In a world of fast-paced life and easy, quick commercial white breads, we’ve forgotten the flavorful, joyous, and nutritious experience of different kinds of wheat. Their flavor profiles are as varied as you can imagine and, among them, spelt is one of the best. Nutty and somewhat sweet, it takes any bread to the next level.
Naturally, after much testing and perfecting as we searched for our favorite English muffin recipe, when I made them with Spelt wheat berries, it completely changed the game. These beauties are fluffy, light, craggy – but they are also flavorful and addictive. I’m sorry. There’s nothing boring or bitter (does anyone else find the store-bought varieties to have a slight…cardboard flavor?) about these. My kids request them often, which is lucky because they freeze perfectly, and an easy, tasty, nutritious breakfast is very much what we’re about.
If you are familiar with fresh milled flour – then you know that, apart from being delightfully soft, with a host of nooks and crannies for all your buttery needs – these English muffins pack a nutritious punch. Fresh milled flour lends over 44 nutrients that are not present in all-purpose flour, not only providing a superior flavor and texture, but also fiber, and a host of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. We’ve been making this recipe for over 2 years – it’s a staple in our kitchen. I hope you enjoy it!
Spelt Sourdough English Muffins
Equipment
- 1 cast iron skillet
Ingredients
Levain
- 30g (2 Tbsp) sourdough starter
- 100g (1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp) all-purpose flour
- 100g (3 1/2 Tbsp) water room temperature
Dough
- 40g (2 Tbsp) honey *you can sub maple syrup or sugar if preferred
- 480g (2 cups) whole milk
- 360g (2 3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp) whole spelt flour *preferably fresh milled – the volume measurement here is for fresh milled. It may vary if using purchased flour.
- 360g (3 cups) all purpose flour
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
For Proofing
- 80g 1/2 cup cornmeal *for dusting the baking parchment
Instructions
8AM Prepare Your Levain
- About 12 hours before you want to mix up your dough, prepare your levain by mixing up the ingredients in a clean jar, and setting them aside at room temperature, with a loosely fitting lid. The levain is ready to use when active, bubbly, and doubled in size. Note: If you prefer, instead of mixing up a separate levain, you can instead feed your 100% hydration starter in the morning and directly use 230g as your levain once it peaks in the evening.
8PM Mix Your Dough
- Once your levain is ready, mix up your levain and all of the dough ingredients by hand until well combined. Cover your dough, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead by hand for 5 minutes (you may also knead in the stand mixer with the dough hook at the lowest setting for 3-4 minutes).
- Place the dough back in your bowl. Cover, and let it ferment overnight at room temperature (70 deg F, 21 deg C) for 8-12 hours.
7AM Final Proof and Bake
- The next morning, turn your dough out (gently) onto a floured surface. Gently pat it down (be careful not to degas it) until it is 1 inch (2.5cm) thick.
- Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, and sprinkle on your cornmeal.
- Using a 2 3/4 inch (7cm) round biscuit cutter, cut out rounds from your dough, and place them on your parchment. To use up your scrap dough, you can push the dough together and pinch to seal gently, and then cut out more muffins. The scrap muffins may look less beautiful, but they will still bake up delicious!
- Cover your muffins with a tea towel, and allow them to rise 1-2 hours at room temperature. They will grow even more when you bake them (see video for reference).
- Preheat your cast iron skillet at the lowest heat for at least 10 minutes.
- Place 4 muffins in your pan, cover, and bake for 4 minutes.
- Turn your muffins over, cover, and bake 4 additional minutes. The muffins should be 205 deg F (96 deg C) at their center when done.
- Set the muffins on a cooling rack to cool.
- Cut, serve with butter, jam, or as a sandwich or eggs benedict, and enjoy!
- If freezing: wait until the muffins have cooled completely, then place them in an airtight container, and freeze. When ready to use, you can let them thaw on the counter, or pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds, before cutting and toasting as you would normally.
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