These turned out very well, considering it was my first try and I kind of pieced together my own recipe from a few different ones. These tasted very much like sourdough, which is to be expected. Helped by the yogurt as well. I think next time I may skip the yogurt and just use water. I was trying not to use regular milk, which most of the recipes called for. I don’t really want to use an alternative milk either because they never taste right. The vegan recipe I looked at just used water.
With the first batch I cooked, I kind of squished the muffins down after I flipped them. With the next batch I didn’t, and I think the second batch turned out better.
Makes 8 English muffins
100g starter
250g all-purpose flour
1 tsp (4g) sugar
1 tsp (5g) kosher salt
1/2 cup (115g) whole milk plain yogurt
1/2 cup (115g) water
cornmeal
The Night Before: Mix all ingredients (except cornmeal) in a large bowl. Cover and let sit at room temperature over night.
The Morning Of: Divide into 8 equal pieces and shape into rounds. Place on cornmeal lined baking sheet and let rise, covered with a damp towel, for about an hour.
Heat griddle over medium-low heat. Oil or butter pan and cook each side until browned, turning only once. These took about 10 minutes on each side. If necessary, move the muffins to 350°F oven to finish baking.
Let cool before opening with a fork and toasting.
| Total Formula | Starter | Final Dough | |||
| Ingredient | % | grams | % | grams | grams |
| all purpose flour | 100.00 | 300.00 | 100.00 | 50.00 | 250.00 |
| water | 55.00 | 165.00 | 100.00 | 50.00 | 115.00 |
| whole milk plain yogurt | 38.33 | 115.00 | 115.00 | ||
| 100% hydration starter | 100.00 | ||||
| sugar | 1.33 | 4.00 | 4.00 | ||
| kosher salt | 1.67 | 5.00 | 5.00 | ||
| TOTAL | 196.33 | 589.00 | |||
10.13.18 – Made these again with a couple changes. I used 1 cup of milk for the liquid and cooked them in the electric griddle. I started with the temp at 300°F but after 10 minutes they still weren’t browned so I turned it up to 380°F which is what I usually set it to for pancakes. I should have finished them in the oven. I will next time. I may go back to using water and yogurt. I don’t think the fermentation helped much with the milk and it tastes a bit off. Maybe a touch more sugar. Or honey. Eventually will try some white whole wheat flour as well.
10.19.18 – went back to yogurt/water. Replaced 75g of flour with white whole wheat. Replaced sugar with honey (7g). Used electric griddle again, 380°F. 5+ minutes on each side (until browned). Finished in 350°F oven, about 10 minutes.
I don’t think the type of sugar made much of a difference. I think they need a slightly higher hydration (esp the whole wheat). Maybe let them proof longer after shaping to create bigger bubbles (aka nooks and crannies). Maybe 2 hours. May go back to 100% all-purpose flour. Or maybe I’ll try bread flour next time.
| Total Formula | Starter | Final Dough | |||
| Ingredient | % | grams | % | grams | grams |
| all purpose flour | 75.00 | 225.00 | 100.00 | 50.00 | 175.00 |
| white whole wheat flour | 25.00 | 75.00 | 75.00 | ||
| water | 55.00 | 165.00 | 100.00 | 50.00 | 115.00 |
| whole milk plain yogurt | 38.33 | 115.00 | 115.00 | ||
| 100% hydration starter | 100.00 | ||||
| honey | 2.33 | 7.00 | 7.00 | ||
| fine sea salt | 1.67 | 5.00 | 5.00 | ||
| TOTAL | 197.33 | 592.00 | |||
12.20.18 – This time I did all bread flour, honey, and kept the yogurt/water. I let the shaped portions rest for 2 hours before cooking. They were hard to transfer to the griddle. They turned out pretty well. I think next time I will try it with just water. Maybe a bit more salt too. I’m not sure the longer rest did much. Also, next time I may try cooking them without oil on the griddle.
03.02.19 – Another attempt today. I went with all water (no dairy), bread flour, white sugar. The dough puffed up a lot overnight. I realized this morning when I woke up that I was out of cornmeal. Decided to grind some popcorn kernels and sifted out the bigger chunks. The dough seems tighter. I formed into 8 pieces but they seem smaller and less relaxed. I think I used much less water than I meant to. I can’t remember. I think I may have put in 130g and it was supposed to be 230g. I should have just used a cup of water instead of weighing it. Not all was lost though. These taste just how I want them to, and I’m going to try again tonight/tomorrow morning. Plus, I learned that I can make my own cornmeal!
03.03.19 – This one was near perfect! All water. I used a 1 cup measure and it came to 239g if I remember correctly. It was very wet dough. Difficult to shape, but I did my best. I think the nooks and crannies were decent. Proofed for 1 hour. Cooked on griddle at 380°F for about 5 minutes per side, then into 350°F oven for about 5 minutes to finish. The crusts were a bit crispy. Maybe I used too much cornmeal? Did not use oil on griddle. Next time I want to see if a longer initial mix will change the crumb. Maybe an autolyse and some cold fermentation after a few hours at room temp. Slightly lower hydration. I’m not sure it even needs the sugar.
