Sourdough muffins will change your life. Your breakfast life anyway. I used the natural rising power of sourdough. Then I added traditional muffin ingredients, and came up with a light, flavorful and totally yummy sourdough muffin!
At the time of writing, our country is experiencing shortages of some products. Making sourdough muffins allows you a delicious baked treat without using a lot of ingredients in one baking session. Sourdough has become the darling of the baking scene because yeast is hard to find.
Enter Sourdough Baking
Happily, I have been baking with sourdough for many years. As time went on I became more adventurous about converting recipes from traditional baking methods to sourdough baking. Pancakes, breads, pretzels, and pizza crust all became fermented goodness. And, let’s not forget the unforgettable sourdough cinnamon rolls!
When it became obvious that flour and yeast were not going to miraculously reappear on the grocer shelves, I doubled down on my sourdough feeding and conserved the yeast. Recipes that took over 4 cups of flour were put on the back burner for now. Instead I looked for baking recipes that used less ingredients to make a tasty baked good.
Converting to Sourdough
I converted the sourdough muffins recipe from my daughter’s recipe for low sugar muffins. I was happy with the lightness of the baked muffin and how quickly they mixed up. But the best part is the simple list of ingredients. You most likely have these items on hand in your pantry!
Need directions for making a sourdough starter? Check this post from The Fewell Homestead. You can purchase a dehydrated starter from Alderman Farms here. Axe and Root Homestead offers a live and fresh sourdough starter, too.
Converting to sourdough often takes a couple of trials. Not all recipes convert the same for me. You don’t want a muffin that is heavy and soggy because you used too much sourdough starter. If you are familiar with the consistency of a muffin or cake batter, that is what you are striving for, just substituting the sourdough starter for some of the liquid ingredients.
The sourdough muffin recipe makes 12 good size muffins. If you don’t want that many muffins on hand at one time, they freeze well. Cut all the ingredients in half if you really only want a few muffins.
What to Use for the “Extras”
Customize any of the tasty additions to the sourdough muffins based on your favorite flavors. Try making sourdough muffins using any of the following fruits, or combinations of more than one.
- blueberries
- smashed banana
- chopped strawberries
- peaches, cut up small and well drained
- pears-,cut up small and well drained
- raspberries, blackberries, wine berries, etc
- Chocolate berries
Ok, you caught me. They are more often referred to as chocolate chips.
Sourdough Muffins Recipe
Grab a 12 muffin tin (unless you are halving the recipe). Line with paper liners or grease the individual wells.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ingredients for Sourdough Muffins
- 1 and 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sourdough starter
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup cooking oil or coconut oil melted
- 1/2 cup milk
- up to one cup of berries, fruit or chocolate chips total. My favorite sourdough muffin combination is 1/2 cup of blueberries and one small smashed banana.
Mix the Sourdough Muffin Batter
In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
In a smaller bowl, combine the sourdough starter and oil.
Add the sourdough starter and oil mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until moistened. Don’t over mix!
Add milk slowly until the batter is the consistency of cake batter and not stiff like a bread dough. Again, don’t over mix. Now add the berries, fruit, or chocolate chips. Stir gently to combine.
Spoon batter into muffin cups until 2/3 full.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown on top and toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Fresh Baked Sourdough Muffins
Cool the muffins, on a baking rack, for 10 minutes before eating.
Really. Ten minutes! I know it’s hard but you can do it!
Sugar Glaze for Sourdough Muffins
Here’s how I dress up the muffins for my sweets loving husband. He likes frosting on all the baked goods. I prefer to eat my muffin “au natural”. This sugar glaze is a good compromise.
- 1 cup of confectioner’s powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- a small amount of milk for mixing into a thin glaze. You can use water if you prefer.
In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar with a few tablespoons of liquid. Add the vanilla. Continue to add the milk or water, slowly until you get the consistency you want for the muffins.
Drizzle the glaze over the muffins and allow to set up. It only takes a minute or two.
Enjoy anytime. I can’t think of a bad time to enjoy a fresh baked sourdough muffin.
Love all things sourdough! Started with a recipe and starter from my Aunt back in 1974, for sourdough coffee cake. Turn to today and I’m making that recipe still as well as artisan breads and I enjoy sharing starter and recipes. Warms my heart to know others share their recipes too!