Easy Sourdough Rhubarb Muffins | A Discard Recipe
Enjoy these easy sourdough rhubarb muffins! Tart rhubarb bites are folded into a light and tender sourdough batter that’s made with buttermilk and discard for the perfect sourdough muffins.
“These rhubarb muffins are DELICIOUS!!! I’m struggling to only have one.” – Kate
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It’s rhubarb season, and our home has been full to bursting with stalks of gorgeous, tart rhubarb! I’ve been using it to make everything from rhubarb crisps and rhubarb spoon cake to celebrate my loves, and plenty of mixed berry rhubarb jams to stock the pantry shelves, so we can bring a touch of summertime into the winter months. If you have rhubarb, you may be asking the same question I am: what else can I do with rhubarb?
I whipped up these sourdough discard rhubarb muffins last week and sent them off with my kids to a friend’s house, still hot from the oven. Having always hungry teenagers makes recipe testing so easy! I was delighted when the tray came back empty. Be sure to mix up a batch! I know you’ll love how easy these come together, although they will disappear quickly!
Why You’ll Love These Rhubarb Sourdough Discard Muffins
- Discard – If you keep a sourdough starter, it’s a good idea to have plenty of delicious sourdough discard recipes on hand. As my grandmother often said, “Waste not, want not!” This recipe is an effortless way to use up the lingering discard from your last sourdough loaf.
- Quick and Easy – Muffins are not only simple to make, but easy to store and lovely for summertime travel!
- On the go – These muffins make the perfect handheld, bite-sized snack to grab when you’re heading out the door!
- Versatile – Enjoy muffins anytime of day, whether they’re for breakfast, an afternoon snack with a cup of coffee, or as a sweet after-dinner treat.
Rhubarb Sourdough Muffins Ingredients
Equipment
- Muffin tin and liners (optional)
- Large bowl
- Medium size bowl
- Handheld mixer
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Kitchen scale
Dry Ingredients
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour for a light and tender muffin with an airy crumb.
- Baking powder – The leavening power to make the muffins rise. Use aluminum-free double-acting baking powder. It will have two reactions, once when it gets wet as the cake is mixed, and a second when it gets hot in the oven.
- Salt – I always add a touch of sea salt to flavor my baked goods.
Wet Ingredients
- Sourdough starter – A great way to use up sourdough discard so it doesn’t go to waste! Save the active sourdough starter for sourdough croissant bread or cinnamon raisin sourdough bread, and use your sourdough discard for these muffins.
- Butter – A touch of unsalted butter helps the muffin tops brown in the oven.
- Oil – In an effort to reduce seed oils, use a neutral oil like avocado oil or a light olive oil.
- Sugar – I like to use cane sugar. It’s less refined than granulated sugar, but either one works.
- Eggs – Remove the eggs from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature. To warm them quickly, place them in a bowl of warm water for 10-15 minutes while you prep the ingredients.
- Vanilla extract – Adds a warmth and delicious flavor to the rhubarb muffins.
- Buttermilk – Rhubarb muffins with buttermilk are light and fluffy. If you don’t have buttermilk, add vinegar to milk and let it sit for 5 minutes before adding to the muffin batter. Use whole milk for the best flavor.
- Rhubarb – Rhubarb plants can have a range of bright red stalks to green, depending on the variety. When harvesting, twist and pull each piece of rhubarb from the base of the stalk instead of cutting with a knife. Trim and discard the root ends and leaves.
- Turbinado sugar – Gives the muffins a nice crunch and the sweetness to complement the tart rhubarb.
How to Make Discard Rhubarb Muffins
Prep
Preheat the oven to 425°F/218°C.
Grease or line a standard muffin tin with muffin liners.
Wash the rhubarb stalks. Trim the ends and leaves and discard. Cut the rhubarb into ½ inch pieces. if the stalk is thin, you can chop the stalk as-is! If the stalk is thick, cut the stalk in half lengthwise before cutting the pieces.
Melt the butter and set aside.
Mix Batter
Add 125 g (½ cup) sourdough starter discard, 100 g (½ cup) oil, 42 g (3 tbsp) melted butter, 300 g (1½ cups) sugar, 2 eggs, and 1½ tsp vanilla extract to a medium bowl. Mix with a handheld mixer until fully combined.
In a separate bowl, add 210 g (1¾ cups) all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp salt. Whisk until the baking powder and salt are evenly distributed in the flour.
