Fluffy sourdough blueberry muffins are bursting with blueberry flavor, tangy sourdough, and lightly sweetened with sugar. As an easy, make-ahead breakfast or snack, this recipe will be a family favorite and the muffins likely won’t stick around long.
Springtime on the homestead simply bursts with activity. Winter signals a time of slowing down, curling up by the fire, and enjoying lots of hearty meals (like this Shepherdโs pie).
Spring, on the other hand, is a time of excitement and activity.
Flowers start to emerge from the cold soil, anxious to show off their blooms, and garden planning is underway. Seeds are getting started, the garden beds are being prepared for a season of production, and there is no slowing down on the homestead.
When we start to head into the busy season, I like to make more simple meals, or recipes that can be made ahead for a later time.
On days we know will be teeming with work, or even on our family adventure days (check out the podcast to see what these days look like), I love to be able to make something that can be easily transported for a picnic or eaten as a snack to hold us over until dinner.
These sourdough discard blueberry muffins hit the spot. You can whip them up in minutes, or long ferment them for added health benefits.
They’re lightly sweetened with a subtle burst of blueberry, which shouts spring or summer.
Dream with me here. I’m picturing the juicy, ripe blueberries fresh from a local blueberry farm packed into these muffins or this sourdough blueberry cobbler. I cannot wait for summer.
Tips For Making Sourdough Blueberry Muffins:
- Use fresh or frozen blueberries. If you use frozen, I guarantee your muffins will turn purple. It’s just cosmetic, though. They’ll be delicious! Be sure to keep the blueberries frozen, not thawed.
- Sprinkle a little bit of flour into the blueberries to help prevent them from sinking to the bottom.
- You can use an active sourdough starter or even sourdough discard for this recipe. You can find more sourdough discard recipes here.
- For a more natural sweetener, I used coconut sugar. You can substitute coconut sugar for regular sugar, one for one.
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Tools you may need:
Stand mixer or large bowl. I recommend a stand mixer if you are planning to long-ferment this recipe.
Muffin liners
Ice cream scoop
Measuring cups and spoons
FAQ
What is the secret to moist muffins?
There are three things that help make muffins moist: using oil in the batter, not over-mixing, and lastly, not over-baking.
Over-baking will definitely give you a dry, not-so-yummy muffin, while over-mixing will cause the gluten strands to strengthen too much, giving you a tougher product. Oil, on the other hand, gives the muffin moisture.
Do you cut blueberries for muffins?
It is not necessary to cut blueberries for muffins. Just use them whole.
If you really want to chop them up, then by all means, do so.
Should you wash blueberries before baking?
Wash and dry the blueberries right before baking. Since blueberries have thin skin, they tend to spoil more quickly after washing. Just make sure your berries are dry before adding them to the batter.
Is it better to use fresh or frozen blueberries for muffins?
Either can be used, just make sure if you are using frozen to add them to the batter completely frozen. Do not let them thaw before adding.
How do you keep blueberries from sinking in muffins?
If you have issues with blueberries sinking in the muffin batter, add about a half a tablespoon of flour or so to a bowl with the blueberries and toss to coat.
If you have a hard time with unfermented grains, try using einkorn flour for this.
Can I make this recipe dairy free?
Yes. Just swap out the butter for melted coconut oil.
Blueberry Muffin Ingredients:
Flour – All-purpose, spelt or freshly milled wheat will work.
Salt – Salt brings out the flavors in baked goods – and all dishes. It makes sweets sweeter and if you leave it out, you will end up with a bland tasting recipe.
Leaveners – Baking powder and baking soda are used to give the muffins their rise.
Cinnamon – This a deliciously warm and subtle spice to the muffins
Butter – Could also substitute with avocado oil or melted coconut oil.
Sugar – This can be substituted with coconut sugar; most recipes will say a 1 to 1 substitution for coconut sugar to regular sugar. I do find the sweetness to be slightly different. Also, if you are using “regular” sugar, try to choose organic sugar since “regular” sugar is usually made with GMO sugar beets.
Eggs – room temperature.
Sourdough starter – Active sourdough starter or discard can be used for this recipe. This is because the rise comes from baking soda and baking powder rather than sourdough starter.
Blueberries – Fresh or frozen will work. If you are using frozen, make sure to use them fully frozen, don’t let them thaw or else they will release too many juices and you will have a purple muffins.
How To Make Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Grease muffin tin wells or line with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and sourdough starter.ย
Lastly, incorporate one egg at a time.
Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Don’t over-mix the batter or you could end up with a tough muffin.
Gently fold the blueberries into batter. To prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins, you could dust 1 tsp of flour over the blueberries and stir before folding them into the batter.
Optional: Allow the mixture to sit in the fridge for one hour.
Spoon the batter into the muffin tins.
Bake in a preheated oven at 425 for 5-6 minutes, then drop the oven temperature to 350 and continue to bake for 13-15 minutes. This helps capture the rise while also baking through.
Test muffins with a cake tester. Allow to cool.
How To Make Long Fermented Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
The night before, combine melted butter and sugar well.
