Bread in all forms is my kryptonite. And I gladly surrender to it!
When I was a kid, a package of english muffins was always a treat to be savoured. Of course, there was the typical peanut butter spread on half, and butter on the other half, and then I would smoosh these together. Yes, I am one of those one who likes to have butter with my peanut butter.
Even just butter alone makes the english muffin to be savoured. It melts into all the nooks and crannies. They are perfectly crisped on the outside, but fluffy on the inside. Toasted, that fluffy interior is just the best!
My mom would often use english muffins to make us mini pizzas. I can still see them, and taste them! All she needed was a jar of pizza sauce, some salami, and tons of grated mozzarella and maybe a few ‘shrooms, and we were quite happy with our snack or dinner. As I write this I literally would love some of those right now!
And of course, scrambled egg, bacon and a slice of cheddar, and you have the best breakfast sandwich. Who needs the drive-thru lane?
So these days, yes, I will bake up english muffins, to have for breakfast with peanut butter, but I will also put a few aside and make mini pizzas, in honour of my mom 🙂
But probably my most favourite way to eat them is with smoked salmon and cream cheese. I pretend that they are bagels, without all the heaviness that bagels have, which really doesn’t agree with my tummy.
I used to bake my english muffins with yeast (Serious Eats has a great recipe here) Once I started baking with Emilie Raffa’s book, Artisan Sourdough Made Simple, I found a new way to make english muffins. And they have the added bonus of that special tang that comes from sourdough starter. If you have hesitated to try your hand at baking breads using a sourdough starter, I can most wholeheartedly recommend this book. It is designed to take the mystery and the math out of baking with a levain or sourdough starter, instead of yeast. It is for those of us who may not be ready for the chemistry and math that comes with trying to understand all the reactions and fractions that the world of sourdough (a total sub-culture as far as I’m concerned!) lovers live for. Without needing a degree in chemistry, in fact, not even touching that aspect of the baking process at all, Emilie de-mystifies the process, and makes it totally accessible for us lay people.
And really, next to focaccia, english muffins are an easy way to jump in. This is a no knead recipe, yay! You don’t even need the oven for these babies, they are baked in a skillet or on a griddle on the stove top. Thanks to the generous dusting of cornmeal, they get a great exterior texture as they bake up. They will get flipped, and the second side gets baked up to create an evenly baked, fluffy interior bun.
Make up a batch and serve them for brunch. You could set up a breakfast sammie station, with scrambled or slices of frittata, strip or peameal bacon, cheeses, greens like arugula or chickory, etc. Or how about sliced sautéed fruit with honey or maple syrup? Jams and labneh or skyr or cream cheese? Let your imagination run wild. Let everyone make their own. Add some spiked OJ and it’s a great way to eat the morning away.
I’m showing it here with some of my Blood Orange and Rosemary Marmalade. The link to this fabulous jam is here. Make up a batch of both, and they would make a lovely little gift.
What is great about these, is that once you have baked up the batch, you can freeze the ones you won’t eat right away. Then just pull out a few to enjoy. Thawed and warmed in the oven (never the microwave) the crispy exterior and fluffy interior will totally return.
And of course, don’t forget your fork. The best way to open an english muffin is to use a fork to split it open. Just pierce the muffin all along the ‘equator’ till it has been pierced through, it will open to reveal all the craggy holes inside. Using a knife to slice it open will just close these holes up. Which isn’t nearly as good, once the two slices are toasted. You want those open holes and crags to crisp up under the heat.
I’m sharing this recipe, in the hopes that if you like it and perhaps the one or two others I may share, you will rush out and get Emilie’s book. It is definitely worth having in your kitchen. Once you’ve tried the english muffins, there is a whole world of sourdough breads, grissini, focaccia, brioche etc to explore. Bread truly is my kryptonite!
You will need to have an active sourdough starter ready. Emily graciously sent me some of her personal stash when I started down the journey of sourdough baking. If you don’t have any yet, check out this link for creating one of your own. Or if you want to purchase ready made starter that just needs re-activation, see the link below on Emilie’s site.