Alternating, add the flour mixture and 125 g (½ cup) buttermilk to the wet ingredients, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
Why alternate adding the flour mixture with the milk? It all has to do with the fat. The oil, butter, and sugar mixture won’t absorb much liquid. If you begin with the milk, or worse, even add it all, the butter becomes saturated and separates, keeping the liquid on top. Once you add the dry ingredients, they absorb all of the liquid, creating a heavy cake instead of a light and airy cake.
Fold in 130 g (1½ cups) cut rhubarb pieces.
Bake
Fill each muffin cup with muffin batter until ¾ full. Then, sprinkle the tops with 30 g (2 tbsp) turbinado sugar.
Place the muffins in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 400°F/204°C and bake for an additional 13-15 minutes.
The muffins are done when the top springs back when lightly pressed, and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the rhubarb muffin comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Place the muffins on a wire rack to cool.
How to Store Rhubarb Muffins
Like all baked goods, sourdough rhubarb muffins are best the day they’re baked. Allow the muffins to cool completely before placing in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. The sugar topping will soften the longer the muffins are stored.
FAQs
Can Rhubarb Muffins be Frozen?
Sourdough rhubarb muffins are great frozen. I like to bake a double batch, one to enjoy now, and the other to stash in the freezer for another day!
Allow the rhubarb muffins to cool completely before placing them into a freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible, label with the date and name, and move to the freezer.
Note that the sugar topping will weep as it thaws, so it’s best to bake without the sugar topping if you know you’re going to freeze the muffins.
How Do I Prepare Rhubarb for Baking?
Wash any dirt off of the rhubarb stalks. Trim the root end and the large leaf and discard. Similar to celery, rhubarb is stringy and can be challenging to make clean cuts. Use a sharp knife and a wooden cutting board and cut the rhubarb stalks into whatever size your recipe calls for.
At the Lockrem house, there is nothing that lights up our home quite like fresh baked goods. They set the stage for easy conversation around the kitchen island, and an easy “yes!” for a snack when friends are over.
I love how a little effort creates space and time for sweet moments of connection. I hope this recipe creates those same sweet moments and helps use up that extra bit of summer rhubarb! Happy eating!
If You Loved This Recipe, You’ll Love These…
- Easy Rhubarb Custard Dessert Recipe
- Easy Rhubarb Crumble Bars Recipe
- Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping
Easy Sourdough Rhubarb Muffins | A Discard Recipe
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Equipment
- muffin pan
- mixing bowl
- spoon
- kitchen scale optional
- muffin liners optional
- Cutting Board
- sharp knife
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 125 g sourdough discard ½ cup
- 100 g neutral oil ½ cup
- 300 g sugar 1½ cups
- 42 g unsalted butter 3 tbsp
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 190 g rhubarb 1½ cups
- 125 g buttermilk ½ cup
- 3 tbsp turbinado sugar
Dry Ingredients
- 210 g all purpose flour 1¾ cups
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/218°C.
- Grease or line a standard muffin tin with muffin liners.
- Wash the rhubarb stalks. Trim the ends and leaves and discard. Cut the rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces. if the stalk is thin, you can chop the stalk as-is! If the stalk is thick, cut the stalk in half lengthwise before cutting the pieces.
- Melt the butter.
Mix Batter
- Add 125 g (½ cup) sourdough starter discard, 100 g (½ cup) oil, 42 g (3 tbsp) melted butter, 300 g (1½ cups) sugar, 2 eggs, and 1½ tsp vanilla extract to a medium bowl. Mix with a handheld mixer until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, add 210 g (1¾ cups) all-purpose flour, 1½ tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp salt. Whisk until the baking powder and salt are evenly distributed in the flour.
- Alternatively, add the flour mixture and 125 g (½ cup) buttermilk to the wet ingredients, starting and ending with the flour mixture.Why alternate adding the flour mixture with the milk? It all has to do with the fat. The oil, butter, and sugar mixture won’t absorb much liquid. If you begin with the milk, or worse, even add it all, the butter becomes saturated and separates, keeping the liquid on top. Once you add the dry ingredients, they absorb all of the liquid, creating a heavy cake instead of a light and airy cake.
- Fold in 130 g (1½ cups) cut rhubarb pieces.
Bake
- Fill each muffin cup with muffin batter until ¾ full. Sprinkle the tops with 3 tbsp turbinado sugar.
- Place the muffins in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 400°F/204°C and bake for an additional 13-15 minutes.
- The muffins are done when the top springs back when lightly pressed, and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the rhubarb muffin comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Place the muffins on a wire rack to cool.
If you couldn’t tell, I’m a big fan of rhubarb. But these muffins may be my finest bake yet! Try them and let me know what you think!