Sourdough Discard English Muffins
Soft, sourdough discard english muffins with the classic nooks and crannies, made by hand or in the bread machine. This sourdough english muffins recipe uses up your discard and bakes up golden and tender.
Servings: 14 muffins, approx
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk warmed
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour plus more as needed
- Cornmeal for dusting
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the warm milk, sourdough discard, sugar, and instant yeast until dissolved and smooth.
- Stir in the melted butter and salt, then mix in the flour until a soft, slightly sticky dough comes together. If it feels too sticky to handle, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time, but keep it soft, a tender dough makes the best nooks and crannies.
- Cover the bowl and set it in a warm place to rise for 1 to 1½ hours, until doubled in size.
- Bread machine method. If you would rather skip the kneading, add the ingredients to the bread machine pan in this order: warm milk, sourdough discard, melted butter, sugar, salt, flour, and instant yeast. Run the dough cycle.After 5 to 10 minutes, the dough should feel soft and slightly tacky, not firm. If it looks very wet and smears around the pan, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time. If it looks stiff or dry, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time.Once the dough cycle and first rise are finished, continue with the shaping below.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle it generously with cornmeal.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat or roll it to about ¾-inch thick.
- Cut the dough into rounds using a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Press the scraps together gently, reroll, and cut a few more.
- Place the English muffins on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle the tops generously with cornmeal. Cover loosely and let them rise for 45 to 60 minutes, until noticeably puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet, cast-iron skillet, or griddle over medium heat.
- Carefully place the English muffins in the skillet, leaving a little space between them. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown.
- Flip the muffins and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, until golden on the other side.
- Transfer the browned English muffins to a baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 7 minutes, until the centers are cooked through and read about 195°F to 200°F.
- Transfer the English muffins to a wire rack and let them cool completely.
Notes
- Warm the milk, do not let it get hot, or it can kill the yeast.
- Keep the dough soft and slightly sticky, that is what makes the nooks and crannies.
- Do not over-flour, add it slowly, 1 tablespoon at a time, only if the dough is too sticky.
- In the bread machine, the dough should feel soft and tacky, not firm.
- Cook over medium-low heat so the outsides brown without burning before the centers cook.
- Do not skip the oven step, it finishes baking the centers through.
- Split with a fork instead of a knife to keep the classic craggy texture.
- Let them cool completely before splitting, warm muffins fall apart.
Nutrition
Serving: 1muffin
