Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Muffins (Printer-friendly)

Tangy lemon and juicy blueberries complement a tender crumb topping with sourdough discard's depth.

# What You'll Need:

→ Muffins

01 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup whole wheat flour
03 - 1 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
09 - 1 cup sourdough discard, unfed
10 - 1/2 cup whole milk
11 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 - Zest of 1 large lemon
13 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
14 - 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

→ Crumb Topping

15 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
16 - 1/3 cup light brown sugar
17 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
18 - Pinch of salt
19 - Zest of 1/2 lemon

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease each cup thoroughly.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk eggs, oil, sourdough discard, milk, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice until thoroughly combined.
04 - Gradually fold the dry ingredient mixture into the wet mixture until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
05 - Gently fold in the blueberries, distributing them evenly throughout the batter.
06 - Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each approximately 3/4 full.
07 - In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cold butter, salt, and lemon zest. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
08 - Sprinkle crumb topping generously over each muffin cup.
09 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the tops are golden brown.
10 - Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You get to use sourdough discard guilt-free, turning what feels like kitchen waste into something everyone will ask for seconds of.
  • The texture is impossibly moist because of the discard and whole wheat flour, but it never feels heavy or dense.
  • Lemon and blueberry feels bright without being aggressively sweet, making these feel like breakfast instead of dessert.
  • The crumb topping adds real satisfaction, that little textural surprise that makes eating one muffin feel like an event.
02 -
  • Frozen blueberries genuinely make a difference, and not just in flavor; they stay whole and burst with juice instead of bleeding purple dye through your entire batter like thawed berries do.
  • Your sourdough discard doesn't need to be at peak fermentation, but it should have some bubbles and smell slightly sour; if it smells like acetone, it's been too long between feedings.
  • Cold butter is non-negotiable for the crumb topping, because you want those little pockets of fat to create texture, not disappear into a uniform paste.
03 -
  • Measure your sourdough discard by weight rather than volume if your scale is handy, because it varies in density depending on how fed or hungry your starter is.
  • If you don't have whole wheat flour, you can use all all-purpose flour, but add an extra tablespoon of sourdough discard or reduce the milk by 2 tablespoons to maintain moisture.
  • Make the crumb topping while your oven preheats so everything comes together smoothly without rushing.
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