Fold in sourdough starter (add extra 1/2 cup of sourdough starter for 1 cup total of starter), and flour. Mix well.
Cover and allow to ferment for 8-24 hours.
After fermentation, preheat the oven to 425.
To the fermented dough, add salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla, and eggs. Mix together well. I recommend using a stand mixer, as the dough will be very thick and more challenging to stir.
Gently fold in blueberries.
Pour muffin batter into a lined or greased muffin tin.
Bake in a preheated oven at 425 for 5-6 minutes, and then drop the oven temperature to 350 and continue to bake for 13-15 minutes.
Test with a toothpick. The muffins are ready when the toothpick comes out clean.
How To Store, Freeze, And Reheat:
Store in an air-tight container. Best if eaten within 3-5 days. Or store in the freezer (I like to use a freezer zip-lock bag) for up to 3 months.
I love to double this recipe and have one batch for now and freeze one batch for later. When you want a quick and easy breakfast, just pop these into a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes or until they are thawed completely and warm.
Find More Sweet Sourdough Recipes
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone
Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
WET INGREDIENTS
- 8 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter discard*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Grease muffin tin wells or line with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugar, vanilla and sourdough starter.
- Incorporate one room temperature egg at a time.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Gently fold blueberries into batter.
- Optional: Allow the mixture to sit in the fridge for one hour.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin tins.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 425 for 5-6 minutes, then drop the oven temperature to 350 and continue to bake for 13-15 minutes.
- Test muffins with a toothpick. Allow to cool.
Notes
- *To long ferment this recipe add 1 cup of sourdough starter instead of 1/2 cup. This gives the batter the extra moisture it needs to properly ferment the dough. Find the long-fermented directions in the post above.
- Use fresh or frozen blueberries. If you use frozen, I guarantee your muffins will turn purple. It’s just cosmetic, though. They’ll be delicious! Be sure to keep the blueberries frozen, not thawed.
- Sprinkle a little bit of flour (1-2 tsp) into the blueberries to help prevent them from sinking to the bottom.
Abby says
The long fermented version is one of the best things I’ve ever baked, and I bake a LOT! Thank you!!!! Also I’ll say here, your sourdough sandwhich bread recipe allowed us to quit buying bread completely. Grateful for you!
Wendy Falk says
These are easy and tastey! I enjoy sharing them with friends because they are so easy and plentiful. I use more starter than called for and more berries too. I plan to try them with chocolate chips AND I have made them without the berries, adding a little lemon peel. I LOVED them this way best!
Isabel says
These are delightfully satisfying. I made 1/2 recipe because of starter amt on hand. Definitely a keeper. I did have an Oops! but did not make a difference. I added sugar to flour instead of butter.
Laveda says
Perfect sour dough blueberry muffins! I used fresh blueberries when I made them. On here again as someone asked for the recipe. I placed muffins in the refrigerator over night and then baked the next morning for breakfast. Thank you!
Kim says
Did you mix the entire batch and put in muffin tin THEN put in fridge for long ferment? Or did you follow this recipe and add ingredients when ready to bake? I really love the idea of mixing everything THEN long ferment then all I have to do is bake! Thanks for posting!
Candice says
These came out great! I used spelt flour and 3/4 cup of maple syrup instead of sugar. Did the long ferment overnight and baked in morning for breakfast. I donโt have a stand mixer but just used a wooden spoon to mix up by hand and it worked well. My kids loved them!
Erika says
Iโm excited to bake these, I just finished the batter and will let it sit for an hour but itโs more like a soft dough not batter. Iโm wondering if I went wrong somewhere? It seems like it needs more liquid? But Iโm rolling with it and will bake as is and see what happens! ๐
Erika says
They turned out delicious! They were more of a bread texture because the batter was more like a dough but they are sooooo good! I canโt stop eating them.
SandiR says
I did the long ferment in the fridge 1-1/2 days). I used fresh blueberries. I used my hand mixer that says it can handle bread doughโฆwell, next time Iโll use the stand mixer. I almost burned out the motor๐ฅ of the hand mixer. I also used coconut sugar in the recipe and I sprinkled some on top. These were probably the best blueberry muffins Iโve ever had! These will definitely, definitely, definitely be a regular in my household. Thank you, Lisa, for sharing!๐
Karen Hanson says
I mixed everything according to the longer ferment directions. My dough is pretty much a solid lump right now! Iโm letting it sit out a bit to warm up before trying to combine everything in the stand mixer. Gosh, is this normal?
Maddi says
Mine was also like a solid clump, I needed up adding milk to try thin it out a bit
Jessy says
These were delicious! I got worried because it came out looking like solid dough instead of batter, but still came out great. Thanks for the recipe!
Donna G. Gutierrez says
I’ve been making these for a while now and we love them. My current favorite variation is a brown sugar cinnamon center. My question for is: what is the reason for the high temp for the first few minutes? Has anyone tried baking them at 350 for 15-20 mins? Thank you for the great recipe.
Lisa Bass says
It helps them to rise better! Then owering the temp helps to avoid burning them!
Anonymous says
I baked then at 350 for 20 minutes and they turned out perfect. I thought they rose plenty and are delicious