Today, I’ve got a wonderful recipe for avid bakers, and especially for those who adore San Francisco’s claim to bread fame: sourdough. These lovely sourdough English muffins are from the beautiful cookbook, Make Ahead Bread: 100 Recipes for Melt-in-Your-Mouth Fresh Bread Every Day. The author, Donna Currie of Cookistry, is sharing it with us in celebration of her book’s one year anniversary.
The introductory sections in Make Ahead Bread are brief, as Donna’s recipes include helpful lead-ins and are so well-detailed (as you will see below) that you can jump right in and learn on the fly. To note, this gift-worthy cookbook also includes several enticing and inspirational full-color photos throughout.
The concept behind Make Ahead Bread is that yeast-based recipes can be prepared ahead, whenever you have a few minutes, ready to be freshly baked for devouring on even the busiest of days. This book isn’t completely dairy-free, but most of the recipes are easy to make substitutions, particularly if you’re an experience dairy-free baker. A few that happen to be dairy-free include:
- Oatmeal-Honey-Date Loaf
- Light and Dark Marble Rye
- Mini Sunflower Seed Loaves
- Tomato and Black Olive Bread
- Pumpkin Loaf
- Whole Wheat Pita Bread
- Ciabatta
- Garlic Knots
- Semolina Focaccia
- Whole Wheat Pita Bread
- Baguettes
- Peanut Butter Bread with Raspberry Swirl
- Wine Jam (pictured above on the Sourdough English Muffins)
- Balsamic and Olive Oil Dipping Oil with Herbs
- Sourdough English Muffins …
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been wanting to make my own English muffins for ages, and these sourdough English muffins take it to the next level! Another type of bread that I’ve always wanted to learn how to make is in fact whole wheat pita, and I think that PB bread just made it onto my bucket list!
Where to Get Sourdough Starter
You can purchase a starter or grow your own. Donna explains it in Make Ahead Bread, but she also offers guides on Cookistry: Building a Sourdough Starter and Growing a Sourdough Starter, Day by Day.
Special Diet Notes: Sourdough English Muffins
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based and vegetarian.
- 1⁄2 cup (4 ounces) sourdough starter (see notes in post above)
- 2 cups (9 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1⁄2 cups room temperature water
- Olive oil spray
- Whisk all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, forming a relatively thin batter rather than a dough. (The batter will bubble and rise, so don’t use a bowl that’s too small.) Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight.
- Heat a griddle (or large frying pan) on medium heat with 6 muffin rings arranged on the griddle. Spray or brush the insides of the rings with oil, and let them heat with the griddle.
- When the griddle is hot, ladle or pour the batter into the rings, filling them to about 1⁄4 inch below the top of the rings. Cover the griddle—a sheet pan turned upside down on top of the rings is perfect—and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook until the top of the batter is set and has started to pull away from the sides of the rings, about 8 minutes.
- Use a small spatula to flip the muffins (and rings) over, cover the pan again, and cook for another 5 minutes. You should now be able to slip the muffins out of the rings. If some need encouragement, slide a thin knife around the insides of the rings, then remove the rings.
- Continue cooking the muffins until they are cooked through and the top and bottom are lightly browned—a skewer or small knife inserted into a muffin should come out clean and if you lift a muffin, it should feel light for its size. It’s actually okay if the muffins are still a little bit moist inside because they’re not really done until they’re toasted. But you don’t want them to be wet or soggy.
- (Editor Note: When properly cooked in the middle, the muffins should be about 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. If you don't think they are cooked through, preheat your oven to 350°F, and bake them for 5 to 10 minutes, or until they're cooked through.)
- Let the muffins cool completely on a rack.
67 Comments
This was THE worst, most FRUSTRATING recipe I have ever tried to make. After spending days preparing to make the muffins, they turned out beautifully browned, but nothing more than a gooey mess. I followed the instructions TO A T and they were a mess.
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Would like to make skillingsboller (Norwegian cinnamon buns). That counts as bread right? Lol
Definitely!
I would really love to make Latvian rye like my grandfather used to make. There’s nothing like it on the market right now!
I’d love to make a spelt bread
I’m still scared to make sourdough! I really want to start with my own sponge, planning to begin that project in the next few months.
Would love to make challah bread!
I, admittedly, am not much of a baker. I love to eat bread (especially bread that my husband bakes) and would love to experience the delight that is fresh baked sourdough bread or challah bread. My husband made hawaiian bread from scratch once and it was amazing. He is an excellent baker and enjoys the preciseness of measuring. He has WAY more patience than I do when it comes to baking.
That’s too funny Joyce, my husband and I are the opposite – I’m the patient baker and he’s the good throw together cook!
Sourdough has been at the top of my “must try someday” list and I think it will finally happen by way of these English muffins (which I also LOVE.). A few years ago I found a bagel recipe online that I’ve been adapting and working with ever since. It’s not perfect but I love whipping up 16 bagels at home! 🙂
Bagels? I’m impressed! That’s one I’ve wanted to make for a while.
Rustic olive bread would be fun to make to dip into the Balsamic and Olive Oil Dipping Oil with Herbs.
These look great for kids! I would love to try pumpkin!
I’m bread challenged, so I love me some no knead bread!
I love sourdough bread and Challah is definitely on my bread making bucket list!
Ooh, yes, I’ve never made Challah either.
Love making banana bread. Would love to try the pumpkin! 🙂
Oh yes, pumpkin is a must!
On my own baking bucket list is babka. From the book recipes, I would try Semolina Focaccia.
That would be amazing, I’ve never tried babka either!
I would love to learn to make a good ciabatta!
That’s one of my favorite breads!
This sounds like a great recipe to try for those of us that love English muffins
My go to bread recipe is honey whole wheat- I have been making it for my family for years
Mine too, I even taught my niece and she makes it often.
Mouthwatering!
“What type of bread is tops on your bread-making bucket list?”: Any country loaves would do.
Pumpkin Loaf — because, well, tis the season!
Indeed!
I am of Volga German descent and grew up in west-central Kansas. We farmed as did my dad’s brother, Uncle Leo. His wife, my Aunt Mary, never bought bread, but made for her husband and their children fragrant boules with a sourdough starter that had been in her family for years. Her bread was fragrant and moist, with very large holes in it. With butter, it was a slice of heaven.
Wow, that sounds amazing and I love how steeped it is in tradition and family.