Sourdough English Muffins

I love English muffins, and I think they turn out best when made with sourdough. They are cooked on the stovetop in a skillet, so they can be made readily when camping as well as at home. However, they are best toasted, even though they smell wonderful when fresh cooked.

English muffins are easy to make. The first step is to prepare a sponge. For this, mix a half cup of starter with a cup of hot water, then add approximately a cup of flour and mix into a thick, doughy batter. I like to use the plastic containers my yogurt comes in to mix the dough and for rising. Let the sponge rise until double in bulk. Dump the sponge onto a floured surface, add a half teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of baking soda and the remaining flour and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Poke your finger into the dough and if it springs back it should be good to go.

Most recipes call for you to roll the dough out and cut the muffins with a muffin ring. I prefer a different approach so that I am not rolling the dough out and then re-rolling it to use up the excess dough once I have cut the muffins. The way I do it is to form the dough into a thick log, then cut it into sections/slices about half the size of the finished muffin I want. This way, I can cut the slices, or lumps, of dough evenly. Pat each slice into a disc about half to three quarters of an inch thick. Next, sprinkle the cornmeal over the bottom of the skillet and set the dough discs on top, being sure to leave room between them for the dough to expand. Cover and let rise until the dough has doubled in bulk.

When the dough has risen, put the skillet over a medium flame to heat up, then turn the flame down to low so the muffins will not burn. They should rise some more as they heat up, and the cornmeal should give off a wonderful aroma as it bakes. After about seven minutes, the muffins should be browned on the bottom and ready to turn over. Use a fork to turn them. (You can life them slightly with a fork to determine if they are brown) Cook then on the other side until the muffins are none and golden brown on both top and bottom. You may want to turn them a second time to insure they are done on the inside. They should feel light when you lift them with the fork, and they should cook about fifteen to twenty minutes. This may take a little experience, since cooking time will depend on the size of the muffins and how hot your skillet is.

Remove the muffins when done and let them cool on a wire rack. For the final stage, use a fork to separate the halves for toasting. You can also cut the muffins in half, but inserting a fork all the way around the muffin allows you to pull the halves apart with all these nooks and crannies to capture the melting butter and jam or honey you add to complete the delicious process. Don't forget the hot coffee or tea, and enjoy.

Ingredients for Sourdough English Muffins:
1/2 cup sourdough starter
1 cup hot water
1-2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cornmeal

Sourdough Rye Bread

Ham and cheese on rye, roast beef on rye, smoked salmon, the list goes on. Rye is a wonderful bread for sandwiches or as a sliced accompaniment to soups, salads, or other dishes calling for a slice of bread. How to make it even better. . .make it with sourdough. This is a method I use to make sourdough rye bread with caraway seeds. It’s fairly light, mild in flavor, and delicious. Hope you give it a try, even though the process is a bit lengthy. Start the day before you intend to bake the bread by making a rye sponge. To do this, take a half cup of starter and mix with one and a half cups of hot water. Next, add one and a half cups of rye flour a half cup at a time, mixing thoroughly. This mixture should be a very thick batter that clears the sides of the container when stirred. Cover and set in a warm place for a few hours until the sponge doubles in bulk. I usually set the sponge in the refrigerator at this point for an overnight stay to let the yeast develop without going too far. Next day, bring the sponge out of the fridge to warm up and allow the yeast to become active again. Meanwhile, prepare a second sponge using a half cup of starter, one and a half cups of hot water and one and a half cups of all-purpose flour. Again, the idea is to create a thick sponge that clears the sides of the container when stirred, but not so thick that it becomes too dry to work with. Let the sponge do its thing for a couple of hours until it doubles in bulk. Let the sponge have whatever time it takes for the yeast to develop. You don’t want to hurry this process. When the all-purpose flour sponge has doubled in bulk, turn it out onto a floured surface for kneading along with the rye sponge, using the remaining cup of all-purpose flour. Add a teaspoon of salt and a couple tablespoons of caraway seeds and knead the two sponges together to form a single ball of dough. When the dough has become smooth and elastic, and rebounds when poked with a finger, place the dough in a greased loaf pan. It’s a good idea to work the dough into the corners of the loaf pan, then turn the dough over and repeat the process so the dough is lightly oiled from contact with the pan, and so the dough fills the corners well. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise. I like the dough to fill the sides of the loaf pan half way when I put it to rise, then I let it rise to the top of the pan. When the dough has risen, bake it in a pre-heated oven at 350⁰ for an hour or until done. The bread loaf should pull away from the sides of the pan when done and be a nice brown on top. To test for doneness, use a couple of hot pads to remove the loaf from the pan and tap the bottom with your finger. It should sound hollow. Let the bread cool on a wire rack, slice and enjoy. I like to cut slices as I need them. That way, I can cut the bread thick or thin, depending on my intent. I prefer toast a little thicker than sliced bread for a sandwich, and yes, rye bread makes excellent toast. The best blade to use for slicing has a serrated edge, and bread slices easier when allowed to cool first. Good luck with your rye bread venture, and thanks for visiting my blog. Sourdough rye bread ingredients 1 cup sourdough starter 3 cups hot water 1 ½ cups rye flour 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon sea salt 2 tablespoons caraway seeds

