Fresh Milled Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Muffins
An easy school morning breakfast that can be mixed and scooped into muffin tins the night before
Back to school season seems to be the kickoff of “Muffin Monday” in our home. Having a solid food plan relieves a lot of stress for me while ensuring everyone is nourished. This year, as often is the case, we are starting the school year on the heels of our family reunion in Oregon, and while my heart is so full from ten days of quality time with my family, the flip side of me feels empty that it’s over and sad that we are already bidding farewell to summer. How did that happen so fast? Ready or not, fall is in the air.
These fresh milled sourdough pumpkin muffins are a great way to use up sourdough discard, and can be baked right away or cold proofed in lined muffin tins, in the refrigerator overnight. The only sweetener added to this recipe is honey, which lends just a touch of sweetness to the muffins. and makes them perfect for slicing and serving with butter or preserves of any kind, or alongside a savory autumn soup. They are nothing like those fluffy packs of processed muffins from Costco. Did anyone else grow up eating those? They were a treat for us, something we only ate when my grandparents came to town. Grandpa would come through the door with a pack of poppyseed muffins and a bag of grapefruit, which were topped with brown sugar and broiled in the oven for breakfast. Random memory unlocked.
This recipe calls for pureed pumpkin, but you can replace it with applesauce or pureed squash of any kind. I personally felt it a little too soon to be making pumpkin flavored anything, but on a recent trip to the grocery store, I realized all the pumpkin goodness has already made it’s way to the shelves, so I guess I’m right on time.
Fresh Milled Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Muffins
makes 12-16 muffins
TOOLS
Bowl
Danish Dough Whisk
Muffin Tin
Muffin Liners
INGREDIENTS
2 cups fresh milled kamut flour
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup honey
1 cup roasted and pureed pumpkin (canned works)
1/2 cup sourdough starter discard (unfed)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup, 1 stick melted butter
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350º if opting out of the overnight cold proof.
Mix dry ingredients together in medium sized bowl and whisk to combine. Add honey, pumpkin, discard, vanilla, eggs, and melted butter and stir until just combined, taking care not to overmix.
Scoop batter into lined muffin tins, about 1/3 cup into each muffin liner. Cover and move to refrigerator overnight or bake right away.
Bake at 350º for 16-18 minutes. If baking from the fridge, add 4-5 minutes to the baking time. Let cool in muffin tin 10-15 minutes before moving to a cooling rack or countertop. Serve warm with salted butter.
Note: Maple sugar would be a lovely addition to this recipe if you are looking for a sweeter muffin. Add between 1/4 and 1/2 cup to sweeten them up a bit.
