With the digestive benefits of sourdough and the nutritional benefits of whole grain, these Sourdough English Muffins are top notch.
Elegant and Delicious
English Muffins, as we know them, were introduced in 1880 in America by Samuel Bath Thomas. He advertised them as an “elegant alternative to toast”. His Thomas Brand English Muffins are still sold widely today.
Today, I am going to show you how to make your own “elegant alternative to toast” and I hope you are excited. These sourdough English muffins are yummy and honestly not too tricky. I have made my share of English muffins and I like this method the best.
Scoop it Up
Some English muffins are made with a thicker dough that you roll out and cut like biscuits. This dough is wetter and so instead of rolling them out you scoop them up with a cookie scoop. It is quicker and less messy for me.
As always, I prefer to use whole grains in my dough. You can skip the whole grains and make them with 100% all-purpose flour but I encourage you to try it with at least half whole grain. Whole grains impart such a yummy flavor to breads and they increase the nutrients exponentially.
Dairy Free
I use coconut milk to make these dairy free but if you don’t need to be dairy free at your house, buttermilk will also work. I have not tried other dairy free milks in this recipe because the thickness and fat content of the coconut milk make these so yummy.
Other dairy free milks are not as thick as the canned coconut milk and so if you do try it with a different milk, I would try it with 1 ¾ cup milk and adjust from there.
Whole Grain Sourdough English Muffins
1 cup sourdough starter
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups coconut milk (this is the one I prefer) or buttermilk
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups whole grain flour
3 cups all-purpose flour (or more whole grain flour)
Directions
In a medium sized bowl, add the 1 c sourdough starter, 2 T honey and 2 c coconut milk and 2 t salt. Stir until combined – I like to use a wooden spoon. Add the flours (3 c whole grain, 3 c all-purpose – or whatever ratio you prefer). Stir until everything is well incorporated.
Cover the dough and let sit until double. I usually mix mine up at night and let it sit all night on my counter. This can take 6-10 hours, depending on the strength of your starter and the temperature of your kitchen.
Alternatively, you can place the dough in the refrigerator. It can be in the fridge for 24 -48 hours. Pull the dough out of the fridge about 2 hours before you are ready to shape and bake them.
On a silicone mat or parchment paper, sprinkle finely ground cornmeal (I like this organic one from Azure Standard). Using a large cookie scoop, (mine is 3 tablespoon like this one)scoop the dough onto the cornmeal. Once all the dough is scooped, you can shape the muffins with wet fingertips if you want them more exact. Cover the dough with a tea towel or saran wrap. Let rise for 30 minutes to an hour.
Heat a cast iron pan or a skillet to low – medium heat. Once the pan is heated, sprinkle a little cornmeal on the pan and carefully, place as many muffins as will fit – they will puff a little so don’t crowd them. Place the side of the muffin that didn’t have any cornmeal down on to the pan. Let them cook 2-3 minutes.
Carefully flip them over and let the other side cook another 2-3 minutes. I try to get mine to cook all the way through on the pan but if yours are not cooking completely, you can pop them in a 350 preheated oven to let them finish cooking 6-10 minutes.
When ready to eat, cut or fork them in half, toast them and slather them in something amazing and enjoy your “elegant alternative to toast!”
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