Sourdough Lemon Muffins
These sourdough lemon muffins are bright, soft, and lightly tangy. They use sourdough starter for both flavour and moisture, and the lemon keeps them really bright. I have made these countless times because they are such an easy way to use up extra starter. The batter comes together fast, the crumb stays tender, and there’s an option for a same day bake or overnight ferment!
About this recipe
I love making muffins to use up sourdough starter discard starter. They’re so versatile, and the acid in the discard creates a lovely and tender muffin. They have the addition of lots of fresh lemon zest that’s rubbed into sugar to release the lemon oil. It’s a great way to really enhance the lemon flavour naturally.
There’s the option to give the sourdough muffin batter an overnight ferment. This ferments the flour can make things easier to digest. If you want to bake them right away, though, you can.
Just a few ingredients
Method
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl, rub together lemon zest and sugar to release the lemon oils.
- Add the wet ingredients except for the milk and whisk to combine.
- Add the in the dry ingredients along with the milk.
- Fold with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until combined.
Cold-fermenting: The muffins can be baked right away or colr-fermented overnight. Cover the bowl tightly and place it in the refrigerator for up to 16 hours. Cold fermenting allows the flour to absorb more moisture from the batter, which can lead to a more moist crumb. Additionally, slow fermentation helps break down the proteins in the flour. The next day the batter will be very thick.
- Divide over a lined muffin pan
- Bake until golden, then top with lemon glaze.
storing
- Leftover muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- You can also freeze the baked muffins. Wrap them tightly and freeze them for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator and warm in a low-temperature oven or microwave.
Variations
These sourdough muffins are a great base to add other flavors. Try:
- Sourdough blueberry lemon muffins: Add a cup of fresh blueberries to the batter for a classic flavor combination. If you’re using frozen blueberries, give them a rinse before adding them to the batter so it doesn’t turn it purple.
- Sourdough lemon poppy seed muffins: Add two tablespoons of poppy seeds to your batter. The crunchy poppy seeds will add a nice texture.
More sourdough discard recipes
Sourdough Lemon Muffins
Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 113 g butter melted
- 15 g vegetable oil
- 30 g lemon juice
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 100 g sourdough discard room temperature
- 180 g milk room temperature
Glaze
- 90 g powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 TBSP lemon juice
Instructions
- Mix the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. 250 g all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl, add granulated sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingertips to gently rub the zest into the sugar to release the lemon oils. 200 g granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
- Add the melted butter, oil, lemon juice, eggs, sourdough discard, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined. 113 g butter, 15 g vegetable oil, 30 g lemon juice, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 100 g sourdough discard
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and the milk and fold with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until combined. 180 g milk
- The muffins can be baked right away or cold-fermented overnight.
- Cold-fermenting (optional): Cover the bowl tightly and place it in the refrigerator for up to 16 hours. Cold fermenting allows the flour to absorb more moisture from the batter, which can lead to a more moist crumb. Additionally, slow fermentation helps break down the proteins in the flour. The next day the batter will be very thick.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a muffin pan.
- Use an ice cream scoop to divide the muffin batter evenly over the 12 liners. They will be full.
- Bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn the oven down to 350°F (180°C) and bake for 16-18 minutes more until golden brown and the muffin tops spring back when pressed or a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let the baked muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing them and placing them on a wire rack to cool further.
Lemon glaze
- Combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. If you'd like an extra hit of citrus flavor, you can also add some lemon zest. Stir everything together until you have a smooth, slightly runny glaze. 90 g powdered sugar, 1 1/2 TBSP lemon juice
- If the glaze is too thick, add a bit more lemon juice. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- Once the muffins have cooled down a bit but are still slightly warm, drizzle the glaze over the muffins.
Your instructions don’t show when to add the lemon juice to the batter. I’m assuming it gets added to the wet mixture before adding flour mixture. That’s what I’ll do 🤞. Can’t wait to sample these!!
That’s right! Hope you enjoy them ☺️
I bake rye flour bread, so I have a lot discard of rye flour sourdough.
What do you think about using rye flour sourdough? And what about a mix of rye flour sourdough and wheat flour sourdough?
Hey Adrian, if it were me, i would definitely give that a go! If you do, let me know how they taste 😁
Adrian, my sourdough starter is also rye flour and this recipe came out just fine!
These are absolutely amazing!! Great lemon flavor and so moist. I even subbed gluten free flour and you would never know. I’ve made them twice in two weeks with my discard. Thank you!
Yay so happy to read you loved them!!
Can I use sourdough starter that’s been in the refrigerator? Thanks
yup! 🙂
Can this be baked as a lemon loaf?
Yup 🙂
Wow these are great! I added some ginger powder and turmeric powder to it too make sure I got a golden yellow color and I took your advice and fermented the batter overnight. After filling the paper cups, I topped with frozen small wild Maine blueberries too because lemon blueberry sounded great. Also, maybe it’s because I don’t have large muffins here, that it only took about 10 minutes at 350F to bake after I the 5 minutes in 425F. They are perfect inside and out. I didn’t add the glaze due to the sweetness of the blueberries. They are great. Thank you!
This recipe so very easy to fallow, tastes amazing, and I am most diffidently adding to to my collection.
Thank you so much for your review Ruth! So pleased you loved them!