Friday, June 5, 2009

Sour Dough English Muffins

"Hey Mickey, he likes it!"
When ever I make something new I test it out on the baby.
He can be quite finicky sometimes, so if he likes it the rest of the heathens are sure to love it!

I have been on a sour dough kick again.
I go through phases.
Some weeks I put the start in the fridge and don't touch it once.
Then there was the time I forgot about it and left it out on the counter without feeding it for about a week and it rotted and I had to go begging some more off my wonderful sour dough friend.
She said it's gonna cost me next time, so I better get my act together and
stop killing the sour dough!
Other weeks I can't get enough and I use it at least once a day.
This week has been one of those weeks.
I have used it in sour dough pancakes, blueberry muffins, chocolate zucchini bread (with spinach instead of zucchini) ,pitas and these little lovelies.
Home made English muffins are to die for.
They put the ones in the store to shame.
Shame, I tell you, SHAME!
And when you find out how easy they are and how cheap they are to make you just might die.
You'll never buy another English muffin as long as you live!
In fact I made this recipe twice in less than a week and I even doubled the recipe the second time and we have eaten every last one of them.
Oh my, the nooks!
Take a look at the nooks!
How I crave the crannies.
Warm out of the oven or toaster the honey drips into each perfectly formed crevasse and makes the whole thing a gooey, chewy delight.
Have I mentioned that I love sour dough?
Oh good, so glad we're clear on that!
As usual I found a recipe on the Internet and then changed it to my fancy. One of these days I might try a recipe as written...maybe.
I'll share my top secret recipe with you, but only if you promise to come get some of my sour dough and try them for yourself.
Shhh, don't tell my friend, she's charging big bucks for the stuff now. I don't think you could afford it.
Sour Dough English Muffins
Ingredients:
½ cup sourdough starter, fed
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup water
½ tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp honey
cornmeal (optional)
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in mixer and mix until well incorporated. Cover and let sit out overnight (about 7-10 hours) I actually mixed the dough in the morning and let it sit all day long and continued from here in the evening, just before dinner. Divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and shape with fingers to look like a round flat thing resembling a hockey puck (I never said I was a professional recipe writer, I just do what works for me, OK!). Place rounds on an ungreased baking sheet, covered with cornmeal (I don't have any cornmeal so I left it out and placed them on parchment paper so they would not stick). Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with cornmeal and leave them to rise, covered with a clean dishtowel, for about 45 minutes. Heat a lightly oiled or nonstick skillet over high heat until very hot (I used the griddle since they don't burn as easily), then reduce the temperature to medium/medium high. Cook the muffins for about 5-8 minutes on each side, turning only once. The muffins will reach a light or medium brown (turn down the temperature slightly if they cook too quickly) on both the top and the bottom when they are cooked through. Before the first flip, the sides of the muffin will start to look dry, like the edges of a pancake, when it is ready to be turned. You can peek at the underside, too. Next bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for an additional 5-8 minutes. Cool completely before storing.


6 comments:

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home said...

Great recipe. I love English muffins, but I've never had them homemade.

mub said...

I can't wait to try these. I can't buy English muffins here and every now and then they sound sooo goood! Now I need to get ahold of some starter!

Melissa said...

Perfect! I've been looking for different ways to use sourdough starter, and this sounds like a great option. Have you ever tried it with a different kind of flour?

Aisling said...

See, if I made those and had them sitting there on the counter, still warm, I would eat SO MUCH BUTTER my doctor would have a heart attack, GRIN!

Lisa@BlessedwithGrace said...

That is a great recipe. Thanks for sharing your TMTT recipe and linking up.

Brenda said...

I love English muffins, they hold so much of that yummy butter I crave so much!