Love Jen
Sourdough English Muffins
Once you make english muffins at home, you'll never want store bought again. These have all the craggy goodness of the classic holes, which butter can just melt into, plus the tang of sourdough for added flavour. Cooked on the stove top, these are perfect for Sunday brunch!
Ingredients
- 245 grams (1 cup plus 1 tsp) milk, whole or 2%
- 120 grams (1/2 cup) water
- 56 grams (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, cubed
- 75 grams (heaped 1/2 cup) bubbly active starter
- 24 grams (2 tbsp) sugar
- 500 grams (4 cups plus 2 tbsp) All Purpose flour
- 9 grams (1 1/2 tsp) salt
- Cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting
Instructions
Make the Dough
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In a small saucepan, warm the milk, water and butter together over low heat, or in the microwave. Cool slightly before adding to the dough.
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Add the starter and sugar to a large bowl. Slowly pour in the warm milk mixture, while whisking to combine.
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Add the flour and salt. Mix with a fork to form a rough dough, then finish by hand to fully incorporate the flour. Cover with a damp towel and let rest 30 minutes. Meanwhile replenish your starter and store according to preference.
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After the dough has rested, work the mass into a semi-smooth ball, about 15-20 seconds.
Bulk Rise
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Cover the bowl with the damp towel and let rise until double is size, about 8-10 hours at 70 degrees F. (21C)
Once fully risen, cover the dough in lightly oiled plastic wrap and chill in fridge overnight.
Shape
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In the morning, remove the cold dough from the fridge onto a floured surface. Let it rest 10 minutes. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and sprinkle a generous amount of cornmeal all over it. This will prevent the dough from sticking.
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With floured hands, pat the dough into a rectangle or oval, about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. Cut rounds about 3 inches in diameter (you can use the rim of a drinking glass: use a rim that isn't too thick) You should get 10-12 rounds. Place them onto the cornmeal. Sprinkle tops with more cornmeal.
Second Rise
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Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest till puffy, about 1 hour depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
Cook the muffins
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Warm a large non-stick skillet (you can also use a cast iron griddle, which is what I use) over low heat. Place a few rounds of dough into the pan to fit comfortably. Don't worry, they really won't spread.
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Cook on one side for about 8 to 10 minutes, checking at the halfway mark for even browning. Adjust the heat if necessary. Flip the muffins over and continue to cook for an additional 8-10 minutes. When ready, the muffins should feel lightweight and the sides should spring back when pressed gently.
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Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool. Continue cooking the remaining rounds.
When ready to eat, split them open using a fork piercing into the equator of each all the way around and gently prying open.
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They will stay fresh 2 days, stored in a plastic bag at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
The tip to cooking english muffins is to find balanced heat. If the flame is too high, the outside will brown too quickly leaving the centre undercooked. If you find this has happened, finish baking the muffins in a low heat oven (about 250F) until cooked through.
You can avoid this by doing a test run with one or two muffins to begin with to help guide your stove top heat.
You can make the dough Friday morning before you leave the house for the day, put it in the fridge at the end of the day, and then bake them off on Saturday morning for a great treat.
Recipe courtesy of Emilie Raffa's book, Artisan Dough Made Simple. To purchase her book or ready made sourdough starter, see here.
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This is a wonderful recipe! Definitely will not want store-bought anymore after trying this easy to follow recipe. A perfect use for sourdough discard. And they taste exactly what your hoping an English muffin should! Tender, flavourful with all that craggy goodness for butter to melt down into. Thank you Jenn!
Hi Lorraine, Isn’t it such an amazing recipe. All of Emilie’s recipes in her book are fabulous and work every time. I’m happy that it worked for you using sourdough discard. The recipe actually calls for active bubbly starter, so if your discard has been sitting in the fridge, it won’t actually have the properties to give the dough it’s rise. I’d stick to fresh starter with the recipe, just in case. Love Jen
Yes, Sorry I should have clarified as these expressions are all new to me…
I took the active bubbly starter for your recipe that I was discarding from my batch, so that I could feed it with new flour & water. Needless to say, I am still learning the ropes:-)
Hi Lorraine, Oh good. Yes that is exactly the right thing to do, if you have all that active bubbly starter. Two recipes on the same day. You can always freeze the bagels, english muffins etc and pull one out as you need it! Hope all is great at your end. Love Jen
I just finished the bulk rise and put it in the fridge. Do you think it will be okay if I chilled it for 24 hours instead of overnight? Thanks!
