Sourdough English Muffins

PaulaG's Note:

Nothing beats homemade muffins fresh off the griddle. These are light and airy. The recipe calls for 1 package dry yeast, depending on how active your sourdough is you may choose to eliminate it. As all sourdough is somewhat different experiment and see what works best for you. I use an Alaskan sourdough recipe. For mixing the dough I used my Kitchenaid Mixer and dough hook. This recipe comes from Best of the Best from Alaska Cookbook and I have made minor adjustments for personal taste.

• Total Time: 16 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 16 hrs
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 18 muffins

• 1 (¼ ounce) package dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ cup warm water
• ½ cup scalded milk
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup sourdough starter
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups sifted flour (I use 2 cups white flour and 2 cups whole wheat)
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• cornmeal
• oat bran
• wheat germ

Directions:

1. The night before, feed sourdough starter as you normally do.
2. The next morning take out 1/2 cup starter for use in the muffins.
3. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over 1/4 cup warm water.
4. Allow yeast to become bubbly.
5. Heat milk to lukewarm, add remaining 1 cup water, sourdough starter, baking soda, salt and yeast to large mixing bowl.
6. Add half the flour and beat well with electric mixer or a wooden spoon.
7. Cover bowl and let rise to double in bulk, this depends on the weather but takes approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.
8. Add melted butter and remaining flour beating and kneading thoroughly.
9. Cover and again allow to rise until double, approximately 45 minutes.
10. Turn dough out on board dusted slightly with flour and either corn meal, oat bran or wheat germ.
11. Flatten with rolling pin to 3/4-inch thickness.
12. Cut with a 2-1/2 inch diameter cutter, place on cookie sheets that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
13. Allow muffins to rest and rise for about 15 minutes or until light.
14. Spray griddle or heavy skillet with non-stick cooking spray and preheat until water sizzles when dropped on griddle.
15. Cook the muffins on preheated griddle for approximately 15 minutes, turning several times.
16. When ready to serve, split in half with fork, toast lightly and top with favorite toppings.
17. Note: The preparation time includes feeding the starter overnight.

Reviews

[Queen Roachie]

I love the flavor and texture of these... I cook them in a cast iron skillet a few at a time, since I don't have a griddle... My only real problem is that the first ones are gorgeous and tall like English muffins should be, but the second half of them are flat... every time. They still taste good, but they are about half as tall as the first half. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong with these. I did find that I needed to put mine on corn meal rather than an oiled cookie sheet to avoid sticking. Any suggestions on the height issue would really be appreciated. Thanks!

[ABDriver]

Excellent straight-forward recipe. Worked great - tasted better! Don't get the griddle too hot.