Sourdough English Muffins
Course:
Bread (savory)
Ingredients
- 492 grams Bread Flour
- 55 grams Milk (whole)
- 9 grams Sugar
- 283 grams Water (36 degrees C)
- 10 grams Salt
- 118 grams Sourdough Starter (active)
- 33 grams Butter (room temperature)
Steps
- The night before, feed sourdough starter.
- Cut the butter into ½-inch thick pats. Place the pats on a plate on the counter to warm to room temperature.
Making the Dough (18 mins):
- Add all ingredients except the butter and mix/kneed for about 5 minutes until it comes together.
- Let the dough rest in the bowl for 10 minutes.
- Add the butter, one bit at a time, mixing and kneeding again to incorporate. Continue for 2-3 minutes until all butter is added.
- Transfer the dough to a straight-sided vessel, cover with a damp towel, and let rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch and Fold (2 hours):
- After 30 minutes, grab a corner of the dough and pull it up and into the center.
- Repeat until you’ve performed this series of folds 4 to 5 times with the dough.
- Let dough rest for another 30 minutes and repeat the stretching and folding action.
- Repeat for a total of 4 sets of stretch and folds, over 2 hours.
- Set 1
- Set 2
- Set 3
- Set 4
Bulk Fermentation (8+ hours):
- Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise at room temperature, about 8 to 10 hours at 70°F (21°C) or even less if you live in a warm environment. The dough is ready when it has increased by 50% in volume, has a few bubbles on the surface, and jiggles when you move the bowl from side to side.
Prepare & Shape (10 mins):
- Liberally dust a 13 x 18-inch half-sheet pan with semolina flour or and set aside.
- Uncover the container and lightly dust the top of the dough and a work surface with flour. Gently scrape the dough onto the floured work surface and use your bench knife to divide it into 12 pieces roughly 80 grams each.
- Shape each piece into a taut ball and place it on the sheet pan; you should be able to comfortably fit all 12 pieces with space in between.
- Place the sheet pan inside a reusable plastic bag and seal. Alternatively, wrap the pan well with plastic wrap.
Proofing (15+ hours):
- Place the sheet pan in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, remove the pan from the fridge and let proof at room temperature (74ºF to 76ºF) for at least 3 hours. The dough is ready when it is very soft and puffed up — it should feel extremely delicate. (For the lightest and most tenderest muffins, it’s essential to give this dough plenty of time to finish proofing.) If it feels dense or tight, let it proof 30 minutes more and check again.
Baking:
- Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 175ºC conventional. Line a 13 x 18-inch half-sheet pan with parchment paper and set it next to the stove.
- Place a heavy cast-iron skillet or other large skillet over medium-high heat (9). Lightly grease the skillet with butter.
- Using a flat spatula, gently transfer 2 to 4 dough rounds to the skillet to cook covered until the bottoms are deep brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the other sides are deep brown.
- Transfer the muffins to the prepared sheet pan and repeat with the remaining dough rounds, wiping out and re-greasing the pan again with butter between each batch.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. When done, the muffins will have colored a little more at the edges, but they won’t be completely browned.
- Let the muffins cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. These will keep for 3 to 4 days on the counter, covered. For longer storage, transfer to a zip-top plastic freezer bag once completely cooled and freeze for up to 3 months.
Source: https://alexandracooks.com/2023/01/13/homemade-sourdough-english-muffins/