Sourdough Cornbread Muffins Recipe

Yield: muffins

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Sourdough Cornbread Muffins are sweet, buttery, and tender. They mix up quickly, make good use of discard, and stay soft and moist. The perfect sidekick for your soup season!

4.50 from 2 votes

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Equipment

Ingredients

113 grams unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup
210 grams sugar 1 cup
2 eggs
175 grams white or yellow cornmeal 1 1/3 cup
140 grams all-purpose flour, sifted 1 cup
6 grams baking powder 1 teaspoon
3 grams salt 1/2 teaspoon
240 grams milk 1 cup
240 grams sourdough discard *see notes 1 cup

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 12-well muffin tin. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed, about 2-3 minutes or until white and fluffy.
This can be done with a hand mixer as well.
113 grams unsalted butter, softened, 210 grams sugar
One at a time, add the eggs. Continue to mix on medium speed until the egg mixture is light and fluffy with a pale yellow color, about 3 minutes.
2 eggs
While mixing on low, add the cornmeal to the egg mixture until thoroughly combined.
175 grams white or yellow cornmeal
In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk and sourdough discard until smooth.
240 grams milk, 240 grams sourdough discard *see notes
Then, in a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.
140 grams all-purpose flour, sifted, 6 grams baking powder, 3 grams salt
Alternate adding the dry ingredients and wet ingredients to the stand mixer while mixing on low. Stop mixing once the flour has just been incorporated.
Be careful not to overmix the batter, otherwise this will cause it to become heavy and dense.
Long Fermentation - If you prefer to long-ferment the batter, cover the mixing bowl and place it in the fridge overnight. Pull the batter out of the fridge about 30 minutes before baking to come to room temperature.
Fill each well about ¾ full. This cookie scoop worked perfectly!
You will have to bake these muffins in batches.
Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few cornmeal bits, but no wet batter.
Leave in the muffin tin for 5 minutes. Serve them warm and enjoy!

Notes

I don't have 240 grams of sourdough discard. What should I do?

If you don't have 240 grams (1 cup) of sourdough discard, you can do 120 grams (1/2 cup) of discard. Add with an additional scant 1/2 cup of flour (60g) to the flour mixture and a scant 1/4 cup of milk (60g) to the milk/discard mixture. For 60 grams (1/4 cup) of discard, add 90 grams (1/2 cups + 2 teaspoon) flour and 90 grams (1/2 cup + 3 Tablespoons) of milk.

Favorite Mix-ins

Shredded cheese: 3/4 cup of shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, or pepper jack cheese all taste great in these corn muffins.

Corn: I love the flavor and texture that corn brings to these muffins! Add 1 cup of cooked or canned (be sure to drain them first!) corn kernels to the batter.

Green Onions: 1/4 cup of chopped spring green onions are a wonderful addition here. I love doing a combination of shredded cheese and green onions.

Jalapeño peppers: If you’re looking for a little bit of heat, add 1–2 chopped fresh jalapeños or a ¼ cup of chopped, pickled jalapeños. Be sure to drain and pat them dry first.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Unsalted Butter, room temperature – In order for the sugar and butter to cream properly, make sure the butter is softened. If you use salted butter, reduce the salt to 1 gram (¼ teaspoon).
White Sugar – This is a sweet cornbread recipe, but if you prefer a more savory cornbread, you can reduce the sugar by half.
Cornmeal –Yellow cornmeal or white cornmeal both work just fine, but for the best result, use yellow. I like yellow cornmeal because it gives that bright, classic yellow color people expect.
Flour: All-purpose flour works best for a soft, tender crumb, but you can also mix in some whole wheat flour for a slightly heartier texture.
Baking Powder –Baking powder is a leavening agent and adds a little lift to this easy recipe. Check that it’s still fresh, and if you’re letting the batter sit for a long ferment, use double-acting baking powder so it still works when it hits the oven.
Milk – I used whole milk for this recipe, but you can swap it out for your favorite non-dairy milk, like coconut milk, oat milk, or your personal favorite.
Sourdough Discard – I used fresh, room-temperature sourdough discard that was about 1–2 days old. Older discard works too, but it will make the cornbread more tangy. You can also use the same amount of active sourdough starter, just measure it in grams to keep things consistent.
Eggs – They provide structure, moisture, and richness.
Salt: It enhances flavor and balances the sweetness.

Nutrition

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