Sourdough English Muffins
Ingredients:
1 cup active sourdough starter
3/4 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk (dairy or plant milk both work)
5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup honey
1/4 cup avocado or olive oil
2 tsp sea salt
Cornmeal or flour for dusting
Instructions:
About 8-12 hours before you want to start the recipe, feed your sourdough starter. You’ll need at least 1 cup of active starter for this recipe.
Once the starter is active and bubbly, combine the starter, water, milk and 2 cups of the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until combined. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Add the honey, oil and salt and mix to combine. Switch to the dough hook if using a stand mixer. Add the remaining flour and knead until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and clings to the hook.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl and set it aside at room temperature. After 15 minutes do your first stretch and folds. Cover and repeat with another set of stretch and folds after 15 minutes. Cover and repeat with another set of stretch and folds after 30 minutes. Cover and repeat with the last set of stretch and folds after an hour. Cover and let the dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in size, about 1-2 hours. The dough should be light and puffy at this point.
Lightly dust a clean surface with cornmeal or flour. Roll the dough to 1/2” thick. Cut out the muffins with a large cookie cutter or the lid of a mason jar. Reroll the scraps and continue cutting until all the dough is used. You should get about 16 muffins.
Place the muffins on a baking sheet dusted with more cornmeal or flour. Cover and let the muffins rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until almost doubled in size.
Preheat a griddle or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and very lightly oil the pan. Cook the muffins on each side until well-risen and deep golden brown. Keep an eye on the heat so the muffins don't burn.
Fresh English muffins will last for 2 days on the countertop or 6 months in the freezer. To store in the freezer, cut the muffins in half, place in a bag and freeze.