Hi June, I’ve never left english muffin dough in there that long. But I have left other doughs in there longer than overnight. Give it a go and let me know if it works! Love Jen
I ended up having to work today and ended up letting them chill in the fridge for 24 hours, they still turned out great!
Hi Kevin, Awesome. I often proof my bread in the fridge for a good 20+ hours, so the same with these guys! Love Jen
Love this recipe! So easy and it turns out great each time. It’s become a family favorite!! I’ve also left it in cold retard for 48 hours and it still turned out great with the flavor was a little tangier. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Gia, so happy you like this recipe as much as we do! There’s something so wonderful about english muffins. There can always be a few in the freezer for last minute cravings. Love Jen
This was a wonderful recipe! Thanks so much for sharing! I had a bucket of starter to use up so I used 1.5 cups of bubbly starter, only 3.5ish cups flour, and eliminated the water (the 1/2c water and remaining 1/2c flour were in the extra 1c starter I used). Turned out perfect! I’ll also be checking out that book you mentioned. Thank you!
Wow, it really sounds like you know what you’re doing! So happy you liked it! Love Jen
My dough hasn’t risen at all, my starter was nice and bubbly and had doubled in size, sat it in front of the fire place all day but nothing, can I save this?
Hi Monique. So sorry to hear that your dough is acting up. I apologize for the delay in responding. I really don’t know what to say. I haven’t had this issue happen before. It won’t rise in just a few hours, if this is what you are wondering. I’m going to attach a link to the blog and author of the recipe herself. She may have some insights within her words to help you out. https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2018/01/why-wont-sourdough-rise/
I hope this helps. Love Jen
I wonder if your liquid mix was too hot when you added it? I was very worried mine was but it’s rising
I just made these and the flavor and crust were both delicious! I had some trouble though getting the center baked through – would a briefer time on a slightly higher flame on the cast iron + 5-7 min in the oven work?
Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Ella, No, don’t go higher with the heat, you will only char the outside before the heat gets to the middle. You are better off lowering the heat so that it takes longer to brown the outside, but the heat can get through to the middle. If you find that even on a lower heat that the exterior is cooked properly but the centre isn’t fluffy, then yes, maybe try in a 325-350F oven for a few minutes. Hope this helps! Love Jen
what type of salt? table? mortons? diamond?
Hi Nina, I only ever use Diamond kosher salt unless I specify. If you use a different one, you may need to use less as the ‘saltiness’ may be more pronounced. Hope this helps, Love Jen
These were so delicious and so easy too! A perfect way to use up excess starter too. Will definitely be making again soon!
HI Klara, Yes, if we’re going to bake a loaf of bread, and there is more starter available, we might as well make muffins as well! Aren’t they such fun to make! Love Jen
Like the rest of the world., I have started experimenting a lot more with baking. I have a lot of sour dough starter than needs to be used or discarded. With the difficulty getting flour I figure I better find something to use it up with. This recipe is perfect. I make it with less flour and more starter…works out great. And I’m using up a lot of my excess starter.
I have been making sour dough sticks, boules & loafs but by far these are the biggest hit. My son just called to ask when I was making more so I just started a batch.
These are so quick to make but I can’t keep them “in stock” they’re so popular with my whole family
Thanks for a great recipe
Hi Beth, It’s so good to make the most of all our ingredients to stretch them to go further. Making up a batch of these is such fun, and they freeze so well, that we don’t have to eat them all at once! Have a great week, Love Jen
Surely the amounts are correct. 500g flour with 370g liquid can’t be formed into a dough. It’s more like a batter. Am adding more and more flour to firm it up.
