Prep time: 15 min - 1h 15 min *see notes
Bake time: 22-30 minutes
Makes 16 small muffins
These sourdough muffins are exceptional. Soft, nutty, perfectly sweet, & I might even go as far as saying moist (still not a fan of that word). If you're looking for a quick, cozy recipe, this one checks all the boxes.
sourdough discard:
For all of the sourdough owners out there, you know exactly what it's like to feed your starter & have to discard more than half of it... Or, maybe you've tried storing it, all to quickly realize that after 3 days you've now dedicated a whole corner of your fridge to sourdough.
The point: Sourdough is wasteful. Honestly. We use a fraction of the starter to keep it alive, throwing out the rest. And even when we do try & save it, with the goal of using it later in a discard recipe (like this one), it's inevitable that you'll have to throw some away. Unless you own a bakery & pump out pastries left & right, it's normal. So, my first rule of thumb... don't beat yourself up about it.
You can, however, significantly scale back on the amount you toss out thanks to discard recipes. I won't dive too much into what sourdough discard is exactly, but if you'd like to learn more & hear my suggestions on how to bake with it, check out these sourdough oat + date cookies.
to the recipe...
One of my favorite things about this recipe is how easy it is. You don't need to wait for the starter to ripen, you can use it straight from the fridge or fresh from your active culture. Essentially, you'll separate the wet ingredients into one bowl, the dry ingredients into another, then mix them together. My one suggestion is to not over-mix the batter, otherwise, you might end up with a dense muffin.
equipment:
1 muffin tin
2 mixing bowls
1 silicon spatula
1 saucepan
Cutting board & knife
Food processor or blender (if making your own oat flour)
considerations:
Oil: The recipe calls for a 50 / 50 combo of coconut oil & ghee, if you've tried other recipes here, like this gluten-free banana bread, you may have noticed this. It's my go-to for enhancing flavor in most baked goods. But, using just one would work fine too, I've made these with just coconut oil & they're delicious! The total oil is ½ cup, so replace the entire amount with just coconut oil, ghee, or butter. I find butter creates a denser crumb so I would keep this in mind.
Oat flour: I find adding a small amount of oat flour really enhances the flavor of something sweet. You can use store-bought oat flour or make your own by blending rolled oats into a food processor or blender. If you're wondering what kind of oats to buy, my personal preference is organic oats that are certified gluten-free & sprouted to support digestion & reduce exposure to harsh chemicals.
Streusel topping: Butter works great as a replacement for ghee.
Fermenting: If you want your muffins to have an added lift, let the batter sit at room temperature for an hour before baking. I did this by accident & it resulted in a BEAUTIFUL rise. I noticed the crumb wasn't as soft though, certainly not dry but not as moist as the first batch that went straight into the oven - so pick your preference!
Size: As they bake, the muffin tops may expand out, so if you want picture-perfect muffins, consider filling every other cup with batter, leaving 1 empty cup in between each muffin. My muffin tin is quite small, so your batch might make fewer muffins.
ingredients
Dry:
1 ½ cups almond flour
1 c rolled oats, blended
½ c coconut sugar
½ c pecans, chopped
½ c raisins
2 Tbsp tapioca flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 ¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
¾ tsp salt
Wet: 3 ripe bananas
3 Tbsp maple syrup
2 large eggs
⅓ c sourdough starter, ripe
¼ c ghee, melted
¼ c coconut oil, melted
½ Tbsp vanilla
Optional streusel topping:
2 Tbsp almond flour
2 Tbsp coconut sugar
2 Tbsp ghee, chilled
¼ c pecans, chopped
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
steps
Preheat the oven to 350F & get out two medium mixing bowls.
Chop the pecans & set aside.
Blend the oats into a food processor or blender until you reach a flour consistency then pour it into a medium-sized bowl.
Other than the raisins & pecans, mix together all other dry ingredients in the same bowl you just poured the oats into, set aside.
Add the ghee & coconut oil to a small saucepan & melt over low heat then set aside.
Mix together the wet ingredients in the other medium-sized bowl, including the melted oil & sourdough starter.
Add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients & mix together until no dry bits of flour remain.
Add in the raisins & pecans then gently mix, just until they're incorporated into the batter. Try not to overmix, this will help create a lighter, fluffy muffin.
Grab your muffin tin & grease with coconut oil. If you have muffin liners, you can use those instead, but they're certainly not required. Pour the batter into each cup, filling it about 3/4 of the way full.
Lastly, make the streusel topping by combining the almond flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, sea salt, chopped pecans, & chilled ghee (from the refrigerator) in a small bowl. Rub together with your fingers into it's well-incorporated. Don't worry if you have clumps of ghee, that's the point.
Sprinkle the topping on each muffin & place in the oven for about 22 minutes. *NOTE: If you let your batter ferment for an hour, it probably won't take as long to bake. Poke the muffins at about 22 minutes to see if the knife comes out clean, if so, take them out. If you didn't let the batter sit, 30 minutes should be just right.
Looking to start your sourdough journey?
I created a FREE guide with everything I wish I knew when I grew my first starter. Here's a step-by-step guide with printable pages, recipes, timelines, troubleshooting, & more!
Comments