Sourdough English Muffins

Why This Sourdough English Muffins Works

During the long rise, the sourdough starter, milk, and flour sit together and slowly puff up. The starter has time to spread through the dough and loosen the gluten, so the dough becomes stretchy but not tough. Sugar gives the starter a little extra food, so the dough rises well even without yeast from a packet. By the time the 8–12 hours are up, the dough is full of tiny bubbles that will turn into all those little holes inside the muffins.

Once the baking soda goes in, it reacts with the sour starter right away and gives the dough a quick extra lift. Rolling the dough fairly thick keeps that gas trapped inside. On the griddle, low heat cooks the muffins slowly, so the inside can set before the outside burns. Butter in the dough keeps the crumb soft, while the cornmeal on the pan stops sticking and gives the outside a slight crunch.

Mistakes To Avoid

Letting the dough rise for only a few hours instead of the full 8–12 often means the muffins stay flat and dense. The starter doesn’t have time to puff the dough, so it feels heavy and tight instead of light inside. They can also taste sharply sour instead of mellow because the dough didn’t have time to balance out.

Adding the baking soda too early, before the griddle is hot and ready, causes the dough to lose its lift. The soda reacts right away in the bowl, and by the time the rounds hit the pan, the bubbles are mostly gone. The muffins then cook up short and a bit gummy instead of full of little holes.

When the griddle runs too hot, the outsides brown fast while the centers stay undercooked. The muffins look done, but when split open they can be doughy and slightly wet in the middle. Turning the heat down later doesn’t fix it; the crust is already dark and can start to taste burnt while the inside still lags behind.