Hi James, the amounts are correct. This recipe is from Emilie Raffa’s book, Artisan Sourdough Made Simple. And yes, everytime I make them, they turn out perfectly. I hope that the way you made them worked for you! Have a great week. Love Jen
The first time I made these it was much like a wet dough. I added flour until I could work it without my hands being stuck to the dough. They turned out AMAZING. The second time I’m making these is now and the dough is much thicker. Possibly because my starter is less hydrated…. I’m still working with it, and hopefully it comes out just as good as the first time.
How did they turn out Rene? It most likely is your starter that is affecting the consistency. But they should still be great. My starter is never overly wet and the dough is always wonderful. Jen
Just made these and they turned out so well. Was a little difficult getting my gear just right with an electric cooktop but in the end so happy with them
Hi Caryn, I’m so happy that they turned out so well for you. Aren’t they such fun to make! Don’t worry, I have an electric cooktop as well. It all comes together in the end! Love Jen
Hi! This looks so great. Do you think the recipe would work with a non-dairy milk? Thanks for the help!
Hi Yasi, That’s a good question. You know, I’m not sure. Baking with yeast can be tricky. Sometimes it’s the natural sugars in the milk that are feeding the yeast. I hate to tell you to try a batch and find out, but that is really the only way to know. If you are brave and do so, please let me know how it works out! Love Jen
Cooking off a batch I made with oat milk as I write. Look and taste phenomenal.
Thank you for the perfect instructions!
I generally like to add more sourdough starter juuuuust to be sure, and get a little extra flavor.
Next time, I will add a little whole wheat flour as well, I love the extra nuttiness this lends to sourdough. Oh and last note, as I’m baking in a cast iron skillet, looking for the right heat, I am using a lid (on and off) to ensure even cooking.
Hi Edwin, Thanks for your feedback! I am the same! A little bit of extra starter never hurts!! How cool that you used oat milk. Yes, regulating the heat is always a challenge. Better to have it a tad too low than too high. Even if they take a few minutes longer, it beats scorching the outside before the centres are cooked through. Love Jen
Hi, I made these with oat milk and they worked perfect, such a nice, soft dough and the taste is amazing! They didn’t double in size in the first rise of 10 hours, but after the fridge fermentation, they totally caught up and were good and doubled. Made exactly 12 too!! Excellent recipe, thanks so much!
Hi Pat, so good to know! I will have to try it with an alternative milk one day soon! Love Jen
I’m just wondering when you cover it with plastic for the second rise should i leave it in the bowl or take it out of the bowl and wrap it completely on plastic?
Hi Lauren, Sorry for the delay in replying. You only need to cover the top of the bowl. It will have a challenge rising and expanding if it is completely wrapped in plastic. Hope this helps. Love Jen
Thank you for a wonderful recipe. I followed the recipe as written, except I extended the rises, due to other things happening in the house and I am wondering if perhaps my resulting dough was over-proofed. When I removed from the fridge the dough had collapsed somewhat. The muffins are very tasty but a bit heavier than I expected. Could the longer rise times have contributed to this, or are they usually dense? Thanks!
Deni
Hi Denise, Thanks for your feedback. Yes, definitely they were overproofed. They are not usually dense at all. One of the perils of life getting in the way of our baking!! I’m sure you’ll be even happier with the next batch! Love Jen
Hi – looking at your recipe, I’m puzzled at the conversion of grams of flour to cups. A cup of all purpose flour equals approx 140 grams. You call for 500 grams, or 4 cups plus 2 tsp of flour, which would be more like 580 grams. Thank you!
Hi there, Thanks for your feedback. As with any time that I credit a different author or chef with a recipe, I don’t alter their recipe at all. Measuring dry ingredients can really send you down the rabbit hole. Was the flour packed down? Was your hand light when spooning it out into the measuring cup? I always use a scale. I defer to Emilie Raffa for the measurements, as she is a noted chef and every one of her recipes has always worked perfectly for me. The best thing I can say is, always use the weighed measurements because these ones will never lie or let us down. Hope this helps. Love Jen
Is the overnight rise in the fridge completely necessary? Do you think you could do the bulk rise overnight and then bake them in the morning?
