Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins

If you're working with a sourdough starter and have some discard to use, these Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins are a delicious breakfast or brunch recipe! The best part? No rising time is needed; you'll have these ready to eat in under an hour.

Looking for other sourdough discard recipes? Check out these Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Discard Bagels, Sourdough Discard Waffles, and these Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls.

And if you'd like a few other brunch options, try these Strawberry Waffles and Strawberry Almond Muffins.

Why you'll love this recipe

• There is no rise time needed! You'll have these muffins ready to eat in under an hour.
• You can use fresh or frozen blueberries for these muffins.
• The orange or lemon zest gives these muffins a nice, light flavor.
• The sourdough discard gives these muffins a bit of additional rise and some sourdough tang.
• Muffins freeze well! You can make a batch and freeze some for later!

Ingredients

As long as you have sourdough discard, you're halfway there! Below are a few key things you'll need to make these Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins.

• Unsalted butter: Everything good starts with butter, right? Just kidding. But seriously, the butter helps make these light and fluffy. Make sure this is softened to room temperature so it creams well with the sugar.
• Orange or lemon zest: I like to use orange zest with this recipe, but you could also use lemon. It helps bring a bit of brightness to the recipe!
• Sourdough discard: This should be unfed and at room temperature before you make this recipe. This recipe is designed for a sourdough discard with a 1:1 ratio (1 part flour, 1 part water). If your sourdough starter uses a different ratio, you will need to adjust a few ingredients in this recipe.
• Non-dairy milk: I like to use almond milk for this recipe, but it will work well with any milk (even dairy options, if you'd rather).
• Blueberries: These can be fresh or frozen! If frozen, let them thaw and drain off any excess water that might separate from the berries.

See full recipe below for detailed directions.

Substitutions & Variations

This is a great base recipe for sourdough discard muffins and can easily be adapted. Below are a few variations to try:

• Change the berries - Want to try this with a different berry? Try strawberries, raspberries or blackberries instead of blueberries.
• Add nuts - This recipe would be great with added walnuts or almonds. Try reducing the blueberries by ¼ cup and adding ¼ cup of chopped nuts.
• Add a crumble topping - Do you want a little extra sweetness or crunch with the muffins? Add a crumble topping to bring in a little extra texture and sweetness.
• Use active sourdough starter - If you want to use active sourdough starter instead of sourdough discard, you can! Keep in mind that active starter has more yeast to it, so your muffins will rise more. You may find that you need to divide the batter into more muffin cups so they don't overflow.

I have not tested this recipe with other variations, but if you do, let us know how it turns out in the comments! I always love to hear how you're adapting these recipes and use those as ideas for future recipes as well!

How to make Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins

There are just a few key steps to making these Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins.

Cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly before adding the next egg. Add vanilla extract and orange or lemon zest, stirring to combine.

Add sourdough discard and 2 Tablespoons of non-dairy milk and stir to combine.

Mix together flour, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl, then add to the batter mixture and stir until no dry spots remain.

Toss the blueberries with ½ teaspoon of all-purpose flour to coat. This helps keep the berries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins so they'll be dispersed throughout the muffins.

Fold the blueberries into the batter until combined.

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin liners, then fill each cup evenly with batter. Using a cookie scoop is an easy way to fill the cups!

Sprinkle each muffin with turbinado sugar, then bake 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

Expert Baking Tips

1. Use muffin liners to keep the muffins from sticking to the pan. You can also grease the pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
2. Coating the blueberries with flour before adding to the batter helps keep them from sinking to the bottoms of the muffins!
3. Using room temperature ingredients for this recipe helps ensure that the muffins will rise appropriately.
4. Let the muffins cool slightly before serving with butter or your other favorite muffin toppings.

What is sourdough discard?

Sourdough discard is what you have leftover after feeding your sourdough starter. Sourdough discard does not have the same yeast as active sourdough starter, so will not cause dough or batter to rise in the same way as active starter. You can either literally discard (compost or trash) sourdough discard, you can use it to create a new starter, or you can use it in sourdough discard recipes.

This recipe is designed for sourdough discard with a 1:1:1 ratio (when you feed your starter, it's with 1 part starter, 1 part water, and 1 part flour). If your sourdough starter has a different ratio, you'll need to make some adjustments to this recipe.

Make sure your sourdough discard is unfed and at room temperature for this recipe.

Remember that every sourdough starter (and sourdough discard) is different. If needed, add more flour or more non-dairy milk (1 Tablespoon at a time) until you reach your desired batter consistency.

If you're new to working with sourdough starter, check out these in-depth posts on how to feed sourdough starter and how to use sourdough discard.

Equipment

You'll need a large mixing bowl and a hand-held mixer (you could also use a KitchenAid Stand Mixer) to make the batter. You'll also want a mixing spoon (personally, I love a GIR Spoonula for this use). I recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the sourdough discard.

You'll need a 12-cup muffin pan as well as muffin liners. For muffin liners, you can either make your own with parchment paper, use paper liners, or use silicone liners. A cookie scoop is also really helpful for transferring the batter to the muffin cups.

Storage

Room Temperature Storage: Store Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can reheat them in the microwave for 15-30 seconds to make them warm and soft again.

Freezer Storage: These muffins freeze very well. Let them cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can also leave the muffin liners on for freezing! To reheat, let the muffins thaw at room temperature, or reheat in the microwave for 30-60 seconds.

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