Sourdough English Muffin

Sourdough English Muffins Recipe

https://littlespoonfarm.com/sourdough-english-muffins-recipe/

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
8 mins
Fermenting Time
12 hrs
Total Time
12 hrs 28 mins

Ingredients
1/2 cup (100 g) sourdough starter (levain) (active)
1 tablespoon (20 g) honey (sugar or maple syrup can be substituted)
1 cup (240 g) milk
3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (5 g) fine sea salt
1/4 cup (40 g) cornmeal (for sprinkling)
Instructions
Prepare sourdough starter in advance: You will need to prepare the starter before you begin mixing the dough. To a clean jar add 12g starter + 50g water + 50g flour and let rise until doubled. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen and the maturity of your starter, this can take anywhere from 4-12 hours. *See notes.
The night before cooking
Add all of the ingredients (except corn meal) to a large bowl and use your hands to mix until well combined. Cover and let rest 30-60 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead the dough for 5 minutes.
Place the dough back into the bowl, cover and let ferment on the counter at room temperature 10-14 hours. (Room temperature is 65-70°)
The next morning
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, flour the top of the dough and press it out using your fingertips until it is 1/2" in thickness.
Use a 3" biscuit cutter to cut rounds and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet that's been sprinkled with cornmeal. Sprinkle the tops with cornmeal, cover with a tea towel and allow to rise for 1 hour at room temperature.
Preheat your non-stick skillet over LOW heat. Place 4 muffins into the skillet spaced 2" apart, cover and cook the first side for 4 minutes. Turn the muffins over and cook for an additional 4 minutes.
Notes
The "levain" is the amount of active starter we prepare to mix into the dough.
A stand mixer with a dough hook attachment can be used to knead to the dough. Mix on lowest speed for 5 minutes.
Make sure to cook the muffins over very low heat.
Freeze for up to 3 months.
Store at room temperature for up to 5 days in a container.

Apple Pancake

Our family used to eat a version of these apple pancakes.  I am so happy I found this recipe.

German Apple Oven Pancake

Adapted from http://secretingredientislove.blogspot.com/2012/02/german-apple-oven-pancake.html?m=1
German Apple Oven Pancake

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup half-and-half
4 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoon unsalted butter (divided)
2 medium granny smith apples, peeled, cored, quartered, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

powdered sugar for dusting

Directions
Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 500 degrees F. Place your cast iron pan in the oven to heat up. Allow the oven to heat for at least 15 minutes before baking the pancake. In a blender or food processor, blend the eggs, sugar, half and half, vanilla and salt for about 15 seconds. Add the flour and blend until the mixture is smooth with no lumps, about 25 seconds.

Melt  1tblsp butter in a 10-inch your heated cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. In a different non-stick pan, add the remaining butter, apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon and cook, stirring often, until the apples are golden brown, about 8 minutes. Pour apples into your buttered cast iron.


Quickly pour the batter around the edge of the skillet first, then over the apples.


Place the skillet in the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Bake until the pancake is brown and has risen about the edges of the skillet, about 16 to 17 minutes.


Loosen the pancake edges from the hot skillet with a heat-proof spatula and flip the pancake onto a large plate or serving platter. Dust with powdered sugar, cut into wedges, and serve immediately.

Cinnamon Rolls

Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted from https://www.savingdessert.com/pioneer-womans-cinnamon-rolls/

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
1 d 2 hrs 15 mins

Makes 3 pans
Ingredients

For the cinnamon rolls:
2 cups whole milk
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup granulated sugar
1 (.25 ounce) package Active Dry Yeast
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour, separated
½ teaspoon (heaping) baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

For the filling:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted for greasing pans
15 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
⅔ cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cardamom

For the frosting:
8 ounces powdered sugar, sifted (1 cup)
4 oz. cream cheese
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon strong brewed coffee
pinch of salt

Instructions
To make the dough:
Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a small sauce pan. Warm over medium heat just until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture reaches 95-100 F (lukewarm) on an instant read thermometer. Remove from the heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Cool, if needed, until the milk reaches 95° to 100° F on an instant read thermometer.

Sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm milk mixture and set aside for 5-10 minutes. Add 4 cups of the flour and stir until combined (you can do this by hand with a wooden spoon or use the dough hook of a stand mixer). Cover and let rise for one hour in a warm location. The mixture should be bubbly and puffed.
In a small bowl or 1 cup measure, combine the remaining ½ cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together until blended. Add the flour mixture to the dough and mix until all flour is incorporated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight, or for a day or two, if desired. If rising for more than a day, watch the dough and punch down if needed to prevent overflowing.