You can time the rise to happen for when you want it to finish. Leaving it out on the counter will cause it to rise faster, so you will need to be prepared for when the dough is ready. The overnight rise gives us a chance to walk away before having to finish the task. You just need to get that rise to happen, whether fast or slow. Hope this helps. Love Jen
I have a similar question. I made the dough i the evening, letting it sit overnight. I’m wondering if then I need to leave it in the fridge all day tomorrow and cook tomorrow evening! I chose the recipe because I saw 10 hours so thought I could bake them in the morning if I started at night. I’m new, and I sort of wish recipes would start with “if you want these ready in the morning, begin in the morning!” Lol. So do you think I can skip the rise in the fridge part and bake in the morning? Sorry and thanks! I’m so excited to learn how to do these.
Hi Alison, if you have proofed it the 8 hours or so, then the overnight is really not necessary. This is more of a holding pattern to keep the dough ready for a morning bake, since the cold will halt any further proofing or in this case, over-proofing. Haha, it really is good to read the whole recipe through before starting. But yes, I could add that phrase to help everyone out! Hope this helps! Love Jen
Came here to ask the same question (if I made them at night and they proof on the counter for 8 hours, do I really need to put them in the fridge “overnight” which would just mean till that evening) – sounds like the fridge part isn’t necessary, so I’ll try baking them tomorrow morning!
Hi Sara, I haven’t done it this way, but I will just to find out. Just be aware, in the warmer months, the proofing out on the counter may take less than 8 hours. You don’t want them to overproof. So either create the dough just before going to bed, or make sure you get up early to check on them. Let me know how it works out!
Thanks! I just followed the instructions in the morning, not having chilled the dough overnight, and they were great. I actually pushed together the extra dough that was left after cutting out the rounds, and I got several more rounds, and barely wasted any dough. Those ones were fluffier and higher than the ones I just. We ate a bunch on the first two days and then I sliced and froze the rest. Great recipe! Thanks.
Hi Alison, Yay for using all the dough! I do the same thing. When you say that you sliced them in prepping for the freezer, did you use a knife? If so, next time use the fork method, and then when they thaw they will still be nice and fluffy and have all the desired bumps and craters for butter to sink into! Love Jen
These are so easy and delicious! They will be a staple in our home from now on!
Hi Wendy, So happy to hear! Emilie’s recipe is such a joy to use. So happy to share her vast knowledge and expertise. I hope that you get a chance to check out her book! Have a great week. Love Jen
My dough isn’t rising 🙁 I think maybe I didn’t cool the milk mixture enough. Any salvaging tips??
Hi Allison, Sorry to hear that the rise isn’t happening. Yes, if the liquid hitting the yeast was too hot, it would kill the yeast. And you did confirm that the yeast itself was active? Depending on how far along you were with the dough, all I can say is, it may make some great flat breakfast bread or naan!! Sorry I can’t help you more than that. It is good to check the temperature of liquids whether water or milk etc before adding it to yeast. You want that sweet spot around 110F. Love Jen
I am obsessed. I just made this and was definitely nervous… I started keeping a sour dough starter during quarantine and am still learning how to keep it alive and use it! I also rarely make bread or anything bready.
That being said, this recipe was easy to follow, forgiving that my starter wasn’t 100% active (it was on its way but didn’t float…), and turned out AMAZING! I am so happy and want to make English muffins weekly now! Thank you!!
Hi Nicole, So happy to hear that you had success! I am the same, finding a great recipe means that I want to make it regularly. Keep up the hard work with your starter. You will find that it has a mind of its own. The weather definitely plays a part in how aggressively it eats and grows. Have a great week, Love Jen
Like someone else in this thread, my dough is more like a batter. I measured out everything very precisely. Does the water volume in the starter vary wildly? Could that be the reason? The ‘batter‘ is super sticky and will not form a ball! Ideas?
