Sourdough Blueberry Muffins Recipe (2024)

Published: Mar 7, 2023 · Modified: Dec 5, 2023 by Hannah Dela Cruz · This post may contain affiliate links

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These Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins are plush, fluffy and loaded with juicy blueberries. This delicious sourdough discard recipe is moist, a little tangy and comes together in one bowl.

Sponsored by Imperial Sugar

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Recipe Box Series
Tips for success
Baking with sourdough discard
What you need to make this recipe
Step-by-step instructions
Recipe FAQs
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Sourdough Blueberry Muffins Recipe

Recipe Box Series

Sugar is such a vital part of every dessert, it imparts flavor, texture, moisture, and without it, it would be impossible to make our favorite bakes. I use a combination of Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar in these sourdough blueberry muffins. The granulated sugar gives these muffins structure and lightness, and adding a dusting of sugar before baking ensures you have tall, crunchy muffin tops.

I’m so grateful to Imperial Sugar for making the Recipe Box Series possible and so proud to be partnering with a company with such a long tradition of producing such high-quality products. Imperial Sugar products are 100% pure cane sugar, non-GMO and provide consistently delicious results.

Tips for success

Make sure your baking soda and baking powder are fresh!
Weigh your ingredients
Sift the dry ingredients together
Preheat your oven to 425 F but bake muffins at 375 F
Do not under any circ*mstances open the oven door before your muffins are fully baked

Love sourdough muffins? Try my Sourdough Cranberry Muffins, Sourdough Banana Muffins, Sourdough Apple Muffins,Sourdough Pumpkin MuffinsandSourdough Chocolate Muffins.

Baking with sourdough discard

Sourdough discard adds a great tangy flavor and moisture that helps these blueberry muffins stay moist and tasting fresh for days longer. Since you are not using your sourdough discard to leaven bread, you can make these Sourdough Blueberry Muffins with discard directly from the refrigerator.

Since each sourdough starter is unique, the flavor that yours adds to these muffins will be unique to you. If you’re using sourdough discard that’s been in the fridge for weeks it will add a more distinctive flavor to your muffins, which you won’t get when using a freshly fed starter. Both will work for this recipe but you’ll get different results.

Have lots of excess sourdough starter? Check out my favorite Sourdough Discard Recipes.

What you need to make this recipe

All-purpose flour - The low protein content of all-purpose flour imparts a fluffy texture to these muffins. Substituting another type of flour will negatively affect the result of your bake.
Baking powder - The main leavening agent, and helps these muffins rise in the oven.
Sourdough discard - The acidity of sourdough discard tenderizes gluten and adds brightness resulting in a delicious muffin that’s tender and not chewy. Discard also adds moisture which helps keep them tasting fresh for days longer.
Kosher salt - Essential for any bake, salt enhances all the flavor of all the other ingredients in the recipe.
Sugar - Imparts sweetness and softness, sugar is essential to these muffins and changing the amount of sugar added to the batter will negatively affect your results.
Buttermilk - Reacts with baking powder to help the domed tops rise even taller.
Butter - Adds richness, flavor and moisture.
Eggs - Provides structure, richness and color.
Blueberries - You can use fresh or frozen, toss them in flour before incorporating them in the batter so they don’t sink to the bottom as your muffins bake.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Whisk the wet ingredients together

2. Sift the dry ingredients together

3. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and gently incorporate blueberries

4. Divide the batter into two greased muffin tins, sprinkle sugar on batter and bake for 15 to 20 minutes

Recipe FAQs

Why did my muffins sink?

They never rose in the oven because your baking powder is no longer active. If your baking powder has been in your pantry for longer than 6 months, test it by adding a ¼ teaspoon to a small amount of vinegar. If it does not fizz then it is no longer active and has outlived its usefulness.

You opened the oven too soon. Baking these muffins at a high temperature helps them rise and their exterior to set faster than the crumb can fully bake. Without the support of a solid interior, opening the oven door prematurely will cause the top to collapse under its own weight. Unfortunately, once your muffins have collapsed they will lose their light, airy structure and will turn out dense.

You didn’t use a kitchen scale. Baking is all about getting your ratio of ingredients just right. Although I provide volume measurements in this recipe, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale. Measuring ingredients using cups and spoons can be very inaccurate and could negatively affect the results of your bake

Can I use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose?

I would not recommend substituting whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour in any recipe. Whole wheat flour absorbs water at a different rate than all-purpose flour, this will transform the consistency of your batter and your muffins will turn out tough and dense. If you want to bake using whole wheat flour you’d be better off searching for a recipe that specifically calls for it, since the recipe developer has probably already accounted for its unique qualities.

Can I use frozen blueberries?

Yes! Frozen blueberries work just as well as fresh blueberries in this recipe. Just don’t thaw them before adding them to your muffins or your batter may turn blue.

Can I use my sourdough starter straight from the refrigerator?

Yes! Since you will not be using it to leaven bread, you can use your starter straight from the refrigerator.

Sourdough Blueberry Muffins Recipe

Hannah Dela Cruz

Moist, soft and loaded with juicy blueberries, these Sourdough Blueberry Muffins are the best breakfast treat. The acidity of sourdough discard tenderizes gluten and adds brightness resulting in a delicious muffin that’s tender with tall bakery-style muffin tops.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 12 muffins

Calories 240 kcal

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Ingredients

Muffin Batter

▢ 113 g sourdough discard
▢ 113 g unsalted butter melted
▢ 75 g buttermilk
▢ 200 g Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
▢ 2 large eggs
▢ 12 g vanilla extract
▢ 200 g all-purpose flour
▢ 10 g baking powder
▢ 6 g Kosher salt

Mix-ins and Toppings

▢ 216 g blueberries fresh or frozen
▢ 9 g all-purpose flour
▢ 25 g Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar

Click US Customary to view volume measurements

Instructions

Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line 6 cavities in each muffin tin with muffin liners (if using) and spray the edges of the lined muffin cavities with baking spray.
Mix the wet ingredients: Combine the sourdough discard, melted cooled butter, buttermilk, Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk until the sugar has fully dissolved and no traces of starter and eggs remain.
Sift together the dry ingredients: Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt over a piece of parchment paper.
Mix the batter: Add a third of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until no dry bits of flour remain. Fold in the flour in thirds, being careful not to overwork the batter. It’s ok if a few traces of dry flour remain after the last addition.
Fold in the blueberries: Toss the blueberries in a tablespoon of flour. Fold the blueberries into the batter.
Fill two muffin tins: Divide the muffin batter in 12 portions (about 86 to 90 grams in each cavity). Sprinkle tops with Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar.
Bake: Bake the muffins for 15 to 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown (turn the oven temperature down to 375 F if your muffins seem like they are browning too quickly.
Enjoy and store: Allow the muffins to cool in the muffin tin for 15 minutes. These are best eaten the day they are baked but they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Tips

These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I've included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.

Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.

Notes

When in doubt, use gram over volume measures.

Nutrition