sourdough english muffins

I realize I posted about English muffins only a year ago, and that post after countless subpar experiments, but now I’m back, this time with one heck of a winner.

The other recipe is still quite good (it goes without saying that I try to make it a point not to share bad recipes, yes?), but this one is better than quite good. This one is nothing short of a revelation.

I found the recipe in that recipe book I told you about (and then someone — was it one of you?! — went and put it on hold at the library so I’m now accruing a fine, thank you very much), and have made the English muffins several times, most recently just this morning — a double batch.

The main things to know:

*It takes a sourdough starter. The book’s author includes a recipe for a starter, but since I use my own and have no firsthand experience with his method, I’m not including it here, sorry. I’m more than happy, though, to share my starter with anyone (local) who asks, and, if you’re into any baking whatsoever, you really, reallyreallyreally ought to look into getting a starter. They make all the difference.

*The dough is soft and supple (or “thoft and thupple” as we like to say). It’s easy to manage, and the making of it is punctuated with little breaks while the dough rests, which makes it the perfect baking project for a cozy winter morning.

*It’s fun! You get to fry yeasted dough like pancakes, which is super thrills, and then bake them, and all the little steps work together in the most logical and reliable fashion.

*The end result is soooo good. Buttery toasted tops and bottoms — the cornmeal adds texture and flavor — and an impossibly tender middle.

 I like to make bunches (thus the double recipe) and freeze them. Gently defrosted and heated just enough to take the chill off, I like to tear them open, spread them with butter, and then tuck a piece of ham inside.

And that, in my book, is a perfect breakfast.

Sourdough English Muffins
Adapted from Big Bad Breakfast: The Most Important Book of the Day by John Currence.

I’ve doubled the recipe. They’re so good that it doesn’t make sense to make just a single batch. Also, a doubled recipes uses the exact amount of starter that I have leftover after making bread, so there’s that.

1 cup each warm water and warm milk
1 tablespoon yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
3 cups each all-purpose flour and bread flour
1½ cups sourdough starter
6 tablespoons melted butter
4 teaspoons salt

Put the water, milk, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer (or regular mixing bowl). Stir briefly and let sit until bubbly, about 10 minutes. Add the all-purpose flour, mix to combine, and let sit for another 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and mix for five minutes. If the dough is quite sticky (and mine always is), add more flour, a couple spoonfuls at a time, making sure it is completely absorbed before adding more. The dough should be quite sticky, but not too sticky, and definitely not dry. Cover and let rest for 45 minutes.

Scrape the dough onto a well-floured surface and fold a couple times until the blob of dough is smooth. Gently roll it out to about ½ inch thickness, or at least no more than that. Cut the muffins with a biscuit cutter, or a smooth-mouthed drinking glass. Place the cut muffins on pieces of parchment paper that you’ve sprinkled with cornmeal. Once all the muffins have been cut (and you’ve re-rolled and cut the scraps), sprinkle the tops with more cornmeal. Cover with a cloth and let rest for 45 minutes.

Place a couple cast-iron skillets, or whatever you use to make pancakes, on the stovetop and turn the heat to medium, or medium-low. Once the skillets are hot, coat the bottoms with a tablespoon or two of butter. Carefully, with minimal handling, arrange the muffins in the pan so they’re close, but not touching, and fry them for 3-4 minutes on each side, adding more butter (optional) when you flip them. (Depending on how many muffins you’ve made, and how many skillets you have going, you may have to do this in shifts.)

Transfer the grilled muffins to a parchment-lined baking sheet and, when the pan is full, bake them for about 10 minutes.

Serve warm, with lots of butter and jam. Freeze the leftovers.

This same time, years previous: guayaba bars, official, the quotidian (11.16.11), peanut butter cream pie.

Jennifer Jo lives with her husband John and their four children on five acres in rural Virginia where she (kinda-sorta-maybe) homeschools the kids, gardens, bakes, and reads. You can find more of her musings and lots of recipes at her web-log mamasminutia.blogspot.com.