Hi Ina, I’m really not sure why this is happening. The liquid amount for this dough is really no different than for any of Emilie’s other basic sourdough bread recipes. The only difference is that some of the water is replaced with milk in this case. Interesting that you question your starter. Is it really runny, like crepe or pancake batter? Or is it more globby for lack of a better word! If your starter is always on the liquid side, then I would err on the side of reducing both the milk and the water amounts in equal ratio. Perhaps reduce the milk to 3/4 cup, and the water to 1/4 cup. Once you bring your dough together, if you find that it is now too stiff, you may need to incorporate a bit more of the liquid back in. Other than that, I wouldn’t know how to troubleshoot. Hope this helps. Love Jen
Thanks, Jen! I added flour and a 1/4 tsp dry yeast and all was well. They were a little dense but the flavor was good. I need to give my starter a bit of a boost and I’m sure the muffins will be better next time around! Thankfully, it was not a lost cause! Thanks for sharing the recipe and for the tips!
Hi Ina, So happy you were able to save them! Yes, each time we make something new we get to know our starter that much better! Love Jen
hi I was wondering , would I be able to proof the dough for a few hours at room temp then finish proofing in the fridge overnight?
Hi Erica, You really want to give the bulk rise a fair shake at the full time at room temperature. The cold air from the fridge will halt the necessary proofing needed, so that when you pull it out in the morning it won’t be ready yet. From this point it may take much of the morning to get the dough to where it needs to be to form the muffins. I would stick to making it the one day, and holding it in the fridge to bake off in the morning. However, you could do a bulk rise overnight at room temperature, depending on how warm it is where you are. If it is too warm, you may find that the dough has overproofed. Hope this helps. Love Jen
Thank you for the quick response! I followed your instructions & the dough looks great. The muffins are proofing now. 🙂
Hi Erica, Yay!! Let me know how they turn out.
Trying this today! Wondering how much I’m supposed to warm the milk mixture. Don’t want to add it too hot to the flour.
Hi Kate, you don’t want it any warmer than 110F. Warmed through as when you are adding warm water to yeast for bread. It should be warm but not hot if you stick your finger in. Too hot will kill the levain. Too cool, and it may not activate the levain to keep growing. You’ll get the feel after a few times. Love Jen
Perfect. That’s what I decided to do. So far so good. The dough is quite wet, and a bit tricky to handle, but I think that’s probably good. Can’t wait to try them in the morning.
Hi Kate, I’ve heard this from a few first timers with this recipe. I have never had the dough be that wet. My only suggestion is that perhaps your starter is very liquidy. If this is the prime state for your starter, you may want to use less milk and water in the future. You’ll see in the morning tho. I have never had my dough be any more wet than for a typical bread dough. Here’s hoping! Love Jen
Hi Jen, thanks so much for keeping me right. This is the second recipe I’ve tried and they are wonderful! Dough was absolutely fine to handle after proofing. I think we’ll be making a batch of these with every loaf!
Hi Kate, Yay, I’m so happy! Isn’t it a great recipe. Have fun baking! Love Jen
Loved this recipe and the flavor and crumb were perfect! How do you get such uniform thickness? I was afraid of manipulating the dough too much when I poured onto the counter-suggestions on how to get the thickness even?
Hi Kare, Thanks so much. After the dough has proofed, I don’t find it that wet. So it is easy to roll out to the desired thickness. If you find that you are regularly getting a very wet dough even after proofing, and you see that your starter is more liquidy than really thick pancake batter, you may want to add a bit less water and milk. This might help you in rolling out the dough. Hope this helps. Love Jen
This recipe is incredible. I used a comments section modification of all starter no water. We only had half n half so used that in full instead of milk.
I know my starter was very wet too, not quite full nature. The dough was sticky and almost unbearable to work with! But I stuck with it and we had about 16 mouth watering and incredible muffins. Really unbelievable and SO easy to follow!!
My question is about freezing. I have a very small cast iron, we could only cook 2 at a time and it took hours lol. Can you freeze the dough before cooking?
