Best Sourdough Discard Lemon Poppyseed Muffins Recipe

These sourdough lemon poppyseed muffins are so delicious!  They are bursting with fresh lemon flavor, the distinct texture of poppyseeds, and the wholesome goodness of sourdough!  This bakery-style muffin recipe is one that your whole family is sure to enjoy!

Who doesn’t love a lemon poppyseed muffin?  As a kid, I always gravitated to them. I don’t know if it was the tangy lemon glaze or the crunchy poppy seeds, but I have always loved lemon poppyseed muffins! These lemon poppy seed sourdough muffins have a bright lemon flavor, a tender crumb, and a sweet lemon glaze. They’re perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.  

Why Sourdough?

You may be thinking lemon poppyseed muffins are great, but why sourdough?  Let me explain. 

Sourdough is a fermented food. When you allow these muffins to ferment at room temperature for a few hours, you unlock significant nutritional benefits.  

1. The fermentation process breaks down phytic acid in the flour making it easier to digest. According to Healthline Magazine phytic acid is an anti-nutrient preventing the absorption of iron, zinc, and calcium. When you allow your starter to ferment your dough, the lactic acid in the sourdough “pre-digests” the phytic acid, and nearly eliminates the impact of phytic acid in your dough! 
2. Sourdough is a fermented food meaning that it’s full of microbes that are healthy for your gut. That lactic acid that breaks down the phytic acid we were just talking about comes from strains of Lactobacillus bacteria. This is one of the primary gut healthy bacteria found in yogurt!
3. When you ferment your dough, all of the microbes and yeast in your starter feed off of the sugars in the flour. Did you know this actually lowers the glycemic index of the flour itself?  Pretty cool right?  Now these muffins still contain quite a bit of sugar, and I wouldn’t call them low glycemic on their own, but they do have a lower glycemic index than traditional lemon poppyseed muffins. 

What You’ll Need to Make These Sourdough Lemon Poppyseed Muffins:

Equipment: 

• Medium and Large mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Measuring cups and spoons – or preferably a kitchen scale
• Spatula
• Muffin tin
• Paper liners
• Pastry brush (for optional glaze)

Ingredients: 

For the Muffins:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (360 g)
• 1 Tbs baking powder (15 g)
• 1 tsp baking soda (3 g)
• 1/2 tsp salt (3 g)
• 2 Tbs poppy seeds (15 g)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled (113 g)
• 1 cup sugar (220 g)
• 1 cup sour cream (250 g)
• 1/2 cup sourdough discard (145 g)
• 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice (30 g) – can substitute with 2 tsp lemon extract
• zest of 2 lemons (about 2 Tbs)
• 2 large eggs

For the Glaze (optional, but recommended)

• 1/4 cup sugar (55 g) – can substitute with powdered sugar to make a drizzle vs. a glaze
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (60 g)

How to Make these Muffins

Quick Method:

1. Pre-heat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375 F and line your muffin tin with muffin liners.  
2. Combine Dry Ingredients: In your large mixing bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Whisk together until everything is incorporated. 
3. Mix Wet Ingredients: In your medium mixing bowl add the melted butter, sugar, sour cream, sourdough discard, lemon juice, fresh lemon zest and eggs. Whisk together until fully combined.  
4. Combine the Wet and Dry Ingredients: Slowly pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and stir together with your spatula. Stir until just combined.  Do not over-mix!  If you over-mix your batter, your muffins will turn out dense. 
5. Fill Tins and Bake: Fill your muffin cups with approximately 1/4 cup of muffin batter. Then place on the center rack of your oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.  
6. Cool and Glaze: Remove your muffins from the oven and cool on a wire rack. As they’re cooling combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Use your pastry brush to lightly brush the glaze on the muffin tops.  

Long Ferment Method:

To get the benefits of fermentation you will need to make a couple of minor changes to the recipe outlined below.  Mainly – you will use egg yolks only and reduce the sour cream when added. 

1. The night before: In a large bowl combine your flour, 1 cup of filtered water (240 g), and dough discard.  Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let rest on the kitchen counter overnight (about 10 -12 hours) –  
2. When You’re ready to bake: Pre-heat your oven to 375 F and line your muffin pan with muffin liners.
3. Mix Remaining Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl combine baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds.
4. Add remaining Wet Ingredients: In your large bowl with your flour mixture, add the melted butter, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, egg yolks only, and 1/2 cup of sour cream (126 g).  Stir until combined.  
5. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: To your large bowl with your wet ingredients, add your dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Again, do not over-mix or you will get dense muffins!
6. Fill Tins and Bake: Fill your muffin cups with approximately 1/4 cup of batter.  Then place on the center rack of your oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool and Glaze: Remove your muffins from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack.  As they’re cooling combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl.  Use your pastry brush to lightly brush the glaze on the muffin tops. 

FAQ’s:

This is a discard recipe, do I have to ferment it?

Nope!  The beauty of sourdough discard recipes is that they have other leavening agents in them – in this instance baking powder and baking soda. You can follow this recipe as is, and make delicious sourdough lemon poppyseed muffins, or you can opt for a long ferment and add all of the sourdough goodness mentioned under the “Why Sourdough” section of this post!

Can I long ferment with sour cream or milk instead of water?

There is some concern about leaving dairy products out at room temperature for too long.  According to the USDA, perishable foods should be discarded when left at room temperature for over 2 hours. That being said, sour cream is a fermented product requiring warmth to culture. The bacteria used to culture sour cream are thermophilic meaning they are most active in a warm environment.  If you make your own sour cream,  you actually leave your cream out over night to allow it to set up.  

While concerns around culturing harmful bacteria are valid, this is a baked good.  Harmful bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, and Campylobacter are all killed by cooking to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.  I developed this recipe using water instead of milk or sour cream because I do not want to encourage the public to do something that could potentially be hazardous.  That being said, I do know plenty of sourdough bakers who feel comfortable fermenting with milk or sour cream. It is a decision you need to make for yourself and your family. The safest option is to follow the water method outlined in the directions, or follow the quick method for baking this recipe. 

Do I need to use discard, or can I use active sourdough starter for this recipe?

You don’t need to use discard, but if you plan to use active starter,  you will need to measure by weight instead of by volume. Active starter is full of air bubbles making it less dense than discard. To ensure you have the correct amount of sourdough starter in this recipe you will need to measure with a kitchen scale. 

How do I store these muffins?

These muffins will keep at room temperature for 3 days when placed in an airtight container.  For longer storage, you can store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer.  

Can I use essential oils in this recipe?

Yep!  I don’t use essential oils for baking and cooking, but I know some companies offer lines of culinary essential oils. You could add 2-3 drops of lemon oil to this recipe for an extra pop or to replace the fresh lemon zest. 

Can I use my stand mixer or hand mixer for this recipe?

No, I would not recommend using a mixer of any type for this recipe. You need the muffin batter to just come together. If you use an electric mixer, you run the risk of over-mixing which will result in a dense muffin.  

Other Sourdough Recipes You Might Like

If you’re looking for other sourdough discard recipes, I highly recommend my Sourdough Blueberry Muffins and my Sourdough Banana Bread recipes.  

These sourdough lemon poppyseed muffins are a must try!  These sweet treats are packed with fresh lemons and are a great way to use that sourdough discard sitting in your fridge!