These sourdough English muffins are golden, rustic perfection—thick and puffy with a tender crumb and just the right chew. Their edges are slightly crisp from a hot griddle sear, while the interior is pillowy and riddled with delicate, airy nooks just waiting to cradle melting butter or jam.
The sourdough gives them a subtle tang that adds depth without overpowering, balancing beautifully with both sweet and savory toppings. Split open, they reveal a soft, steamy center that feels like a warm hug in bread form. Homemade and hearty, they taste like slow mornings and small joys.
Baking with Sourdough
Baking with sourdough is both an art and a science, requiring patience, and a little bit of a learning curve. It’s a fun and deliciously satisfying hobby, and really easy to work with once you have just a little practice under your belt. Working with sourdough is also very forgiving. I find that my measurements are not always totally exact, (for example some flours weigh more than others) and yet the bread turns out great every time. We usually make our sourdough recipes using grams, but in case you don’t have a scale, I’ve included regular cup and ounce measurements with this recipe.
Sourdough starter is a living culture of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria that can be used to leaven (raise) bread and other baked goods. It’s a mixture of a starter culture, flour, and water that, when combined and left to ferment, develops into a robust colony of microorganisms. These microorganisms interact to create the characteristic flavors, textures, and rise of sourdough bread.
I’ve kept my sourdough starter alive and active for almost five years now, and because I store it in the refrigerator, I only feed it every month or so. When you feed your sourdough starter, you can keep the residual discard to use for making sourdough pancakes and waffles, and even chocolate chip cookies. These are absolutely delicious, and I will post my recipes in future columns, and you can always email me for them.
Sourdough is good for the gut!
According to the Epoch Times Article Long-Fermented Sourdough: A Bread that Makes Fiber Absorbable and Easy on Your Gut, by Zena le Roux, the fermentation process has many benefits including enhancing the nutritional quality of the bread by increasing fiber and antioxidant levels. It also increases digestibility and makes the fiber more absorbable, because the fermentation process activates enzymes that break down the cell walls of the grain.
Look for the right kind of sourdough bread …
Not all sourdough breads are alike. You want to look for bread that is made with sourdough starter that is long fermented. Some breads in the stores are labeled as sourdough but actually add yeast to increase speed and productivity. Baking with true sourdough takes some time and patience, and the bread has only a few basic ingredients: sourdough starter, water, flour and salt. These ingredients, along with the process, provide a chewy crumb and a crisp, crunchy crust. You may find a sourdough bread with dried fruit, nuts, or olives, but that’s okay, what you are looking for is the main bread ingredients, not the specialty additions.
Be brave and jump in! It’s time to get your very own sourdough starter.
If you decide to give it a shot, I hope you enjoy baking with sourdough as much as I have. It’s such a fun project and your family and friends will love your creations! You can buy sourdough starter online, and there are also bakeries that sell the fresh sourdough starter. I’ve included a few of these in the info box below.
Sourdough English Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup active sourdough starter
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 cup milk (whole or 2%)
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (3 3/4 to 4 cups)
- 3 tbsp. cornmeal (for preparing baking sheet)
Instructions
- Add the the sourdough starter and sugar to the bowl of your standing mixer. In a small saucepan, cook butter, milk and water over low heat just until butter is melted. (Or you can microwave it for about 55 seconds.) Either way, cool for five or so minutes before adding it to the ingredients in the bowl of your mixer. (You don’t want it to be super hot.) Blend well with your mixer on low speed.
- Add the flour and salt to the mixer and, using the dough hook, start mixing on low speed to incorporate the ingredients. Once the ingredients are well incorporated, continue to blend on medium speed for about 6 minutes longer. The dough will be very moist and soft.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape the dough stuck to the edges of the bowl towards the main body of dough. Cover the top of the bowl with a damp cloth and allow to bulk ferment for 8-10 hours in a warm, draft-free area, but not in the oven. Caveat: I do use the oven but only because I have a “proof” setting. If you have this, it works perfectly, but otherwise, leave the dough on the counter in a warm area. The dough should be doubled in size and very puffy at the end of the fermentation period. This can be done overnight, so you’re ready to shape the English muffins and allow for final proofing in the morning.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and distribute the corn meal evenly across the paper. Set aside.
- Sprinkle flour on a pastry cloth or cutting board and gently lift the dough from the bowl onto this surface. (Sometimes wetting your hands with a little bit of water makes it easier to handle the dough.) Let rest for about 15 minutes. Then, flatten the dough into a circle about 3/4-inch tall. Using a 4-inch biscuit cutter or a glass with a 4-inch opening, (dip the cutter into flour before each English muffin you cut), cut the dough into your English muffins. Gather any leftover dough into a flatten ball and continue to cut muffins until all dough has been used.
- Place cut English muffins on the prepared baking sheet. Cover English muffins with a light, dry towel. Allow to rise for 1 hour more. They don’t rise a lot at the point but will get a bit puffy.
- Heat a griddle over medium heat on the stove top. Spray with cooking spray or brush lightly with oil or melted butter. Place muffins on the griddle and cook for about 7-8 minutes per side, or until the muffins are puffy and cooked through and the tops and bottoms are golden brown. Remove muffins from griddle and cool.
- Once cooled, fork split the muffins (to make them authentic and easier to cut when ready to serve) and then either toast to eat right away, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve. Always split the muffins for cooking using a fork instead of a knife. This is what allows for the nubby texture, which makes delicious little pockets for butter and jam.
Notes
https://bakeclub.com.au/blogs/bakeclub-blog/how-to-feed-maintain-store-and-use-your-sourdough-starter#:~:text=If%20you%20aren%27t%20intending,in%20the%20fridge%20to%20store.