Home Made Sour Dough English Muffins {How to make sour dough starter}

I'm pretty sure I can not get any lazier at this point. It's only a couple of weeks into summer (unofficially summer begins in March here in Phoenix IMHO) and the triple digits are making me tired and cranky. Even a trip to the store gives my such a bad headache I have to lay down for 20 minutes when I get back. Crazy. You'd think I would have gotten accustomed to the heat after living here for 30 some odd years. Nope and nope.

I did manage to make a quick batch of sour dough English muffins the other day for breakfast and decided they are my new favorite thing. The smell of sour dough baking is almost as good as that first bite into the warm bread. Almost.

Making my own English muffins has been on my bucket baking list for way too long. I've heard how easy they are to make but buying the at the store is even easier right? Right, buuuuut the taste comparison is in huge favor of the home made variety. When I came across this recipe that called for making them on the stove top in under 10 minutes instead of heating up the house by using the oven I knew it was time to get busy.

I've had a batch of sour dough starter given to me by my mom for over 10 years now. Those of you who aren't familiar with sour dough starter might be all like, "ewwwww, 10 year old dough starter?" and those of you who are familiar with it know the older the sour dough starter, the better it is. Liquid gold in fermentation form.


What is sour dough starter and how do you get your hands on some? 

I'm glad you asked. It's basically a mixture of flour and water that has been set out on the counter top for several days and ferments thanks to wild yeast which is found in the air all around you.

Sooooo, why doesn't the mixture get gross and moldy if it's left out on the counter top for a week?    

Another great question!

The starch in bread flour is something that not a lot of bacteria can easily handle, while sugar is. Yeast, on the other hand, creates special enzymes to deal with starch. The yeast and lactobacilli also destroy the culture with the alcohol and lactic acid they produce, and that keeps other bacteria out.

1.  Hundreds of years ago, before there was packaged yeast, bakers used sourdough starter to keep a supply of yeast alive and handy. They kept a pot of live culture in a flour/water medium, and "fed" it daily or weekly so that the yeast remained alive and active. Beer brewers use yeast leftover from brewing there beer. Mmmm, beer bread. 

Why does wild yeasted bread have such a complex flavor compared to bread leavened with commercial yeast? I thought you'd never ask! When flour and water are left out for several days, naturally occurring yeast in the air and the flour, usually saccharomyces exiguus and bacteria, mostly lactobacillus and acetobacillus feed off the sugars released by the enzymes in the dough. Lactobacillus and acetobacillus create the sour flavor in the form of lactic and acetic acids. Around the San Francisco Bay Area, a naturally occurring bacteria called lacobacillus san francisco is responsible for the sourdough flavor.

So if your not lucky enough to have had some sour dough starter passed down to you, you can easily make your own. It takes just 2 ingredients and a few days of patiently waiting and VOILA you have your very own sour dough starter! When ever you take out a cup or two for baking bread, pancakes or these Sour Dough English Muffins you simply add more flour and water, mix and let it sit out on the counter top for a few more days. After 3-5 days when it gets little fizzy bubbles going on you stick it in the fridge to slow down the fermentation process.

For a great, step by step guide on how to get a sour dough starter started click here.

I'll never buy store bought English muffins again! These are so easy peasy to make.
Mix up your dough in an electric mixer, roll it out, cut into circles (I used a 1 cup measuring cup), let rise for 1 hour on a cookie sheet dusted with corn meal, transfer to a skillet brushed with coconut oil and cook on each side for 5 minutes. That's it.

recipe adapted from The Woks of Life

 TIME      1 HOUR (RISING) 20 MINUTES        YIELDS     2 DOZEN MUFFINS

 4 cups flour, plus more for kneading
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup luke warm water
2/3 cup plain yogurt
* 1 cup sour dough starter
fine corn meal for dusting
coconut oil for brushing on pan

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Add water, sour dough starter and yogurt, and mix into a soft dough. Using your dough attachment, knead the dough for 10 minutes, until smooth, adding more flour 1/4 cup at a time until it is not sticky and forms a ball. Let dough rest for 5 minutes. 

