Guilt Free Sourdough English Muffins

When I was a kid, I would beg my Mum to buy English Muffins. I loved them hot from the toaster, smeared with butter with flecks of vegemite. Oh my. Brings tears to my eyes.

Mum didn't buy them very often because they have "unnecessary preservatives" in them & even into adulthood I felt guilty when I would because I knew they weren't good for me. Not to mention the fact that I'd smash back a whole packet in less than 24 hours.

What doesn't an English muffin go with? Bacon & eggs? Check, especially with hollandaise sauce omg. Nutella? Check. Cinnamon sugar? Check. Peanut butter & honey? Check. Mini pizzas? Check. Safe to say this has been one thing I've been dying to make with sourdough. I've honestly been a little nervous because how could they be as good as store bought ones? Just, how?

These are.

I tell you, I teared up when I broke one apart and tasted them. Heavenly. I can't believe we've run out of vegemite though. That's probably the saddest part of this whole journey.

A few tips:
* use a fork to separate them so you don't damage their fluffy texture.
* be mindful of your skillet temperature. You want them to cook slowly enough that they cook through without burning the outside. I watch mine closely and adjust the heat when needed.

Makes 12 - 14 muffins. I usually double the recipe.

Ingredients:

245 g (1 heaping cup) milk
120 g (1/2 c.) water
56 g (4 tbsp) butter

75 g (heaped 1/2 c.) bubbly active starter

12 g (1 tbsp) sugar, or sweetener of your choice. I use honey or maple syrup.
500 g (4 1/2 c.) flour
9 g (1 1/2 tsp) salt
A little bit of semolina, cornflour or rice flour for dusting

Method:

Make Dough:
1. Warm the milk, water & butter, then let cool slightly. I do this on the stove top. Microwave works too.
2. Meanwhile, add the starter and sweetener to your mixing bowl. Slowly add wet ingredients and mix.
3. Add flour and salt & bring it to a rough dough. I do so by hand.
4. Cover with a damp towel or cling wrap & let rest for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, pull the dough into a semi smooth ball by performed a few rounds of stretch and folds. This doesn't take long.
6. Cover bowl with damp towel or cling wrap and let rise until it has doubled in size, this can take up to 10 hours & is called the bulk fermentation.

Transfer Dough to Fridge:
7. Pop dough into fridge for its second proof. This can be anywhere from 1 - 24 hours.

Shape:
8. Remove cold from fridge and turn out onto lightly floured surface. Let rest a few minutes while you line a baking sheet and sprinkle a generous amount of semolina over it.
9. Shape dough into a rectangle, about 1/2" thick. I use my rolling pin, but you can do this with your hands.
10. Cut round shape using a 3" cookie cutter or the rim of a glass/mug. Pop onto baking tray and sprinkle semolina on top. Knead the scraps together, and repeat the process. If the dough is resistant to being rolled, cover with a damp tea towel and let rest until it's more relaxed. Continue this process until you've used as much dough as possible.

11. Cover for the second rise. Let rest until puffy. This should take a few hours.

                                                    The muffins right after they were cut.

After being left for 3 hours to puff (I added a few more to this tray).

Cook your Muffins:
12. Heat up a large non stick skillet on moderate-low heat. Place a few muffins in and let cook either side for 8-10 minutes. When ready, the sides should be springy! I have a regular cast iron skillet and cook about 5 at a time. They don't spread much!
13. Pop in a gallon zip lock bag for an hour or so to steam. This will ensure they're cooked all the way through.

14. Cool on wire rack. Eat them warm & thank me later for the party in your mouth!

Split the muffins using a fork gently pushed into the side and voila! 

These are divine with just some butter or with any topping you can think of. They keep fresh for a few days and will even freeze well!

What a game changer. You're welcome. Enjoy every tasty morsel!

Love,
Heidi