Hi Jenn, I’m so happy it worked out for you!! I have not frozen before cooking, so I can’t give you an honest answer. I have frozen the cooked ones with great success. They thaw and rewarm in a toaster oven perfectly fluffy. If I were you, I would just set aside a dull morning, make them all, and then freeze the ones you won’t eat that week. This way the dough is all used at it’s optimum, and you won’t have to make them again later. It’s the same amount of work, just all at once. Hope this helps, Love Jen
Thanks for sharing this great recipe! My family devoured my first batch, so I made a double batch today but my husband complained that he likes them best fresh-cooked. Do you think I could freeze the cut dough rounds, and then bring them to room temp and cook them as needed, rather than freezing the cooked muffins?
Thank you
Hi Julia, Great question. I have not done this yet. I can’t see why it wouldn’t though. Perhaps with my next batch I will set aside two to freeze to find out. In the meantime, you could also do the same, without wasting the entire amount just in case, and let me know how it goes!! Whoever does it first wins! Love Jen
Thank you for this! I needed to use up some starter, and still had a little more than enough for this recipe after mixing dough for a loaf. I’m new to baking, but saw on the clever carrot (https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2014/01/sourdough-bread-a-beginners-guide/ ) that a trick to check if starter is ready to use is to tear off a small piece and drop it in water. If it floats, it’s ready!
I added two rounds of slap and folds during the bulk rise, but will make again without to see if there’s any difference. Thanks again!
Hi James, Yes it’s a great little tip, isn’t it. I usually add some folding as well, just cuz I like to! Love Jen
I’m about to try these! I was thinking of using Buttermilk. Any advice? Would the acidity change the texture? Maybe just half buttermilk, half 2%? I’m just a huge fan of the tang.
Th aks!
Hi Maggie, Great question. I have no idea what would happen. I’m not sure what the extra acid would do to the starter. I get it about the tang. But if your starter is very alive and active, you should get quite a bit of tang from it as well. Let me know if you ever did use the buttermilk, and what happened. Now I’m curious. Love Jen
Thanks.
I ended up using a combo of buttermilk and 2% (didn’t have any whole milk) but otherwise followed the directions/gram measurements completely. The taste was good, but they were a tad doughy even after toasting. I’m going to try again without deviating from your recipe. That was a first english muffin try.
Hi Maggie, at least you tried it! Every time I make these, I have no issues with them. Just make sure your starter is bubbly and active. And don’t rush the proofing. And make sure that the temp on the griddle etc is low enough that the interior gets cooked through before the exteriors get too brown. Love Jen
Like several other commenters, following the recipe exactly produced very wet, sticky dough. My first attempt used active starter that was the consistency of thick pancake batter and I added extra flour to form a semi-smooth ball, but it required much more mixing time than the 15-20 seconds stated. The cooked muffins were a bit thin, dense, and not great. The second time around, I used ripe starter with the consistency of marshmallow fluff. I added only a bit extra flour but still had to mix for minutes rather than seconds. After the overnight refrigeration, the dough was full of beautiful holes, but was too sticky to roll or cut and had to be shaped by hand. The result was better, but still not what I hoped for after the effort involved. I would be more inclined to try a different recipe altogether than try this one a third time.
Hi Elle, So sorry to hear that you have had issues with the dough. I can honestly say I have never had the dough be liquidy or dense in the slightest. I adhered to the recipe as laid out by the author, who has never let us down with her recipes for sourdough breads etc. I hope you find a recipe that works for you. Love Jen
Second attempt at english muffins and first time trying this recipe. They turned out fantastic! I was afraid I didn’t get enough rise in the bulk ferment, but the dough yielded the appropriate amount and once I started cooking them they were bubbling up nicely. Had great nooks and crannies, and taste great. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Ty, Thanks so much for your comment. I’m so happy you gave these a go. And once you’ve made them, you’ll never go back! have a great week, Love Jen
Can you re-pat the scrap dough for additional muffins? I imagine the fluffy consistency would get compromised, but it seems a shame to waste dough.