On a clean surface dusted with flour, roll dough out to a thickness of about ¾ inch. Cut out circles with a 3 inch round cutter. Sprinkle a baking sheet with corn meal, and place the circles on it. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about an hour, until almost doubled in size. 

Heat a flat griddle pan until hot and brush with oil. Add the muffins and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 12 minutes, six minutes on each side, until firm and golden brown. Turn only once. Serve with butter and jam.

notes

*No packaged yeast is needed because the sour dough starter has wild yeast in it.
This can be made without sour dough starter by adding 1 more cup of water and 1/2 less cup of flour plus 1 package of quick rising yeast.

We used these the next day for breakfast sandwiches, YUM! They will be great for Eggs Benedict too.

sources

Vegan Baking

How Stuff Works

The Kitchen

Pumpkin-Cranberry Streusel Muffins

I've officially discovered the world's best muffin. Don't be jealous, I'm posting the recipe right here for you to try. ;) I took a basic recipe for pumpkin muffins and cut out most of the fat and a lot of the sugar and then  added delicious, All Natural flavors and Whole Grains. Oh if only you could smell my house right now!

Don't forget to stop by my previous post for Stuffed Acorn Squash and leave your favorite healthy Fall recipe! I'ts quick and easy and a great way to share all of the healthy recipes out there with others!

You Will Need:

1 cup *Whole Grain Flour    (see below for options)

1 cup Oat flour

2 tablespoons flax meal mixed in 1/4 cup tepid water

1/4 cup Wheat Germ 

1 cup light brown sugar + 2 tablespoons for topping

1 cup *pumpkin puree

1 cup fresh cranberries + 1/4 cup chopped for topping

1 cup walnuts chopped + 1/4 cup for topping

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup applesauce

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice OR 1/2 t cinnamon, 1/4 t ground ginger, 1/8 t allspice, 1/8 t nutmeg




Putting it all Together:

Pre-heat oven to 400F. Prepare muffin pan by lightly rubbing Crisco on the inside of the tins and then lightly dusting flour over the inside of tins. * Crisco doesn't absorb into the batter like butter, oil or baking spray's.

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat oil, applesauce and sugar. Add egg, beat until well combined. Add pumpkin beat 2 more minutes. Add dry ingredients half at a time. Mix to combine. Fold in cranberries and nuts, don't over mix.

Spoon batter into muffin tins almost to top. In a small bowl combine chopped cranberries, chopped walnuts and brown sugar. Sprinkle onto top of muffins. Bake at 400F for 20-23 minutes until toothpick comes out dry. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

 * Important Health Note on Whole Grains

Whole grains are cereal grains that contain germ, endosperm, and bran, in contrast to refined grains, which retain only the endosperm. Whole grains can generally be sprouted while refined grains generally will not sprout. Wholemeal products are made by grinding whole grains in order to make wholegrain flour. Whole grains are a natural source of protein as well as a source of carbohydrates and are made into many different kinds of foods.

Wholegrain products can be identified by the ingredients list. Typically, if the ingredient lists "wholewheat," "wholemeal," or "whole corn" as the first ingredient, the product is a wholegrain food item. On the other hand, terms such as "enriched" and "bromated," among others, could indicate that the food lacks wholegrain. Whole grains are healthier than their enriched counterparts.[citation needed]



*** "Wheat flour" (as opposed to "wholegrain wheat flour" or "wholewheat flour") as the first ingredient is not a clear indicator of the product's wholegrain content. If two ingredients are listed as grain products but only the second is listed as wholegrain, the entire product may contain between 1% and 49% whole grain.[1] Many breads are colored brown (often with molasses) and made to look like wholegrain, but are not. In addition, some food manufacturers make foods with whole-grain ingredients, but, because whole-grain ingredients are not the dominant ingredient, they are not wholegrain products. Contrary to popular belief, fiber is not indicative of whole grains. The amount of fiber varies from grain to grain, and some products may have things like bran, peas, or other foods added to boost the fiber content

* Common whole grains include:

Wheat

Oat

Barley - Hulled and Dehulled (not Pearl)

