Bakery Style Sourdough Blueberry Muffins

Bursting with sweet blueberries, these Sourdough Blueberry Muffins are the perfect use for that leftover sourdough discard! Make a big batch on the weekend and enjoy them throughout the week!

With Summer just around the corner, the blueberries will soon be everywhere! My kids and I love to go blueberry picking at a local farm. Any way to get my kids to eat berries, I'm all for it and they eat them right off the plant!

With all those blueberries, I love adding them to baked goods! We love making these blueberries muffins and sourdough blueberry scones every weekend! They are sweet, tart, and slightly tangy. What more could you want in a muffin?

I love baking with my sourdough discard! It adds a bit of tang, but also reduces waste! When you are making bread, make sure to keep a jar of sourdough discard in your refrigerator.

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Why You'll Love These Muffins!

• These muffins are a great make ahead breakfast! Bake up a big batch on Sunday and then enjoy them throughout the week. Pop one in the oven to heat it through and slather with butter. A delicious grab and go breakfast!
• These muffins are easy to make! The muffins are made by hand, so you don't have to break out any equipment to make these. Just like sourdough discard zucchini muffins, they are a mix and bake kind of recipe!
• This recipe use some of that precious sourdough starter! I love using my sourdough starter for other things than just bread. Sourdough blueberry bread is delicious if you have some active sourdough starter too!

What Is Sourdough Discard?

Sourdough discard is the portion of your sourdough starter that you are not feeding. When you are "feeding" your starter to make bread with, you add equal parts flour, water, and starter to a mason jar and let it rise. If you don't have a sourdough starter, you can make a sourdough starter from scratch, buy one, or get one from a fellow sourdough friend!

You can't feed your entire starter, as it doubles and sometimes triples in size, and that's a lot of starter to have on hand! If you are new to sourdough, be sure to check out how to feed and maintain a sourdough starter post all about how to keep your sourdough starter happy.

Ingredients In Sourdough Blueberry Muffins

You only need a few simple ingredients to make these delicious muffins!

• Sourdough starter- Inactive, meaning it has come right out of the refrigerator. You can use active sourdough starter if you have it on hand. Since we are not letting this muffin batter ferment, the active sourdough starter will add a little bit of rise to the muffins.
• Flour- All-purpose flour or bread flour are all great options. If you are confused, there's a big difference between all purpose flour vs bread flour, but in this case, they can be used interchangeably.
• Butter- I love adding melted butter to muffin batter. I think it makes the muffins really fluffy and light. Coconut oil or vegetable oil are all great options if you want to make these dairy-free muffins.
• Vanilla- for added flavor. Vanilla extract makes everything a little better!
• Sugar- To add a little sweetness to the muffins. Granulated sugar and brown sugar are both great options.
• Blueberries- Fresh, washed blueberries. If you have frozen, you can use those instead.
• Baking soda and baking powder- Even though we are using sourdough starter, the baking soda and baking powder do all the hard work of making the muffins rise.

See printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

• Add a crumble topping! You can add a tablespoon of sugar on top of the batter before you bake them for some added crunch. You can also mix together 4 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon of flour, and 4 tablespoons of sugar. Mix it together and crumble on top of the muffins.
• Change the flour! You can use bread flour, all purpose flour, or a combination of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour.
• Add some spices! Add some cinnamon, apple pie spice, or lemon zest to the batter for some extra flavor.
• Add Greek yogurt! Not only does Greek yogurt add some extra protein to the muffin batter, it also helps the texture of the muffins stay light and fluffy.

How To Make Sourdough Blueberry Muffins

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the fresh blueberries into a bowl and mix with one tablespoon of flour. This makes sure the blueberries do not all sink to the bottom of the batter. Set that aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the all purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.  Mix well with a fork or a whisk and set that aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add the granulated sugar and large eggs. Add the sourdough starter, butter, and vanilla.  Mix well to combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter will not be smooth, it’s ok if there are a few lumps left.

Carefully add the fresh blueberries to the batter by folding them in with a wooden spoon. Mix again until just combined. Do not overmix!

Line a muffin tin with muffin liners or spray a muffin tin well with cooking spray.  Scoop equal amounts of batter into the muffin tins. 

Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and it comes out clean.

Allow the muffins to cool slightly and serve.

Tips and Tricks

• Insert a toothpick into the center of one of the muffins to make sure they are baked through.
• The muffins should be domes and golden brown on top when done.
• Rotate the pan once through the cooking process to make sure the muffins brown evenly.
• If you don't have fresh blueberries, frozen blueberries work great! My favorite are wild Maine blueberries, but any type of frozen blueberries will work.

Storage Tips

Keep leftover muffins in an airtight container on the counter. Do not place leftover muffins in the refrigerator. They will go stale very quickly.

These muffins freeze beautifully! To freeze muffins, allow them to cool completely and then place them in a gallon Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

How To Long Ferment Sourdough Blueberry Muffins

Mix all the ingredients together except the blueberries. Cover the large mixing bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake the muffins, fold in the blueberries. Scoop the batter into the muffin tin and bake.

Frequently Asked Questions