English muffin photos

Janet, here is the recipe for English Muffins from the KAF 200th Anniversary cookbook.

Preface: the starter maintenance directions are to feed with equal amounts (by volume) of flour and water, so the KA folks are working with a fairly soupy starter.  All quantities are given as volumes in the book.  However, the stated intent is that a cup of flour weighs 4 ounces.  If you want to convert to weights, that gives you a starting point.

Ingredients:

1 cup sourdough starter

1.5 cups milk

5.5 to 6 cups unbleached AP flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

cornmeal (for sprinkling on pan)

Stir together the starter, the milk, and 3 cups of flour to make a sponge.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to ferment until bubbly.  Depending on your starter activity and temperatures, this could take from 2 to 24 hours.  I usually make up the sponge before going to bed and then finish the muffins the next day.

When the sponge has developed, stir in one cup of flour, the sugar, the salt, and the baking soda.  Add enough of the remaining flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition, to make a soft dough.  It should still be on the sticky side, so don't worry about incorporating every last bit of flour.  You can always work in more while kneading, if necessary.  Cover the bowl and let it sit for 30-60 minutes so that the flour can fully hydrate.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 2-3 minutes; just enough so that the dough smooths out and is no longer lumpy.  Use a floured rolling pin to roll it out to a uniform thickness of between 1/4 and 1/2 inches.  (I like the thicker dimension, even though it yields fewer muffins.)  Using a muffin ring, or biscuit cutter, or empty and clean tuna can, cut 3-4 inch diameter rounds from the dough.  Gently combine the scraps, re-roll and cut additional muffins until all scraps are used.  There are at least two other shaping options.  One, use a knife or pizza cutter to cut square muffins; there are no scraps to mess with that way.  Or, pinch off balls of dough, round, then flatten into a disc shape.

Place the shaped muffins on a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with corn meal.  Cover them and let them rest long enough to show some inflation.  My suggestion: let them grow upward about 25% from their starting height.  That means bubbles are beginning to form inside.  They will expand more on the griddle, as shown in my photos.

When the muffins are about ready to cook, preheat a griddle on a burner at low heat.  When the griddle is heated, place 4 or 5 muffins on the griddle, cornmeal side down.  Cook until well-browned on that side, maybe 5-7 minutes depending on how hot your griddle is.  Gently flip the muffins over and cook until the second side is also well-browned.  Since I see that the muffins tend to dome on top while the first side is cooking, I use the spatula to very gently press the muffins after flipping them so that the whole face of the muffin is in contact with the griddle.  Otherwise, you're heating a surface that is only a couple of inches across and that isn't conducive to even cooking throughout.

Although the KAF recipe doesn't mention it, I have seen others that recommend a short bake at 350F for the muffins after they come off the griddle to ensure that the centers are fully cooked.  If you make yours thick and find that the interiors are a bit doughy yet, you may want to experiment with this.

After cooling, the muffins can be split with a fork (and yes it is a better way to maximize those nooks and crannies than is slicing with a knife).  Eat as is, or toast, as may be your preference.  They also freeze well, assuming that they last long enough for that to happen.