Homemade muffins made with a sourdough starter. Sourdough muffins are easy to digest and delicious for breakfast or a snack. This recipe is adapted from the Basic Sourdough Muffin recipe from Cultures for Health and can include a variety of mix-ins (see recipe note below the recipe).
1/2 cup sourdough starter (90g) freshly fed so it's active and bubbly (meaning the starter has doubled in size since feeding, usually within 4-10 hours of a fresh feeding)
digital scalewhen it comes to sourdough (or any baking), I highly recommend weighing the ingredients instead of using volume (cup) measurements. This is far more accurate and precise.
Instructions
About 8-12 hours before you plan to bake the muffins, add the active sourdough starter, flour, and water to a large mixing bowl. Stir just until the ingredients are combined (I use a dough hook for mixing--highly recommend this tool for sourdough baking). The dough will be very thick and jagged and sticky, try to combine the ingredients into a ball if possible. I usually mix this together at night, before bed, so we can make muffins in the morning. If you want to bake in the evening, you'll want to do this in the morning. Just plan accordingly.
Place the dough on the counter and cover with a damp kitchen towel. You're done for now. The dough will ferment over the next 8-12 hours.
TIP: Remember to feed your starter after using it to make the muffin batter.
After 8-12 hours, the dough should appear active (you might see some bubbles and it will increase/double in size). Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a muffin pan with muffin liners.
Add the sugar, melted butter, eggs, salt, and baking soda to the fermented dough. Stir the ingredients until combined, but don't overmix the dough. At first, it may be difficult to combine, but I promise it all will come together. The batter should be thick. I like to toss the blueberries with a small amount of extra flour to coat and then mix the blueberries into the batter. This is optional. You can also add the blueberries directly to the dough. For other mix-ins (see note below), simply add the ingredient as the last step and mix.
Fill the muffin cups with the batter (about 3/4 the way full). If desired (optional), top each muffin with a sprinkle of turbinado sugar. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until golden brown and the tops feel springy and set when touched.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before enjoying. The muffins also freeze well! Cool the muffins completely before storing in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for a couple of months. Use this recipe as a base for many different muffin variations.
Notes
* I haven't tested this recipe with all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour, but my thought is the recipe should work with these options. The recipe is adapted from Cultures for Health and they call for whole wheat flour, so I think it's a safe option here. If you're using a heavier wheat (like whole wheat or whole wheat einkorn), I recommend sifting the flour into the bowl for a lighter baked good.Variation Ideas (use 1/2-1 cup of any variation below):
Cinnamon-Apple: Chop an apple or two and saute in some butter and cinnamon, or just toss raw apple pieces with cinnamon. Then add to the batter.
Chocolate Chip: Obviously a kid favorite in our house.
Zucchini: Shred zucchini, then squeeze out the excess water by placing the zucchini shreds in between a paper towel or dish towel. Add the zucchini to the batter. Zucchini muffins will cause the muffins to be a bit wet and they may not rise as much as you'd expect a muffin to.
Carrot: Add shredded carrots to the batter. You could even add half carrots and half apples or raisins.
Raspberries or Blackberries: I haven't tried this option yet, but it's on my list for the summer.
Spice it Up: Add cinnamon to the batter or some lemon zest (fine shavings from the lemon peel), or a bit of lemon juice for an extra pop. Or grab the pumpkin spice in the back of the cupboard. There are so many ways to add a bit of "kick" to these muffins. Experiment and then come back and tell me your favorite variations.