Hi Nila, great question. Sure, I do it too, and it works just fine. Have fun, Love Jen
Hi! I’m made this recipe a few times now and I love it! I’ve actually been making them vegan and using Oat milk and vegan butter as substitutes and they turn out just as good! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Hi Deniz, Thanks for your feedback! So happy you like them! And thanks for letting us know that these can totally be vegan! Yay! Love Jen
Hi, I was wondering if the starter can be discard instead? My starter is not really active and mature enough so I am not sure if some instant yeast can do the trick?
Hi Joanne, why don’t you just wait a few more days till your starter is active and then you’ll know you’re using the correct leavening agent.
Made these this morning and they were fabulous! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe Jennifer!
Hi Janet, so happy you like these as much as we do! A batch in the freezer is always a good thing! Love Jen
Nooks, crannies, and a delicious enriched dough… What more could I ask for? I tried a different sourdough English muffin two days ago with excellent reviews, but I didn’t get the nooks and crannies the recipe promised. The next day I chose this recipe and started again. These English muffins, on the other hand, delivered. They’re absolutely delicious. I used a 4 inch biscuit cutter so they’d be a bit bigger for sandwiches my dough still yielded 10 English muffins. I can’t wait to have these with crab cake benedict for my 30th tomorrow!
Hi Lo, thanks for the great feedback. It really is a wonderful recipe, isn’t it! I’m in the process of working on a gluten free version which I know won’t be exactly the same but will be appreciated by those who can’t tolerate the gluten. Yay for nooks and crannies! For the butter! Love Jen
Great recipe! Thanks for sharing ❤️
Hi Karen, thanks for the feedback! It really is a great recipe, such fun to make, right?! Love Jen
Hi there,
I prepared dough last night and let it rise, shaped in the he morning and then placed in fridge this morning. Plan to prepare later, how many hours in fridge before I can do this ? Thanks
Hi Georgina, I’m not clear at what stage you say you are at. If you have shaped them into the muffins already, then they really don’t need any fridge time. If you did place them in the fridge, then they just need to come out and rest at room temperature till puffed up slightly. Hope this helps. Love Jen
Hi there Jen,
If I just want to use a conventional oven all through out the baking process (no stove top cooking/baking at all), what temperature do you recommend please?
Thank you.
DL
Hi Dirk, I actually don’t recommend baking these at all. English muffins are best ‘cooked’ in a cast iron skillet or griddle pan on the stove top. You want to achieve the golden brown exteriors on both sides, and the fluffy chewy interior. This won’t happen in the oven. Having said that, if you do find that because your muffins are on the thicker side, you may not get them cooked through before achieving the distinctive exterior burnish. At this point you could transfer them to a 350F oven to finish baking through to the centre. But I have never needed to do this. I just lower the heat and keep cooking on the stove top till done. Hope this helps, Love Jen
Hi! I am going to be making these in a couple days and the question I have is that I have built in griddle on my stove top with temperatures. What temperature do you suggest I heat griddle to? Thank you in advance and can’t wait to make!!
Hi Jennie, I have never worked with a built-in griddle, but I would suggest starting with medium low. Better to have the heat on the low side than too hot which could cause the exterior to scorch before the interior is cooked through. This point is also made in the recipe. You can always adjust as you go if there isn’t enough browning happening. Also, start with just a few of the muffins and see how it goes, and then it will be easier to see if adjusting is necessary before running the risk of ruining too many. Make sure the griddle is completely heated through before placing the first muffins on it. Hope this helps. Love Jen
When the recipe says to cover the dough in oiled plastic wrap and put in the fridge does it mean take it out of the bowl and wrap it in the plastic wrap or just cover the bowl of dough with the oiled plastic. Sorry that it’s confusing to me but this is my first time baking these.
Hi Shannon, no sorry needed. You will leave the dough in the bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap to store in the fridge overnight. Hope this helps, Love Jen
Update! Made these this morning and they are incredible! I’m so happy with the success of these from start to finish.
I’m already thinking about making them again. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Hi Shannon, Yay! I find the whole process quite therapeutic. I hope they become part of your regular baking options. Love Jen