How to Make Easy Sourdough Blueberry Lemon Muffins 

For weekend breakfasts, I love to have a delicious baked good to put in my cake dome. It makes living life on the go with a toddler a little easier to have something ready made and it’s nice to have something yummy for visitors to grab when they stop by. Besides, who doesn’t love a sweet treat with a cup of coffee in the morning?! I know I do! 

There is something thrilling about baking with the seasons. Blueberry season is fast approaching and that means I get to make one of the best breakfast treats! A big family favorite during the spring and summertime at our house is sourdough blueberry lemon muffins. 

These blueberry lemon muffins are similar to your standard sourdough blueberry muffin recipe but with some added pizazz. The tartness of the lemon zest and lemon juice really brings out the brightness of the berry to create a tart, yet sweet medley of baked goodness! There is also a delicious streusel topping that, in my opinion, elevates the muffin to feel like it is fresh from the bakery. This easy recipe is a great way to use fresh blueberries from the garden if you have an abundance you need to use. Frozen blueberries will also work just fine!

This delicious muffin batter is also made with sourdough discard which means that we are getting the benefits of sourdough in this sweet treat. I love sourdough discard recipes because they are a great way to get the natural perks of sourdough without the finicky nature of making sourdough bread. 

Using an active sourdough starter as a leavening agent can be a little bit tricky for sourdough beginners. This is the perfect recipe to try with your new starter. We will be using baking powder as a leavening agent so the pressure for rising sourdough perfection is off! Let’s get started making these crowd favorite sourdough lemon blueberry muffins.

Ingredients

For the Muffin Batter:

-cooking spray or olive oil (melted butter will work in a pinch)

-1 stick butter softened 

-1 tsp baking powder

-1/4 tsp salt

-1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

-1 cup granulated sugar

-2 large eggs

-juice from 1 lemon

-lemon zest from 1-2 lemons 

-1 tsp pure vanilla extract 

-1/4 cup sour cream

-1/4 cup sourdough discard

-1 cup fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries

For the Streusel Topping:

-1/4 cup granulated sugar

-2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

Baking Supplies:

-muffin tin

-muffin liners

-large bowl

-wooden spoon

-cookie scoop (optional)

-mixer (optional)

Muffin Batter

The first thing we are going to do is mix up our muffin batter. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. I like to separate the dry ingredients from the wet ingredients, and then combine the two for best results. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. In your mixer, or by hand if you don’t have one, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed. You will want the consistency to be light and fluffy. Once your butter and sugar are creamed, mix in the two eggs, lemon juice, and tsp of vanilla extract. 

Now it is time to combine our wet ingredients with our dry ingredients. Turn your mixer on slow speed and gradually add in the flour mixture in small increments. Add the 1/4 cup of sourdough discard. Mix in the sour cream. Finally, it is time to add in the blueberries. If you are using frozen blueberries, be sure to mix them in while they are still frozen. Also, be careful not to over-mix them in your batter or you will end up with purple muffins. For best results, keep blueberries frozen until it is time for them to be mixed into your muffin batter. It keeps your muffins looking a little prettier. Fresh blueberries won’t change the color of your muffin batter, so no worries if you are using fresh berries. 

Next, we are going to mix up the streusel topping. The streusel is completely optional, but it really takes these muffins to the next level. Mix together the two tablespoons of flour and the two tablespoons of granulated sugar. Cut your butter into cubes and mix into the flour mixture using your fingers. You can also use a pastry blender if you have one on hand. Your streusel topping should be crumbly in texture. 

Line your muffin tin with muffin liners or coat them with a cooking oil such as coconut oil or olive oil. Butter will work in a pinch, but can sometimes cause the muffins to stick a little. I prefer to use muffin liners because they make the muffins feel a little fancier on a cake plate and keep things a little neater for little hands. 

Using a cookie scoop or a large spoon, scoop the batter evenly into each muffin tin. This recipe should make around 12 large bakery-style muffins. Once your muffin liners are evenly filled, it is time to add the streusel topping. Sprinkle the streusel topping neatly onto each muffin. You can add as much or as little as you’d like. 

Pop your muffin batter into your preheated oven. Bake for 20-24 minutes. I like to eyeball my muffins around the 20 minute mark so they don’t get overly brown. When time is up, insert a toothpick or fork into your muffins to check if they are done. If the toothpick comes out clean, they are ready to go! Note: Sometimes frozen blueberries have a little extra water content so they may take a few extra minutes as opposed to fresh berries. Remove your muffins from the muffin pan and allow them to cool on a wire rack.

Once your muffins have cooled enough, it is time to enjoy! This fluffy, delicious lemon blueberry muffin is the perfect breakfast treat or afternoon snack. Lemon zest, tangy blueberries, and a buttery sourdough batter combine to create a breakfast you can feel good about. Not to mention how cheerful they are! Even my toddler loves them! 

I like to make a big batch of these, freeze half, and put the other half in my cake dome. My little family of three won’t eat 12 muffins fast enough to stay fresh so I freeze the other half to have a handmade breakfast that I can heat up later on! Batch making meals like this can be a lifesaver in the busy seasons of raising little ones.

I hope you and your family love and enjoy this recipe as you commune together over breakfast! Keep your eye out for more homemade recipes!  If you’d like to try out a new craft, you can find my arts and crafts tutorials HERE!

Blessings,

Samm