The Best Sourdough Pumpkin Muffin Recipe You'll Adore
Enjoy incredibly moist and flavorful sourdough pumpkin muffins, elevated with a spiced oat crumble topping. This recipe offers both a quick method and a long-fermented option for deeper flavor.
Equipment
- muffin tin
- mixing bowls
- whisk
- Stand mixer (recommended for long fermented method)
- toothpick
Ingredients
- Butter (unsalted preferred)
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- 1 cup Pumpkin puree (canned or homemade) Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup Sourdough starter discard Active starter or discard; for tangier flavor, use discard not fed for a day or allow long fermentation. For milder flavor, use active starter.
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2.5 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 0.5 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Pumpkin spice
Crumble Topping
- 0.25 cup Softened butter
- 0.5 cup Brown sugar
- 0.5 cup All-purpose flour Can be substituted with einkorn flour.
- 0.5 cup Oats Old fashioned or quick
- 1 tsp Pumpkin spice
Instructions
Quick Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare your muffin tin by greasing or lining it.
- Beat melted butter and brown sugar until fluffy, then add eggs, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and sourdough starter. Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin spice, salt) separately.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in thirds, mixing until just incorporated to avoid over-mixing.
- Prepare the crumble topping by mixing softened butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and pumpkin spice until combined.
- Fill muffin wells with batter, top with crumble, and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Long Fermented Method
- 12-24 hours before baking, mix sourdough starter, melted butter, eggs, and flour. Ferment at room temperature for 6 hours, then refrigerate for 6-18 hours.
- The next day, preheat oven to 350°F. In a stand mixer, combine brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Add the fermented sourdough mixture to the stand mixer and combine until just incorporated. Prepare the crumble topping as described in the quick method.
- Pour the batter into the muffin pan, top with crumble, and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Notes
For a sweeter muffin without the crumble, add an extra 1/4 cup of brown sugar to the batter. Ensure you use pure pumpkin puree, not pie filling. For a tangier flavor, use sourdough discard that hasn't been fed recently or allow for longer fermentation. Do not over-mix the batter to ensure a tender crumb.