Sourdough English Muffins
Using sourdough starter for breads adds a special flavor that just cannot be made any other way. I, for one, love it, although some people are turned off by sourdough. For the last several weeks, I’ve had a sourdough starter on my kitchen counter. Once a week, I make bread, English muffins, or bagels with it, replenish the starter, and let it regenerate for another week.
If you’ve never used sourdough, there are some things you have to know. Go to this previous post to read more about starting and using sourdough.
If you don’t have a sourdough liquid already started and ready to go, you need some patience to get started, as the liquid takes an entire week to ferment before you should use it. If you happen to have one and need a new use for it, try the Sourdough English Muffins that I make last week. They were extra delicious with butter and strawberry jam.
Sourdough English Muffins
makes 18
1 c. sourdough starter
1/2 c. water
4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons honey
4 1/2 c. flour — this can be part whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons yeast
2 Tablespoons cornmeal
(Yes, you still need yeast - the sourdough is not active enough to get much rising action.)
Into your bread machine, place all of these ingredients except the cornmeal.
Set it to “dough” and let the machine do the work. When it’s done, about an hour and a half later, punch the dough down and flop it out onto a floured board.
Knead for 4-5 minutes, then roll it out, just as if you were making cookies or biscuits. It should be fairly thick, about 3/8 to 1/2 inch. Cut into circles with a drinking glass.
Grease a cookie sheet and sprinkle cornmeal over it. Place your “muffins” on top of the cornmeal and cover them until they have doubled in size — about an hour or longer, depending on the temperature in the room.
Next, heat your skillet or griddle to medium heat - 350. Fry the muffins for about 7 minutes or less on each side. Keep an eye on them and flip when they are getting nice and brown.
Remove from heat and let them cool. These are a thousand percent better than the ones that are sold in the grocery.
Enjoy!
Add comment May 28th, 2007