Fresh Milled Sourdough English Muffins
Simple overnight sourdough english muffins, made with fresh milled flour
Equipment
- 1 grain mill
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Stand mixer
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Silicone liner
- 1 Cast iron skillet
- 1 thermometer
Ingredients
- 100 grams (½ cup) active sourdough starter
- 20 grams (1 tablespoon) honey (or substitute sugar or maple syrup)
- 240 grams (1 cup) milk
- 330 grams (3 cups) fresh-milled hard white wheat berries
- 5 grams (1 teaspoon) fine sea salt
- 40 grams (¼ cup) cornmeal (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Mill your wheat berries on your finest setting to create 330g flour.
- In a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl, combine 100g active sourdough starter, 20g honey, 240g milk (or water, if using) 330g fresh-milled hard white wheat flour, and 1 tsp of fine sea salt. mix on low until everything comes together into a rough dough. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30–60 minutes to allow the flour to fully hydrate (this is called an autolyse).After resting, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. (Alternatively you can also knead with a stand mixer and dough hook on low)Place the dough back into the bowl, cover, and let it ferment at room temperature (65–70°F) for 8–12 hours (overnight), or until it has doubled in size and looks puffy.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and lightly flour the top. Gently press it out with your fingertips until it’s about ½ inch thick.Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut out rounds. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet that’s been sprinkled with 40 g (¼ cup) cornmeal. Sprinkle a little more cornmeal on top of each muffin, cover with a tea towel, and let them rise for 1 hour at room temperature. They won’t grow much in height but this rest period is crucial for light and airy muffins.
- Preheat a cast iron over low heat. Gently transfer 4 muffins into the skillet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Cover and cook for 4 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook for another 4 minutes on the second side.The key here is cooking over a low heat so the bottoms don’t burn. Covering the muffins when cooking them will result in a taller, fluffier muffin.The muffins are done when the center reaches about 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. Let them cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
*Make sure to cook the english muffins over low heat so the bottoms don't burn.
*These freeze very well, just slice and freeze after they have cooled off, then toast them up when you're ready for them!