English Muffins

 English Muffins 

10-12

 Muffins

245 g milk, whole or 2% (1 cup plus 1 tsp.)

120 g water (1/2 cup)

56 g unsalted butter, cubed (4 Tbsp.)

75 g active sourdough starter (heaping 1/3 cup)

24 g sugar (2 Tbsp.)

500 g all purpose flour (4 cups plus 2 Tbsp.)

9 g fine sea salt (1 1/2 tsp.)

cornmeal or semolina for dusting

For frying: 

1 Tbsp. Butter
1 Tbsp. Oil for frying

Warm the milk, water and butter together. Cool slightly before adding to the dough. In a large bowl, add the sourdough starter and sugar. Pour in the warm milk mixture while whisking to combine. Add the flour and salt. Mix with a fork to form a rough dough, and then finish by hand to fully incorporate the flour. Cover with a damp towel and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

After the dough has rested, return to the bowl and work the dough into a semi-smooth ball.

Bulk Rise: Cover container with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature defined as 70 F until double in size, about 8-10+ hours. Once risen, chill overnight in the fridge.

In the morning, remove the cold dough onto a floured work surface. Rest for 10 minutes. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper; sprinkle generously with cornmeal to prevent sticking.

With floured hands, pat the dough into a rectangular shape, about 1/2-inch thick. Cut into 10-12 rounds using the rim of a 3 or 5 inch drinking glass, large jar or biscuit cutter. Place the rounds onto your sheet pan and dust the tops with cornmeal.

Second Rise: Cover the dough with a damp towel or inverted rimmed sheet pan. Let rest at room temperature until noticeably puffy, about 1 hour or more depending on temperature. Note: I like to place my sheet pan on top of the oven while it warms up.

Cook:  Warm a large, non-stick skillet over low heat. (Optional, add a small amount of oil and butter) Do a test batch: place one round of dough into the pan. Cover with a lid. Cook on one side for 8-10 minutes, checking at the halfway mark for even browning. Lower the heat if necessary. Flip the dough over, cover, and cook the other side for 8-10 minutes. Repeat to cook the rest of the dough. When the English muffins are ready, they should feel lightweight and the sides should spring back when pressed gently.  The trick to English muffins is finding balanced heat. If the heat is too high, the muffins will brown too quickly on the outside leaving the center undercooked. If this happens, finish baking the muffins in a low-heat oven about 250 F until cooked through. Do a a test batch first, cooking only 1 muffin at a time until you get it right. Find it online: https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2024/04/super-soft-sourdough-english-muffins-overnight/