To make the cinnamon rolls:
Grease 3 (9-inch) cake pans with melted butter, set aside.
Heavily flour a large, clean work surface. Lightly punch down the dough and scrape out onto the countertop. Using floured hands, and a floured rolling pin, press and roll the dough into a rectangle at least 30-inches wide and about 18 to 20-inches deep. The dough will be very thin.
Brush 12 tablespoons of melted butter over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the 30-inch side farthest away from you.
Sprinkle ⅔ cup of sugar over the butter layer, followed by the ground cinnamon and cardamom.

Roll the dough into a log starting at the 30-inch side closest to you. Gently pull the dough toward you, then tuck and roll, and repeat, keeping it pretty tight as you go. Next, pinch the seams to seal.
Using a ruler as a guide, cut the rolls into (30) 1-inch slices. You can use a large, thin, sharp knife to cut the rolls, or a long piece of dental floss works very well, too. Place the rolls, cut side down, into the prepared pans.

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Let the rolls rise in a warm location for 30 to 40 minutes. Once risen, the unbaked rolls should be puffed and smooth. To ensure the rolls have risen properly, gently press the edge of a roll with a knuckle. If the dough does not quickly and completely fill back into the depression, the rolls are ready. Bake at 375° F until light golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Transfer the pans to a rack to cool while preparing the frosting.

To make the frosting:
Using an electric mixer or whisk, combine the frosting ingredients and blend until smooth. The frosting should be thick, but pourable. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Feel free to go little crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman.



Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For best results bring the chilled rolls to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Unfrosted rolls may be kept at room temperature and frozen.

Sourdough bread and how to feed sourdough starter

Information about how to feed your sourdough starter. 
https://homesteadandchill.com/how-to-feed-sourdough-starter/

What works for me- Once a week, pull the sourdough starter out of the fridge in the morning and let it come to room temperature on the counter. Discard a portion of your starter before feeding. The discarded sourdough can be made into crackers or composted. Now for the 1/4 cup or the 1/2 cup of starter that remains I add 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of warm water to the starter and mix it together. I place a rubber band around the outside of the jar to mark how much starter is in the jar and helps you visualize when your starter has doubled after being fed. I often put my starter jar on a rack in my instant pot on the yogurt setting for a few hours to speed up the doubling process. 



Easy Sourdough Artisan Bread Recipe
Recipe from https://anoregoncottage.com/easy-sourdough-artisan-bread/

An easy artisan sourdough bread that is mixed up in the morning and baked in an enamel pot for a perfect crust and chewy interior.

Ingredients
3 cups flour white whole wheat, whole wheat, unbleached, or a combo
1 ¼ cups warm water*
3/4 cup active sourdough starter 75%-100% hydration (I prefer 75%)
1 tablespoon honey
1 ½ teaspoons salt

Instructions
Mix all ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl) just until combined and then let sit for 15 minutes.
Using a dough hook, knead for 5 minutes. If making by hand, knead for 8 to 10 minutes.
Transfer to a medium-sized bowl, lightly coated with oil. Cover with plastic and let rise for 3 hours, turning and folding the dough once or twice.
Remove dough, turn and fold again, and place it back in the bowl, seam-side up. Let rise for another 2 hours.
After the second rise, place a square of parchment on a cookie sheet and gently shape the dough into a ball or oval (using lots of flour, as the dough is moist) and set on the parchment. Make sure there's a good coating of flour on the top, as this will make slicing the top later easier. TIP: I often shape the dough in a small skillet to keep the edges from spreading as much as a cookie sheet.
While the shaped dough is resting, set an enameled, cast iron dutch oven into a cold oven and turn heat to 450 degrees (alternately, you can use a baking stone), and set the timer for 40 minutes.
When the timer goes off, slash the top of the loaf with a serrated knife (in 2-3 places) and transfer it to the hot pot (or stone) by holding the edges of the parchment to gently lower into the pot (the bread will bake while on the parchment).
Replace the hot lid and bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for another 13-15 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove to a wire rack to cool at least 30 minutes before cutting.

Notes
*You may need less if your starter is wetter- mine is a 100% hydration starter, fed an equal ratio of flour to water.
Slicing Tip: if you don't have a good serrated knife, try using an electric knife to easily slice through crusty artisan bread. It works like a charm and even cuts through warm breads without squishing the crusts like regular knives do.