Thursday, March 29, 2012

Sourdough English Muffins


I've made whole wheat sourdough English muffins, but these were closer to my idea of what a muffin ought to be. They're nearly gone a day after I made them.

You Will Need:

1 cup fed sourdough starter
2 cups water
2 cups strong flour
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted margarine (better than butter in this application)
Additional plain flour 2-3 cups

Mix starter with water and 2 cups of strong flour. Mix well, cover with clingfilm and let sit 2-12 hours depending on how sour you like your sourdough. I did 6.
Stir in honey, salt, margarine, and enough flour to make a dough that is no longer sticky. Knead lightly until it comes together in a ball and holds together-this dough does not require a great deal of kneading.

Cover, and let rise until doubled-about 1 hour with my starter, but some sourdough takes longer-adjust as needed.

Punch down dough, divide in half and pat out into 1/2 inch thickness on a board heavily dusted with cornmeal. Cut into circles using a 3 inch diameter cutter (more or less). Place circles on wax paper a couple inches apart and let rise, lightly covered until doubled in bulk.

Meanwhile, heat your cooking surface. I used a well-seasoned cast iron pan that did not require any greasing. If using a griddle, adjust as needed. The heat needs to be hot, but not so hot that the muffins burn-they need about ten minutes each side. On my electric range, this is halfway between low and medium. Again, you may need to adjust as you go. When the surface is hot, cook the muffins a few at a time ten minutes on each side. I like to tilt mine on edge in the last minutes, but that's just my way of doing it, and I've yet to see it mentioned in a cookery book. If the muffins are quite large, it helps to make sure they are fully cooked. Cool muffins on rack, then store tightly wrapped in the fridge. Toast before serving.

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