Simple Bakery Style Berry Orange Muffins with Discard
Bakery style berry orange muffins taste as amazing as they look. Homemade and all from scratch, they’re juicy, sweet and kissed with the citrusy flavor of oranges. Sourdough discard and yogurt bake a tender, light crumb texture, perfect for a breakfast time treat! So skip the store-bought price tag and unhealthy ingredients, grab the kids and mix up a batch today.
It’s now March as I write this and lately I’ve been up to my elbows with spring cleaning. That includes quietly thumbing through forgotten cookbooks deciding if they stay or go to the thrift store.
I easily get lost gazing at the food photography and the many recipes lovingly made in kitchens for decades. One observation struck me from a cookbook in the last thirty years or so. The line between store-bought and truly homemade, from-scratch food have gotten tremendously blurred.
While many of these recipes are assembled at home, they call for unhealthy packaged items full of chemicals and food dyes like flavored gelatin and whipped topping. But real from-scratch food like these bakery style berry orange muffins are made by measuring and mixing separate ingredients, each with a specific scientific purpose for the recipe.
That’s why homemade muffins taste so irresistible. The batter patiently blends together without the unfavorable taste of chemicals and preservatives; only the natural mouth-watering flavor of fruit and a subtle sweetness lingers on the tongue.
That’s why these bakery style berry orange muffins are a perfect addition to your morning breakfast menu. Muffins are a familiar favorite for both kids and adults especially those with berries. These berry orange muffins are made with sourdough discard and yogurt, giving them a soft, spongy texture. They pair perfectly with butter and jam and go down smoothly with a cup of juice or coffee.
A crumb topping and a light orange glaze make these bakery style muffins too tempting to resist! With a little extra effort, you’ll have satisfied bellies and happy smiles to begin the day.
Why You’ll Love These Bakery Style Berry Orange Muffins
Perfect flavor combination – Juicy berries highlighted with the sweet, zesty zing of oranges baked into a fluffy muffin sounds so delicious! Eaten as is or slathered with butter or homemade jam and a piping hot cup of coffee or tea sounds even better.
Healthier than store-bought – In today’s fast-paced world of convenience, these bakery style berry orange muffins are the perfect way to say “I love you” to your family and friends. They show you paused long enough to bake something homemade that’s delicious, caring and thoughtful in a grab-n-go society. They also come without the unhealthy preservatives and chemicals in box mixes and store-bought pre-made muffins. The sourdough discard also provides gut-friendly benefits by pre-digesting the flour.
Great for breakfast variety or kid’s snack – Every meal comes with mundane recipes often repeated. While there’s comfort in routine, these berry orange muffins bring a healthy, sweet variety to the breakfast table or dessert tray. They’re also perfect for kid’s lunches or snack time since they travel well and look deliciously appealing to little eyes!
Helpful Hints
- An active sourdough starter or discard is perfect for this recipe. Bake these muffins right away or take advantage of the health benefits and long ferment the batter overnight.
- Use room temperature butter and eggs to mix the wet ingredients. They create a lighter and airier texture, making the perfect crumb when baked.
- Any combination of berries tastes great in this recipe. Use whatever fresh or frozen berries or fruit you have on hand. Strawberries and rhubarb in the spring, fresh blueberries in late summer or cranberries in the fall are seasonal suggestions.
- Before mixing wet and dry ingredients together, stir the fruit with the dry ingredients so it’s well coated. This prevents the berries from sinking to the bottom.
- Muffin or cupcake liners aren’t required, but they assist the rise of the top, which is the star of every bakery style muffin. Plus, liners prevent the absorption of toxins from old aluminum or non-stick pans.
How to Make Bakery Style Berry Orange Muffins
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
Fresh or frozen berries – Any combination of berries makes a great tasting muffin. Save money by using what’s in season either in your garden or the grocery store.
Sourdough – Active or discard is okay to use and either one provides fermented gut-friendly benefits.
Flour – I used all-purpose here, but I frequently use einkorn instead for a healthier variety. Note that the texture and rise may not be the same, but it still has the same amazing taste!
Sugar – Organic white cane sugar is my usual go-to, but lately I’ve used maple sugar instead. It has a higher nutritional value with more concentrated minerals than white sugar.
A full list of ingredients is in the recipe card below.
Equipment
Muffin pan
Hand or stand mixer and stir spoon
Mixing bowls
Tall muffin or cupcake liners or parchment paper cut to size with scissors
Step-by-Step Instructions
If baking right away, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Begin by mixing together the dry ingredients for the topping. Cut in the cold butter until it resembles crumbs.
