Over the holidays, I went a bit nuts with my baking. I made artisan-style sourdough loaves, and I made super soft sourdough rolls. I made cookies and pies and way more treats than was healthy.

But despite all my baking, I still struggled to keep up with my sourdough starter. I didn’t want to keep the starter in the fridge because I had lots of recipes that required an active, bubbly levain.

And then amidst the baking, I had a thought: gingerbread.

Gingerbread has such a strong, warm, cozy flavor that immediately triggers Christmas nostalgia. What if I made a sourdough gingerbread? Would the tang even mesh with the spice?

An Experiment Gone Right

I threw together this sourdough discard gingerbread muffin recipe on the fly, and OH YES. Yes, the two flavors mixed nicely.

Once I got the recipe right, I could not get enough of these tasty muffins. They’re great for breakfasts, and if you dust them with a little powdered sugar, they’re great for desserts, too.

Although you can make these wonderful treats during any time of year, I found these gingerbread muffins especially appealing around the holidays. The light sweet flavor combined with the warmth from the cinnamon and nutmeg made me feel homey and snug while I snacked.

Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Muffins

A warm and cozy holiday recipe that uses up your sourdough discard

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 12 Muffins

Calories 202 kcal

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

226 Grams Sourdough Starter, Fed, Unfed, or Discard (1 Cup)
56 Grams Butter (1/4 Cup)
70 Grams Molasses (1/4 Cup)
60 Grams Milk (1/4 Cup)
1 Large Egg

Dry Ingredients

180 Grams All-Purpose Flour (1 1/2 Cups)
150 Grams Brown Sugar (3/4 Cup)
1 Grams Allspice (1/2 Teaspoon)
.5 Grams Ground Cloves (1/4 Teaspoon)
7 Grams Ground Cinnamon (2 1/2 Teaspoons)
2 Grams Ground Ginger (3/4 Teaspoon)
2 Grams Ground Nutmeg (1/2 Teaspoon)
3 Grams Salt (1/2 Teaspoon)
1 Grams Baking Soda (1/4 Teaspoon)
5 Grams Baking Powder (1 Teaspoon)

Optional

60 Grams Confectioner's Sugar, Powdered Sugar For Dusting

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit (204° Celsius).
In a small mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined.
Divide the batter into 12 muffin cups in a lightly greased muffin tin, filling each cup about 2/3 of the way to allow for expansion.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean, it's done!
Dust with confectioner's sugar and enjoy!

Notes

Avoid overmixing these muffins or they will be dense rather than fluffy.

Keyword Gingerbread Muffins, Sourdough Discard Gingerbread Muffins, Sourdough Discard Muffins, Sourdough Muffins

Did You Try It?

I love making muffins, and these sourdough discard gingerbread muffins are no exception. But what did you think of the recipe? Was it too sweet? Was the spice too strong or the sourdough not strong enough? Let me know in the comments below! I love and appreciate your feedback because it helps me make a good recipe even better.

Would you rather make sourdough discard bread instead of muffins? Don’t forget to stop by my blog BreadbytheHour.com. I have lots of recipes to use up your sourdough starter.