
Quick to whip up, moist and flavorful, these easy muffins are studded with juicy apple, topped with crunchy spiced sugar. Makes 8 – 12 depending on muffin size.
They’re great any time of day – add seeds & nuts to make a more comprehensive breakfast, or serve with spiced apple compote & ice cream for a winter desert. I keep some in the freezer for instant desert, after a short zap in the microwave.
Sourdough Apple muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain flour
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 cup chopped apples – not necessary to peel; peel adds fibre & colour
- 1 cup bubbly unfed 100% hydration sourdough starter
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup butter, melted and slightly cooled. Or use flavourless oil, for a dairy free option.
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Crunchy topping:
- Extra sugar to sprinkle; mixed with:
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 180C / Gas 5, and line a muffin pans with either muffin cases.
- In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sourdough starter with the other wet ingredients well, to avoid streaks in your muffins.
- Place the chopped apple in a bowl with a few spoonfuls of the flour mixture and toss to coat. (This helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins).
- Using a wooden spoon, add the flour mixture to the starter mixture and mix to combine. You are going to have to stir well to incorporate the sourdough mixture well.
- Carefully fold in the apple pieces coated in flour, as well as any excess flour that is in the bowl.
- Evenly spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling about ¾ full.
- In a separate medium bowl, mix together the sugar and spice for sprinkling over the top.
- Evenly sprinkle the sugar coating over the muffin, being really careful to not get any of the coating on the muffin pan itself.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow to rest for 5-10 min in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool: Use a knife to run along the edges of each muffin and carefully pull them out of the pan.

Waste Not: There are so many delicious ways to use sourdough discard: check ‘Sourdough’ in the search bar at the bottom of the blog. Equally, I hate to see apples rotting on the ground – great to leave some for wildlife, but there are so many wonderful ways to use fruit, whether perfect picked from the tree, or windfalls.

This post is linked to Angie’s Fiesta Friday #352 & the lazygastronome #287
Happy Halloween, everyone; whatever form it will take this year!

This is such a lovely idea!! They muffins sound delish!
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Sourdough and apples? You certainly caught my attention! I’d be honored if you shared it at our What’s for Dinner party!
https://lazygastronome.com/whats-for-dinner-sunday-link-up-287/
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So excited you joined our party!! Hope to see you again next Sunday!
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Well done, Emma. I like the peel left on suggestion
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