Maize

Brown rice

Farro

Emmer

Einkorn

Rye

Spelt

Millet

Quinoa

Amaranth

Triticale

Teff

Sprouted Grains

 
 
 
 

Very Berry Buttermilk Muffins

Oh, my goodness these are wonderful! Bursting with berries that pop in your mouth when hot out of the oven. The lemon zest brings out the fresh tang in the berries and makes me want to go on a picnic and eat several of them under a tree on a lazy summer day. They are so pretty, I think I took about 70 picture of them. ;-) These are perfect for a Sunday morning special treat.... or picnic ;-)

I use oil in this recipe instead of butter which makes the muffins wonderfully moist and tender because oil prevents the development of gluten in the flour. Buttermilk makes these so thick, creamy and with a rich tangy buttery taste. Whereas in the past buttermilk was made from the liquid left over after churning butter, it is now commercially made by adding a bacteria to whole, skim, or low fat milk. I use buttermilk powder, a small bag goes a long way. You just mix 1 TBSP powder per 1/2 cup water. Keep it in your pantry, I add it to muffins, cookies, breads, pancakes, casseroles, chicken etc. It is a great source of Calcium!!!

You can make your own buttermilk though by adding 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar, cider vinegar, or lemon juice to 1 cup (240 ml) of milk. Just stir the vinegar into the milk and then let it stand 5 to 10 minutes before using.

Note: If using frozen berries you may have to bake the muffins a little longer than the stated time. Also,

just be sure not to defrost the berries first as this will cause them to soften and bleed into the batter

makes one dozen muffins

You will need:


1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

* 3/4 cup Almond flour

* 3/4 cup dehydrated cane juice (Raw sugar)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

*1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Zest of one orange or lemon

1 large egg, lightly beaten

* 3/4 cup buttermilk

* 2/3 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries)

Putting it all together:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Position rack in center of oven. Butter or spray with a non stick cooking spray 12 - 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inch muffin cups. Set aside.
In a large measuring cup or bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract.
In another large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. Gently fold in the berries. With a rubber spatula fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix the batter or tough muffins will result.


Fill each muffin cup almost full of batter, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan.


PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE

Adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly Best Food Cookbook





* notes of interest

* dehydrated cane juice is granulated, so I'm not sure why it's called juice. It is also called RAW sugar. It is much better for you than refined sugar. It is easy to find, next to the refined sugar in most grocery stores.


* Almond flour is gluten free and high in protein and good essential monounsaturated fats. Not to mention it tastes GREAT in muffins and cookies, almondy. ;-)

* Do not use Iodized salt. It has added dextrose/sugar (check the nutrition label). Sea salt has natural Iodine in it, a good mineral.

* use unrefined canola oil if you can find it. Coconut or walnut oil are other good choices, they are monounsaturated (good) fat. Canola oil is an Omega-3 oil when it is unrefined, but usually it is refined so not as good for you.

Typical American diets are way to high in Omega-6's, usually 1:50 (Omega-3 to Omega-6). You really need a balanced diet of 1:1 Omegas.

examples of Omega-6's:
eggs, poultry, beef fed w grains, baked goods, cereals, popcorn, corn oi., grape seed oil, safflower, soybean, sunflower seeds just to name a few.

examples of Omega-3's:
walnut oil, fish oil, hemp oil, sesame oil, flax oil, flax meal, walnuts, kiwi, fish, leafy veggies, legumes, butternut squash, black raspberry, eggs, poultry and beef fed grass/natural diet.

Apple-Zucchini Muffins

I got this recipe from recipe zaar. It was very moist and yummy. I altered it slightly, adding diced apples and I used agave nectar instead of sugar and added flax seed.

Ingredients

3 eggs

3/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup oil

1 cup agave nectar

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon clove

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups zucchini, peel if desired, grated

2 fuji (or similar) apples, cored & chopped into small pieces

1 cup walnuts, chopped, if desired

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together eggs, oil and applesauce. Add sugar and vanilla.

2. Add dry ingredients and mix well.

3. Stir in zucchini and apples.

4. Grease and flour or line with foil liners.

5. Bake. 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

7. Remove from oven to cooling racks and let cool until slightly warm before removing.

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