Freshly Milled Sourdough English Muffins
These freshly milled sourdough english muffins come together very quickly, pack a nutritional punch and have a delightful sourdough flavor!
Sourdough English Muffins
You will love these english muffins slathered with butter and jelly or try them with eggs and bacon for a delicious breakfast sandwich.
I love that this recipe incorporates freshly milled flour and sourdough for a delicious and healthy bread option for our families.
Something Different
I don’t know about your kids, but mine get tired of the same foods. I love mixing things up by using my favorite ingredients in different ways.
Freshly milled english muffins have been a staple in our family for many years and I recently converted the recipe to use sourdough. I love that I can still get these healthy whole grains into my kids while they think they are eating something extra special.
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The Whole Grain Difference
Most sourdough recipes call for all purpose flour, or at best all purpose and a small amount of whole grain flour, but if you have been around here for very long then you know that I prefer to make all of our baked goods with freshly milled flour.
Let’s jump in and take a look at how to make these whole grain sourdough english muffins – it is very simple to make and you only need a few ingredients!
Why Is Freshly Milled Flour Better Than All Purpose Flour?
All purpose flour doesn’t even compare to the nutrient-dense flour that can be made when milling grains at home.
When I mill my own flour, I get the full nutritional value of the whole grain. The outer layer(bran), which contains the largest amount of insoluble fiber, magnesium, thiamine, niacin, iron and zinc; and the germ(seed) which is an excellent source of B vitamins and other crucial minerals. The endosperm(middle layer) contains protein and carbohydrates along with small amounts of B vitamins, iron and soluble fiber.
Sourdough Starter
I keep and maintain a white flour sourdough started. I used to keep a whole wheat starter but it was too much to fuss with grinding the wheat each time I needed to feed it. The starter is such a small part of the recipe that i don’t think there is any reason not to use white flour in the starter.
For this whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread you will want an active and bubbly starter. The sourdough starter will need to be freshly fed within the last 6-12 hours and be rising nicely with lots of bubbles.
If you are not sure if your starter is active enough, you can perform a float test. Drop a small spoonful of starter into a glass of cool water. If the starter floats then it is good to go. If the starter sinks, you will need to feed the starter again and allow it to rise and become more active.
Are Sourdough English Muffins Healthy?
Yes they are! These english muffins are easier to digest than conventional, store-bought varieties because of the ingredients we are using. The freshly milled flour is often much easier for people to digest, even with gluten sensitivities! The sourdough factor adds even more digestibility by breaking down some of the protein found in wheat, called gluten. These english muffins are packed with vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, fiber and protein.
How Long Do Sourdough English Muffins Last In The Fridge?
If you will be consuming the english muffins within 3-4 days, it is fine to keep them on the counter in a ziplock bag or dish with a lid. Consuming them within 7 days? It is best to store them in a sealed container in the fridge. Let’s say you won’t eat them within 7 days, slice them and store them in a ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 4 months.
What Is The Healthiest English Muffin To Eat?
English muffins made with whole grains and little to no added sugar are the best options. I like to use honey in most of my bread recipes because it has a lower glycemic index than sugar. Freshly milled grains are the very best option for health because all of the vitamins and nutrients are present and intact.
Is It Better To Freeze Or Refrigerate English Muffins?
English muffins freeze very well. If you need to store your freshly made english muffins for longer than a week, you should slice them and store them in ziplock bags in the freezer.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
There are very few ingredients in these freshly milled sourdough english muffins so that means they come together very quickly. This recipe is no-knead so that saves quite a bit of time.
No 2nd rise is necessary, again, saving you time.
I like to mix up the dough in the evening and allow it to ferment/rise at room temperature overnight. The next morning I heat my skillet and cook the english muffins.
Tips For Making Freshly Milled Sourdough English Muffins
- You need your sourdough starter to be active and bubbly. This means it should be freshly fed. If you are going to make the dough in the evening, then feed your starter in the morning.
- The skillet needs to be hot when cooking these muffins. This will help them not to stick.
- If you are finding that the english muffins are burning then reduce the heat a bit. The english muffins need time to rise a little and cook through.
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Freshly Milled English Muffins Ingredients
The ingredients here are simple.
- 3/4 cup fed sourdough starter. By “fed”, I mean that you fed it within the last 12 hours and it has risen nicely, is active and bubbly.
- 4.5- 5 cups freshly milled soft white wheat, hard white wheat or einkorn flour + a little extra for flouring work surface. I love freshly milled flour and it’s pretty much the only flour that I use.
- 2 tbsp. honey or sugar. My preference in all of my baking is honey.
- 1 cup milk – full fat milk is best. I use raw cow’s milk from a farm down the road.
- 1.5 tsp. salt I like Redmond salt the best.
How To Make Freshly Milled Sourdough English Muffins
In large bowl, combine milk, sourdough starter, honey and salt. Mix well.
Add flour half a cup at a time. Mixing with hands or dough hook in between. You are looking for a biscuit-dough-like texture here, pretty dry.
Once you are happy with the dough, cover the bowl with a plate or cling wrap and allow to ferment on the counter for 6-10 hours or overnight. The longer it ferments, the more sour the flavor will be.
After The Bulk Ferment
Roll out dough on floured surface 3/4 “- 1” thick – make sure to use your freshly milled wheat for this, I have found that the bran in the wheat gives a nice texture on the outside of the english muffin – much like the cornmeal on a traditional english muffin.
Use a wide mouth mason jar or something similar to cut the english muffins. Roll out the dough again and continue cutting more until all of the dough is used.
Heat cast iron pan on medium-high heat. Make sure the cast iron pan is HOT.
Place the english muffins in the pan and cook, flipping over until heated through or internal temp reads 200*F. If the outside is burning, turn down the heat.
Males 12-15 english muffins
Freshly Milled Sourdough English Muffins
These english muffins will take breakfast to the next level. We love the added benefit of using sourdough in this english muffins. They are perfect for toasting and slathering in butter or making breakfast sandwiches with eggs and bacon.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup fed sourdough starter
- 4.5- 5 cups freshly milled soft white wheat or einkorn flour + a little extra for flouring work surface
- 2 tbsp. honey or sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1.5 tsp. salt
Instructions
The evening before you want to make the english muffins, in a large bowl combine: milk, sourdough starter, honey and salt.
Mix well with dough hook or similar.
Add flour half a cup at a time. Mixing with hands or dough hook in between. You are looking for a biscuit-dough-like texture here, pretty dry.
Once you are happy with the dough, cover the bowl with a lid, plate or cling wrap and allow to ferment on the counter for 6-10 hours or overnight. The longer it ferments, the more sour the flavor will be.
After the overnight ferment:
Roll out dough on floured surface 3/4 "- 1" thick - make sure to use your freshly milled wheat for this, I have found that the bran in the wheat gives a nice texture on the outside of the english muffin - much like the cornmeal on a traditional english muffin.
Use a wide mouth mason jar or something similar to cut the english muffins. Roll out the dough again and continue cutting more until all of the dough is used.
Heat cast iron pan on medium-high heat. Make sure the cast iron pan is HOT.
Place the english muffins in the pan, lower the heat and cook, flipping over until heated through or internal temp reads 200*F.
If the outside is burning, turn down the heat to give the middle time to cook while not burning the outside.
For best results, allow the english muffin to cook until you can see the middle beginning to cook. Flip once and allow it to finish cooking. Try not to flip the english muffin more than once.
If you make this recipe and it’s a hit, I would love it if you gave it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @generationacres.farm with your delicious creation!
