Looking for the perfect fall breakfast? Or a great way to use up some sourdough discard? Check out this easy sourdough discard pumpkin muffins recipe!
In the Midwest, when the cool air starts creeping in, that means the fall season is on the horizon. With summer slipping away, beach days and splash pad trips are coming to an end and are slowly being replaced with hayrides, apple orchards, and pumpkin patches. A cold crisp Saturday morning is actually what got me working on a recipe for sourdough discard pumpkin spice muffins. The perfect fall breakfast Or snack! I have 3 very small children, so crumbly muffins are never on the menu. My goal was a delicious, soft and moist sourdough discard pumpkin muffin (with a fluffy texture). And the result was just that, a delicious sourdough pumpkin muffin to welcome in the cooler weather. The best part - the whole family absolutely devoured them!
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Why sourdough?
Sourdough is healthier! One big reason sourdough seems to be growing in popularity is due to the nutritional benefits. Using basic ingredients, sourdough makes one of the healthiest breads. Sourdough bread has a lower glycemic index than whole wheat bread or white bread, and the baked goods typically contain less gluten than regular yeast breads. Sourdough is a fermented bread. Fermented bread is great for an anti-inflammatory diet, can improve gut health, and contains higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Sourdough starter discard recipes typically take no more time or effort than other similar recipes (recipes that do not contain the sourdough discard ingredient). We all know that most store-bought pancakes contain preservatives and have almost a rubbery sort of texture, so definitely not the good stuff containing natural ingredients.
Maintaining a Sourdough Starter
I had dabbled in the world of sourdough over the years, but never fully jumped in until a client of mine had gifted me a sourdough starter. It is easiest to get started with sourdough by using an already established starter, however, it is possible to create a starter from scratch as well.
A sourdough starter takes a little bit of maintenance - feeding and discarding daily. Typically, it is a 1:1:1 ratio of an established starter, all purpose flour (unbleached) and distilled water. The consistency should be that of pancake batter, so sometimes less water is appropriate.
For a sourdough beginner, I highly recommend starting with sourdough discard recipes, such as this one. Baking with leftover sourdough discard is a great way to keep any of the extra sourdough starter from going to waste. In my opinion, the sourdough starter discard recipes are much easier to follow than recipes calling for active starter. Recipes calling for active sourdough starter typically require multiple steps to ensure sufficient rising and proofing, which complicates the process and can be overwhelming for a beginner. Most discard recipes, on the other hand, do not. Also, to utilize active starter you have to catch the starter when it is in fact active. This can be intimidating to someone new to sourdough or in the beginning, so getting the hang of daily feeding and utilizing the discard in recipes can be a great place to get started.
For more detailed info on maintaining a sourdough starter, check out this very detailed post here written by Farmhouse on Boone.
Another great beginner recipe (ready in under 5 minutes) is my homemade sourdough discard pancake recipe — check it out here!
Simple Ingredients
- 7.5 ounces of Pumpkin Purée (½ of 15oz canned pumpkin puree or ¾ cup of homemade pumpkin purée - frozen and thawed, or fresh pumpkin)
- 2 Farm Fresh Large Eggs (room temperature)
- ½ cup Sourdough Discard
- ⅓ cup Avocado Oil
- ⅓ cup Heavy Cream
- 1 ½ cup Sugar
- 1 ¾ cup Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon All Spice
Equipment
- 1 Muffin Tin
- 1 Large Bowl
- 1 Medium Bowl
- Measuring cups
Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins Instructions
**All photos are from when I had doubled the recipe
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners or muffin liners, or spray with cooking spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spice).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the bowl of wet ingredients (pumpkin purée, eggs, sourdough discard, avocado oil, heavy cream, and vanilla). Mix well until blended completely.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients (mix slowly with a stand mixer or hand mixer, be careful not to over mix). Mix until fully combined and no lumps remain.
- Fill each muffin cup with batter (approximately ⅓ cup).
- Place the muffins into the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for 26-30 minutes, be careful not to over cook. Complete the toothpick test - insert a toothpick into the center of the muffin and it if comes out clean the muffins are ready.
- Let the muffins cool for 5-10 minutes and enjoy!
Storage
Allow muffins to cool completely on a cooling rack before placing them in an airtight container for storage. Store muffins at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerator for up to a week. Freeze for longer storage. Frozen muffins will last up to 2 months (flash freeze before placing in a freezer safe bag or container.)
Substitutions
- Coconut oil or canola oil can be used instead of avocado oil.
- Cardamom can be used instead of all spice.
- Note - pumpkin pie filling cannot be substituted for the pumpkin puree.
Hint - This batter can easily be used for sourdough pumpkin bread recipes. Simply bake this batter in loaf pans, instead of muffin tins, for a tasty pumpkin spice bread!
Easy Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Muffin Tin
- 1 Large Bowl
- 1 Medium Bowl
- Measuring cups
Ingredients
- 7.5 ounces Pumpkin Purée ½ of 15oz canned pumpkin puree or ¾ cup of homemade pumpkin purée - frozen and thawed, or fresh pumpkin puree
- 2 Farm Fresh Large Eggs room temperature
- ½ cup Sourdough Discard
- ⅓ cup Avocado Oil
- ⅓ cup Heavy Cream
- 1 ½ cup Sugar
- 1 ¾ cup Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon All Spice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners or muffin liners, or spray with cooking spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spice).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the bowl of wet ingredients (pumpkin purée, eggs, sourdough discard, avocado oil, heavy cream, and vanilla). Mix well until blended completely.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients (mix slowly with a stand mixer or hand mixer, be careful not to over mix). Mix until fully combined and no lumps remain.
- Fill each muffin cup with batter (approximately ⅓ cup).
- Place the muffins into the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for 26-30 minutes, be careful not to over cook. Complete the toothpick test - insert a toothpick into the center of the muffin and it if comes out clean the muffins are ready.
- Let the muffins cool for 5-10 minutes and enjoy!
Notes
- Coconut oil or canola oil can be used instead of avocado oil.
- Cardamom can be used instead of all spice.
- Note - pumpkin pie filling cannot be substituted for the pumpkin puree.
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Check out my other sourdough recipes!
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- The Best Sourdough Discard Pancakes - Quick and Easy!Looking to for a delicious, quick and easy, breakfast recipe that will land breakfast on the table in minutes? Look no further than this Sourdough Discard pancake recipe! Sourdough discard pancakes are a staple in our household, topped with butter...
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