Name: Sourdough Lemon Muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 32 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon salt; 200g (1 cup) granulated sugar; 2 Tablespoons lemon zest; 113g (1/2 cup) butter, melted; 15g (1 TBSP) olive oil or vegetable oil; 30g (2 TBSP) lemon juice; 2 large eggs, room temperature; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 100g (1/2 cup) sourdough discard, room temperature; 180g (3/4 cup) milk at room temperature; 90g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar; 1 1/2 TBSP lemon juice

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These fluffy sourdough lemon muffins are tender, moist drizzled with a tangy lemon glaze. Perfect for an afternoon snack.

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. These delicious muffins have the addition of lots of fresh lemon zest that’s rubbed into sugar to release the lemon oil. It delicately fills the muffins with a fresh lemon flavor.

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.

Don’t have your own sourdough starter yet? Learn to make a homemade sourdough starter.

Ingredients

Find all the ingredient amounts for these sourdough discard muffins listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. Here is a rundown of what’s needed.

Sourdough discard starter – unfed leftover sourdough discard works best. This is acidic, and it helps to create a tender muffin. The acid in the starter will also react with the baking soda for leavening.
Dry ingredients – All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Fresh lemons- Both fresh lemon juice and zest are used to give bright lemon flavor. If you want them extra lemony, you could add 1/2 teaspoon of natural lemon extract.
Salted or unsalted butter and oil– I add a mix. Butter brings the best flavor, but a bit of oil helps to keep it moist. I do the same in this sourdough lemon loaf.
Granulated sugar.
Large eggs
Whole milk- Helps loosen the batter.

Equipment

12-cup muffin pan
Paper liners

Method

Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add granulated sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar to release the lemon oils.

Add the melted butter, oil, eggs, sourdough discard and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and the milk.

Fold with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until combined.

The muffins can be baked right away or cold-fermented overnight.

Cold-fermenting – 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 grease or line the muffin tin.

Use an ice cream scoop to divide the muffin batter evenly between the lined muffin tin. 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

In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice. 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. 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.

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, do not thaw them before adding them to the batter to prevent coloring the batter purple.
Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins: Add two tablespoons of poppy seeds to your batter. The crunchy poppy seeds will add a nice texture.
Orange chocolate muffins – Swap the lemon juice and lemon zest for orange zest, and stir through 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips.

More sourdough discard recipes

Sourdough Apple Bread