English Muffins

If you do not have your own sourdough starter or a week to make one ahead of time, you can use the overnight poolish method starting the night before.  Make a game plan on how you want to bulk ferment your dough. This can be done in one day, or for best results done over night in the fridge. This will yield more flavor. This would involve a schedule starting around 5:00pm, stretch and folding for 3-4 hours, then begin resting in the fridge by 9:00pm. Your dough will come out of the fridge around 9:00am the next day where it will then have a bench rest for an additional 2 hours. Thus ready to bake around 12:00 to 1:00pm.

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 340g of warm water with 4g of yeast and 200g of the starter of your choice. Stir by hand until the yeast and starter has dissolved or is well hydrated by the water.
2. Add 600g flour to the bowl and attach the dough hook. Mix on low speed (1-2 speed) just until the dough is roughly formed, about 1 minute.
3. Add 25g of softened butter while the hook is still moving. Keep mixing until the butter has been incorporated into the dough about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add 12g of salt while the hook is still moving. After about 30 seconds, turn the mixer to medium, (3-4 speed) for an additional 5-8 minutes or until the dough is pulling away from the bowl, is smooth and elastic.
5. Move to a bowl greased with 1 teaspoon of oil and cover with plastic wrap and store in a warm part of the home or the oven with just the light on for about 45 minutes. After which, begin the stretch and fold method.
6. Stretch and fold by grabbing a portion of the dough from any side, and pull it out and over the rest of the dough. Turn the bowl 45 degrees and repeat the process until the dough has been stretched and folded about 5-6 times.
7. Reapply the plastic wrap and store again for another 45 minutes. Repeating the stretch and fold for at least 2-3 more times.
8. At this point, resting the dough in a cold location 12-24 hours yields the best results. Or you can skip if attempting to bake the same day.
9. If you've rested the dough in the fridge, remove it from the fridge and give it one more stretch and fold before letting it rest covered in the bowl in a warm location for about 1 1/2 hours to come to room temperature.
10. Once the dough is rested and at room temperature, you can start final shaping. Start by making rough balls of dough, roughly 120g in size. Set aside after each formed ball and keep covered with a damn cloth.
11. Once each ball is formed, come back to the first ball and start the process of tightening the surface of the dough by use the dinner roll hand-roll method of cupping your fingers around the ball getting your fingernails beneath the ball where it meets the counter. Roll in a circular motion until the ball starts to form a smooth and tight surface.
12. Sprinkle some semolina or cornmeal flour on a baking sheet generously, and place the finished dough balls on the flour seam-side up first, then flip over and press gently seam-side down. The finished look should be round and semi flat, about 1 inch tall.
13. Cover the dough with a damp towel or plastic dressed with cooking spray. and rest in a warm place for at least 45 minutes, or until the muffins have risen about nearly 40-50% bigger than when you started.
14. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350F while the dough is resting for it's final proof.
15. When the dough and oven are ready, start by heating up an electric skillet to 350F or a frying pan over medium heat.
16. When heated, place your dough-balls evenly spaced across your skillet or pan and cook for roughly 2 minutes per side or until a light golden color forms. This should resemble the finished muffin look.
17. After cooking on each side, set back on a fresh baking sheet, evenly spaced. Repeat for all remaining dough-balls.
18. Once all the muffins have been seared, place in the oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 190F.
19. Serve with your favorite toppings or as base layer in any sandwich or meal. Store in a bag or container that is only slightly sealed so moisture can escape but the muffins will keep fresh. Can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 6 weeks.