Sourdough Surprises: English Muffins

SOURDOUGH ENGLISH MUFFINS 

I wish all my first attempts turned out the way these sourdough English muffins did. I could not be happier with them.

I worked with this recipe chosen by Sourdough Surprises, only I halved it. The starter is mixed with some flour and water and left overnight, and the next day, baking soda, salt, sugar and extra flour are added and the whole thing is mixed into a soft dough.

What I got after the muffins came off the griddle were thick spongy rounds with crisp tops and bottoms. I used a fork to make perforations around the edge before I split the rounds with my hands, as is the norm. On the inside were nooks and crannies – maybe not as many as traditional English muffins, but I was happy with the crumb.

Split English muffins with a fork

On went lashings of salted butter. I think I had that muffin in three bites!

Later, I turned one into a sandwich with a filling of grilled marinated tempeh, fried onions and shredded cabbage.

See the teeth marks from the fork? They were replaced with mine a few seconds later!

But this happy tale has a bit of a downer.

I made the muffins a second time the next day. Only this time, like many Hollywood sequels, the batch bombed! These muffins were like a dog's chew toy. They hardly rose and had undercooked centres.

I remember doing everything the same way as the first time, so I can't figure out the problem.

Maybe I'll be successful again the third time.

Check out how other bakers did: