A simple discard recipe for sourdough blueberry muffins, with a sweet streusel topping and plenty of blueberries. These one-bowl blueberry coffee cake muffins are sweet, delicate, and perfect for afternoon tea or coffee.
If you have plenty of discard to use, try our sourdough morning glory muffins, flaky sourdough biscuits, or one-bowl sourdough chocolate cake.
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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Blueberries: both fresh and frozen berries work well. We recommend wild blueberries for their small size (more blueberries in each bite) but it doesn't matter. Raspberries and blackberries also work well.
- Oil: sunflower oil is great here for its neutral taste, but avocado oil, organic canola oil, and grape seed can all be used instead. Melted butter will likely be fine but we haven't tested these with it.
- Cinnamon: replace the cinnamon with half the amount of cardamom, or use a spice blend you like. Nutmeg is nice here too.
- Flour: if you want a slightly more wholesome muffin, whole wheat pastry flour can be used instead of all-purpose.
- Make it dairy-free: the recipe card provides instructions for making the streusel dairy free, and the muffins can be made with dairy-free milk (like oat or almond) if you prefer.
Method
Make the streusel topping first and set it aside so that it's ready when you need it. If you want to let the muffin batter rest in the fridge, the streusel can be made later.
Step 1: whisk the milk, discard, oil, eggs, and vanilla together in a large bowl.
Step 2: add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, and mix until just combined. Add the blueberries to the muffin batter and carefully fold them in.
Step 3: spoon the batter evenly into each muffin cup.
Step 4: top with the streusel topping and bake for about 22 minutes.
Top Tips
- Don't thaw the berries: if using frozen berries, use them directly from the freezer to reduce the purple colour leaching into the muffin batter too much. This batter is thick enough that the berries won't sink to the bottom, so there's no need to coat in flour beforehand.
- Omit the streusel: the muffins are on the sweet side with the addition of streusel, so if you prefer a less-sweet muffin, you may want to leave the topping off. Or, if making the streusel seems like a bit much, you can also sprinkle the tops of each muffin with a little coarse sugar instead.
- Use liners: we prefer using muffin liners for fruit muffins because added fruit can sometimes burn when it's in direct contact with the muffin tin.
Recipe Notes
If you want to make a muffin with a stronger sourdough flavour, or you want the starter to do some more work in making these a little easier to digest, chill the batter. Simply mix everything in a large bowl and then refrigerate, covered, for up to eight hours. Scoop into the cups and bake as usual.
How to Store
Storage: keep the muffins in a sealed container at room temperature for 3-4 days. If your home is very warm, refrigerate them instead, as the fruit spoils more quickly. The streusel usually softens a bit over time.
Freezing: transfer fully cooled muffins to an airtight container and freeze for up to two months. Thaw at room temperature.
FAQ
Can you save sourdough discard to use later?
Discard can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for months to use in recipes like this. It will get more sour over time, but it's always good to have as a backup just in case something happens to your starter.
What is the secret to making moist muffins?
The trick to really moist muffins is to use oil rather than butter. Make sure you don't over-mix, which will make the muffins tough.
Should I coat blueberries in flour for muffins?
It depends on the recipe. Most blueberry muffin recipes will make sure the batter is thick enough that the blueberries won't sink, but if you're making changes to the recipe or it calls for the blueberries to be coated, then do so.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
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Sourdough Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel
Equipment
- 12-cup muffin tin
- muffin cups
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
Ingredients
Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ cup sunflower oil
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup wild blueberries fresh or frozen
Cinnamon Streusel
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- â…“ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- â…“ cup butter can be cold or room temperature
Instructions
- Start by making the streusel. Mix the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl, then add the butter. Use your hands to mix until a crumbly mixture forms, then set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line or grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
- In a large bowl, whisk the milk, oil, discard, eggs, and vanilla until fully combined and slightly frothy.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to the bowl. Use a wooden spoon to mix until no streaks of flour remain in the bowl.
- Add the blueberries to the muffin batter and carefully fold them in to incorporate throughout.
- Spoon an equal amount of batter into each muffin cup, then cover each with the streusel topping.
- Bake the muffins for 22-24 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool the muffins in the tin for five minutes before removing and cooling fully on a rack. The muffins will keep for a couple of days at room temperature, but are best on the day they're baked.