down the mixture and getting it off the sides of the bowl.
2. Sprinkle a teaspoon of baking soda and two teaspoons of salt onto the dough and knead it in, working until fully incorporated.
3. Flour your baking board with 1 cup of flour and begin kneading until the dough is fully incorporated and wet, but not sticky, adding more flour as necessary.
4. Once the dough has reached your desired consistency, continue working the dough for another five minutes, until it’s smooth and supple.
5. On a floured surface, roll the dough out until it’s around a half-inch thick.
6. Cut the dough using a three- to four-inch, round biscuit cutter, making sure to keep them uniform in thickness and diameter.
7. Sprinkle a sheet of wax paper with cornmeal and place the muffins on top, making sure they’re spaced out and not touching.
8. Place the muffins in a warm, covered place and allow them to rise for an hour.
9. Pre-heat a griddle or a frying pan with a small mixture of melted butter and olive oil.
10. On low heat, begin cooking the muffins on one side for between four and five minutes before flipping and pressing against the griddle, allowing them to cook for another four to five minutes.
11. Take off the heat, allow to cool, and enjoy!

Here’s a video showing an example of how to make sourdough English muffins.

Conclusion

English muffins can be daunting at first glance, but with careful dedication to keeping your starter alive, it can quickly become a fun way to make more delicious bread!

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Have you tried making sourdough English muffins?