Whisk together dry ingredients for the batter including the orange zest about one minute.
Fold in berries until all are coated with flour.
In a separate bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add remaining ingredients one at a time until well blended.
Add wet ingredients to dry. Stir together until just incorporated. Do not over mix. Lumps are okay.
Line muffin pan with muffin liners or cut strips of parchment paper and criss cross into the bottom of each compartment.
Fill with batter level to the top. Sprinkle a teaspoon of crumb topping over each muffin.
Bake for 9 minutes and then reduce heat to 375 degrees. Bake another 27-30 minutes depending on your oven.
Mix together powdered sugar and orange juice. Cool muffins for ten minutes, then drizzle with orange icing.
Serve right away or store in an airtight container.
FAQ’s
Do muffins made with sourdough discard need to be long fermented?
No, muffins made with sourdough discard can be baked right away. If you have time though, the long fermented batter pre-digests the phytic acid in flour, which makes it easier for digestion.
Why are bakery style berry orange muffins baked at two different temperatures?
The higher temperature quickly boosts the rising action, baking up a bigger muffin top.
How should these muffins be stored?
Keep these muffins in an airtight container in the fridge up to a week. Or store them in an airtight container in the freezer up to three months for best flavor.
More Recipes From Becky’s Kitchen
Sourdough Starter | How to Make a No-Discard Small-Batch
The Best Christmas Sourdough Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
Hand-Churned Ice Cream: How to Use an Old-Fashioned Maker
Simple to Make Fruit Pizza with Peaches and Grapes
Easy to Make Pumpkin Hand Pies with Honey Icing
If you make this recipe and love it, come back and leave it a 5-star review! Tag me with your photos on Instagram @beckybuttlesamericana
Simple Bakery-Style Raspberry Orange Muffins with Sourdough Discard
Bakery style berry orange muffins taste as amazing as they look. Homemade and all from scratch, they're juicy, sweet and kissed with the citrusy flavor of oranges. Sourdough discard and yogurt bake a tender, light crumb texture, perfect for a breakfast time treat! So skip the store-bought price tag and unhealthy ingredients, grab the kids and mix up a batch today.
Ingredients
Topping
- 1/4 cup (45g) all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 3 tablespoons cold butter
Muffins
- 7 tablespoons (105g) butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (104g) sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) sourdough discard
- 1/4 cup (60g) yogurt
- 1/2 cup (122g) milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 3/4 cup (220g) flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- zest of two oranges
- 1 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
Icing
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
Instructions
- If baking right away, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Begin by mixing together the dry ingredients for the topping. Cut in the cold butter until it resembles crumbs.
- Whisk together dry ingredients for the batter including the orange zest about one minute.
- Fold in berries until all are coated with flour.
- In a separate bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add remaining ingredients one at a time until well blended.
- Add wet ingredients to dry. Stir together until just incorporated. Do not over mix. Lumps are okay.
- Line muffin pan with muffin liners or cut strips of parchment paper and criss cross into the bottom of each compartment. Fill with batter level to the top. Sprinkle a teaspoon of crumb topping over each muffin.
- Bake for 9 minutes and then reduce heat to 375 degrees. Bake another 27-30 minutes depending on your oven.
- Mix together powdered sugar and orange juice. Cool muffins for ten minutes, then drizzle with orange icing.
- Serve right away or store in an airtight container.
Notes
- An active sourdough starter or discard is perfect for this recipe. Bake these muffins right away or take advantage of the health benefits and long ferment the batter overnight.
- Use room temperature butter and eggs to mix the wet ingredients. They create a lighter and airier texture, making the perfect crumb when baked.
- Any combination of berries tastes great in this recipe. Use whatever fresh or frozen berries or fruit you have on hand. Strawberries and rhubarb in the spring, fresh blueberries in late summer or cranberries in the fall are seasonal suggestions.
- Before mixing wet and dry ingredients together, stir the fruit with the dry ingredients so it's well coated. This prevents the berries from sinking to the bottom.
- Muffin or cupcake liners aren't required, but they assist the rise of the top, which is the star of every bakery style muffin. Plus, liners prevent the absorption of toxins from old aluminum or non-stick pans.
I’m a wife and homemaker inspiring old-fashioned skills for a homemade, self-sufficient lifestyle, always with a warm beverage in hand. Homemade Recipes. Gardening. Preserving. Healthy Living.
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