Old-Fashioned Sourdough Discard Apple
I love cooking with applesauce and always make plenty when apples are in season. When we lived in Britain, we foraged for apples in an abandoned orchard in a nature reserve where they were free to pick. Apple picking became one of our favorite fall traditions, and my kids looked forward to it every year. Now that we live in a mountainous region of North Africa, where apple orchards are plentiful, we buy apples by the crate and preserve most of them as applesauce to use throughout the fall and winter.
These sourdough applesauce muffins capture that feeling of late summer turning into fall. They’re moist, soft, and full of rich apple flavor, with a buttery streusel topping that adds just the right amount of crunch and makes them feel extra special.
Why Sourdough Discard in Muffins?
Sourdough discard is simply the portion of starter you remove before feeding it. If you never took any out, your starter would quickly grow to an unmanageable size. Regularly discarding also keeps the culture healthy and active.
Instead of throwing it away, you can add that discard to recipes in small amounts—it helps reduce waste, adds a subtle tangy flavor, and even boosts the nutrient content of baked goods. This muffin recipe uses a generous ½ cup of sourdough discard, which is typical for my baking. I like to save all my discard in a jar in the fridge and then use it up about every other week, before it gets too old and sour.
Ingredients
For the muffins
- Brown sugar: I use a moderate amount of brown sugar to make these muffins a little less sweet. You can also use rapadura if you prefer.
- Butter: Use softened butter so it mixes smoothly with the sugar.
- Sourdough discard: Unfed sourdough discard straight from the fridge works perfectly here. You can also use active starter if you prefer.
- Flour: I use a combination of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. The all-purpose flour keeps the muffins light and tender, while whole wheat flour adds flavor and nutrients.
- Applesauce: Use thick applesauce for the best texture. I used my homemade applesauce for these muffins.
- Apples: Grated apple adds extra moisture, tenderness, and fresh apple flavor to these applesauce muffins.
- Blackberries: These add a lovely burst of color, but they’re completely optional. You can also use mulberries instead.
- For greasing: You’ll need a little coconut oil or butter to grease the muffin cups. Alternatively, you can use muffin liners.
- Yield: This recipe makes 12 jumbo muffins or about 18 regular-sized muffins.
For the streusel topping
How to Make Sourdough Applesauce Muffins (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). If you haven’t already, peel and grate the apples. Peeling is optional—leave the skins on if you prefer. Four small apples should yield just over 1 cup of grated apple.
Step 2: Next you need to cream together the softened butter and sugar. I like to use brown sugar or rapadura in most of my cake and muffin recipes as it adds more flavor than white sugar.
Step 9: To prepare the old-fashioned streusel topping, combine sugar, flour, oats, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Cut in the chilled butter, rubbing it in with your hands until you have a crumbly mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Step 10: Finish the muffins with a generous spoonful of crumb topping—about a tablespoon per muffin is just right.
Baking Tips & Troubleshooting
How to get muffins not to stick
Grease the muffin cups generously with oil or butter so the muffins don’t stick, or line them with paper liners if you prefer. Let the muffins cool in the pan before transferring them to a cooling rack. Hot muffins are fragile, and if you try to remove them straight after they come out from the oven they may tear.
How to get muffins to raise high
- Make sure the baking soda you use is still fresh. To check, mix it with a little vinegar – if it fizzes, it is still good to use.
- Bake the muffins in a preheated oven – the blast of heat they receive as they are placed inside the oven will make them rise well.
- Make sure your batter is the right consistency. Do not add more applesauce than specified in the recipe. It would make the batter too runny and the muffins wouldn’t rise as well.
tips for moist applesauce muffins
I’ve added just the right balance of applesauce and freshly grated apples to keep these muffins moist and flavorful, while still allowing them to rise beautifully in the oven. Don’t add more applesauce or apples than I do in this recipe, or the batter may get too wet.
Storage Tips
- You can store these muffins in an airtight container with a couple of paper towels placed on the bottom of the container to absorb moisture. This way they can be kept at room temp for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5.
- These muffins also freeze beautifully once baked and fully cooled. They can be thawed at room temp or warmed in the oven if you like to eat them warm.
Recipe FAQ
Final Thoughts
I hope you’ll give these old-fashioned sourdough applesauce muffins a try! They make a wonderful fall treat to keep on hand—or tuck away in the freezer. If unexpected company drops by, simply pull out a few, pop them into a moderately hot oven for about 15 minutes, and they’ll taste almost as good as freshly baked.
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More Sourdough Dessert Recipes
Banana & Coconut Cake with Sourdough Discard
Sourdough Applesauce Muffins
Equipment
- 12 cup jumbo muffin pan
Ingredients
For the muffins
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1½ cup brown sugar or rapadura
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- ¾ cup thick applesauce
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1¼ cup white flour
- 1 tsp baking soda + 2 Tbsp hot water
- 1 cup grated apples
- 1 cup blackberries (optional)
For the streusel topping
- 3 Tbsp cold butter, cubed
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- ⅓ cup flour
- 2 Tbsp rolled oats
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and the sugar.
- Add the eggs, salt, cinnamon, and sourdough discard to the bowl. Mix well.
- Next stir in the applesauce.
- Add the whole wheat flour and the white flour to the batter and mix until smooth, with no lumps.
- In a small cup, combine the baking soda with 2 tablespoons of hot water. Pour it into the batter and mix in well.
- Fold in the grated apples and blackberries, being gentle so the berries don’t get squashed.
- Grease the muffin cups liberally with oil or butter, then fill them 2/3 full with the muffin batter.
- To prepare the old-fashioned streusel topping, combine sugar, flour, oats, and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in the chilled butter, rubbing it in with your hands until you have a crumbly mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Top each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of the streusel topping.
- Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until risen and golden-brown on top.
- Let them sit in the muffin cups until cool enough to handle, then gently transfer them to a cookie rack to finish cooling off.
- These muffins are delicious served warm with some butter or whipped cream.
Notes
- My preferred way to store this muffins is in an airtight container in the fridge. Make sure to place a paper towel on the bottom of the container to absorb any moisture. They can be kept this way for up to 5 days.
- You can also freeze them in ziplock bags for up to 3 months.
