Make Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins with your discard sourdough starter. These pumpkin muffins are light, tender and flavorful with just the right amount of pumpkin to make them a tasty Fall treat. Combining high quality, rich ingredients like milk, pumpkin puree, brown sugar and a blend of rich spices; these muffins rival even your favorite bakery muffins.

Sourdough discard has a well loved place in the world of baking, as it adds a delicious depth of flavor that balances out sweet baked goods. We have an extensive library of recipes using sourdough discard including pancakes, pie crust and even cookies. Be sure to take a look if you are looking for more delicious ways to use up your extra discard.

We love the moist springy texture and rich pumpkin flavor of these muffins. If you need to make a new starter try this Wild Sourdough Starter Method. This starter method is trusted and reliable for creating a rich flavor and strong base for all sourdough recipes.

What’s the secret to better muffins?

The method for making great muffins is like most baking, the secret is in the technique, ingredient prep, and execution. We are sharing our tips for how to create soft, fluffy, flavor filled Pumpkin Muffins that won’t be dry or dense.

• Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately, waiting until the end to gently combine them.
• Allow ingredients such as eggs and butter to warm to room temperature. This will aid in them combining with fewer lumps, cut down on mixing time and yield a creamier texture.
• Wait to add extra flavors or inclusions until the very end, this prevents over mixing.
• Be careful not to over mix, this breaks down the air pockets needed for a fluffy, soft muffin.
• Line your pans with muffin papers, this ensures the muffins wont stick after baking.
• Only fill your muffin liners to just over half full, overfilling will result in spillage and an uneven bake.
• Use an ice cream or cookie scoop to fill your liners which will help ensure an even amount of batter.
• Watch your muffins as they bake and when in doubt, bake at a lower temperature. This prevents the tops and edges from burning and helps keep the muffin from drying out after baking.
• Follow the recipe measurements for the correct balance of spices and ingredients. A mis-measured recipe will affect the flavor, texture and overall integrity of the muffins.

How do I bake with Sourdough Discard?

Baking with your sourdough discard is a very easy and delicious way to ensure none of your precious sourdough starter goes to waste. When you bake with your sourdough discard you do not need to feed it first, the discard can be added to your recipe to add flavor as well as a leavening agent. Simply put, it is an ingredient similar to sour cream or yogurt, bringing a rich savory flavor, increased moisture, and giving the baked goods an additional rising factor.

For most recipes you can add 1 Cup of discard. This may vary of course depending on what you are baking, but as a general rule 1 Cup of discard will enrich most baked goods such as pancakes, muffins, cookies and similar treats. Because you are adding the discard as an additional ingredient, you will reduce the flour and liquids just a bit in your recipe.

Are Sourdough Discard Muffins healthy?

Sourdough Discard Muffins certainly can be made healthier, but the discard alone does not mean the muffins themselves will be healthier. To make a healthier muffin you would also need to change out some of the processed and refined ingredients often found in baked goods.

Some substitutions would include swapping out a white flour for whole wheat, using natural sweeteners such as raw honey or pure maple syrup in place of white granulated sugar, using coconut oil instead of the typical canola oil and so on. Sourdough discard can make a good base for a healthier muffin, but to achieve a healthier muffin also requires the use of better quality ingredients.

Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins Recipe:

This recipe is perfect if you have extra sourdough starter that was fed within the last week and needs using. Simply pull out your jar of unfed starter and add the amount of discard needed to the recipe.

With the sourdough a fluffy, rich muffin full of delicious pumpkin flavors and a gorgeous tender crumb results.

The powdered sugar glaze is completely optional. Most of our family prefers these muffins without the glaze as it increases the sweetness significantly, but we chose to include it if you have the desire to dress it up.

How do I freeze Pumpkin Muffins?

Muffins of all kinds freeze and store very well making them excellent make-ahead treats, shareable food gifts, and the perfect grab and go addition for your travels. Once the muffins are baked allow them to cool fully, then wrap them individually in plastic wrap ensuring there are no holes or openings. The muffins can be stored in airtight freezer safe containers for up to 3 months.

To thaw and enjoy, remove them from your freezer and allow them to thaw on your counter or in your fridge. Once they have thawed all the way, you can warm them in your microwave if you desire.

Baking the muffins

1. Preheat oven to 425 Degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice until combined.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the brown sugar and eggs together until combined.
4. Gently add the pumpkin, oil, starter, milk, and vanilla into the sugar/egg mixture and stir to combine.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
6. Using an ice cream or cookie scoop, fill your lined muffin tins to just over halfway full.
7. Bake large muffins for 5 minutes at 425F degrees. Keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the temperature down to 350F and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool for 10 minutes in the muffin tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool until ready to eat.

For the mini loaves bake 25 to 30 minutes after you reduce the heat to 350 degrees as instructed for the large muffins until they pass the toothpick test.

Making the glaze

In a 1 quart glass bowl

• Add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk.
• Whisk together and adjust consistency to your preference by adding in either more milk or sugar as needed.
• The glaze will set up if left out in the air. If you cover the muffins with a lid or plastic wrap the glaze will stay wet.

Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins

 NUTRITION INFO:

Looking for more muffin ideas?

Blueberry Muffins with Flax and Coconut Oil

Apple Pumpkin Seed Muffins

Fresh Apple Spice Muffins

Savory Zucchini Bacon Cheese Muffins

Rhubarb Cardamom Streusel Muffins

 King Arthur Flour- adding  Sourdough to recipes- suggestions by PJ Hamel