WHOLE WHEAT SOURDOUGH BREAD

I get the impression a lot of people are interested in healthful living upgrades. By that I mean they are looking at exercise programs and diet plans, or getting back to a lifestyle that got disrupted by holiday parties and overindulgences. I also get the impression a growing number of people are making lifestyle changes such as cooking with locally grown foods. I’m pleased to see many people also using sourdough. Maintaining sourdough starter is sort of like keeping your own chickens or rabbits. It’s not just a recipe, it’s part of a healthy, do-it-yourself lifestyle. With that in mind, I’d like to share my approach to making one version of this very basic and delicious bread.

 

This recipe is for a single loaf of bread, but can be adjusted for more if desired. The process begins with making a sponge, to which you will add flour and salt and knead into bread dough. I’m assuming you have a starter on hand, but I discuss how to make one in an earlier posting if you don’t. Take a half cup of starter, and add one and a half cups of very warm water. Mix thoroughly. Add about one and a half cups of whole wheat flour, mixing in two or three heaping tablespoons at a time.  Mix well and keep adding flour until you have a thick batter, but not so thick it clears the sides of the container when stirred. Cover and let stand in a warm place until it doubles in bulk, about one to two hours.

I mix my sponges in a see-through plastic container. This way, I can keep track of the progress. First, tiny bubble form, then the bubbles get bigger as the sponge rises. You can take the lid off and get a sniff of the yeast if you like, but keep it covered while rising. By using clear containers, I can mentally mark the point at which the sponge will have doubled in bulk, and even gauge how long to go before reaching that point when I check in to see how things are going.

When the sponge has doubled, it’s time to knead the remaining cup of flour into the dough. If you think the sponge is too loose to start kneading, stir in more flour until the mixture clears the side of the container as you stir. Next, I sprinkle a handful of flour onto my trusty pastry cloth and empty the sponge on top of it, and sprinkle more flour on top of that. Add a teaspoon of sea salt and begin kneading the dough, folding the far edge over on top and pushing against the dough with the heels of your hands. When the dough is ready, it should be smooth and elastic, and spring back if you poke your finger into it. Next, grease the sides and bottom of a bread pan and add the dough. Work the dough into the bottom, sides and corners of the pan, then turn it over and repeat the process. That way, the dough will be lightly covered in the oil or grease you used to coat the pan. Bake about an hour uncovered in a preheated oven at three hundred and fifty degrees until lightly browned and the loaf has pulled away from the sides of the pan. You can test for doneness by taking the loaf out and tapping it with a finger. The bread should have a nice, hollow sound. If you like, you can brush milk or melted butter over the top of the loaf for the last few minutes of cooking to ensure a softer crust and golden brown finish.

A loaf of fresh bread you truly made from scratch is like a salad from the greens you grew in your own garden, truly wonderful. By the way, keep that in mind this summer; the two really go well together. In the meantime, enjoy a slice of toast and homemade jam in front of a warm fire, and thanks for visiting my blog.

 Ingredients to make the sponge

½ cup sourdough starter

1 ½ cups warm water
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

 Ingredients to make the dough

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup whole wheat flour