These potato flake sourdough pumpkin muffins with a streusel topping are the perfect comforting treat when autumn hits! These muffins are moist, tender and offer a fluffy texture with just the right amount of pumpkin spice flavor, all topped with a irresistible cinnamon streusel topping.
Whether you’re new to baking with a potato flake sourdough starter or an experienced baker looking for a great recipe, these muffins are the perfect addition to your fall baking.
In this post, I’ll walk you through my recipe for potato flake sourdough sourdough pumpkin muffins with a crumb topping, along with tips to ensure your muffins come out perfect every time.
This recipe is a delicious way to use up some of that extra discard from your potato flake starter while baking a warm, comforting batch of muffins for friends, family, or just for yourself.
Why Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins?
Sourdough discard offers a unique flavor and texture to baked goods, and when paired with real pumpkin puree, the results are nothing short of amazing. Using a potato flake sourdough starter in muffins helps achieve a soft, tender crumb that stays moist for days, making these muffins perfect for breakfast or a snack. When using a long fermentation, it also helps make them easier to digest.
The crumbly streusel topping adds a delightful contrast to the soft, spiced muffin base, and with simple ingredients like flour, sugar, and melted butter, you’ll find these muffins easy to make yet rich in flavor. Plus, you can adapt this recipe by adding your favorite mix-ins like chocolate chips or nuts.
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Tools you will need:
Large mixing bowl
Rubber spatula
Measuring cups and spoons
Muffin liners (These parchment liners are my favorite!)
1/4 measuring cup or 1/4 cup cookie scoop to scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tin
Ingredients for Potato Flake Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins
Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need for the muffins and the streusel topping:
For the Bulk Ferment:
- All-purpose flour – Can also be substituted with whole wheat flour
- Raw organic sugar – regular granulated sugar can also be used
- Brown sugar – I like the flavor better with dark brown sugar, but either light or dark can be used.
- Melted coconut oil– coconut oil produces the best flavor for these muffins, but other mildly flavored oils could be used in it’s place.
- Potato flake sourdough starter– you can use active (fed about 8-24 hours within using) or discard (hasn’t been fed in several days)
- Egg – Provides structure and richness.
- Plain yogurt – I use homemade yogurt that I make in my instant pot (check out how to make your own.) If you use store bought, especially greek yogurt, it wil be thicker. In this case you might need to add up to 1/4 cup of milk if the dough is too thick
- Pumpkin puree – Not pumpkin pie filling, plain pumpkin puree. Can use canned or homemade.
After Bulk Ferment:
- Baking soda
- Baking powder.
- Table salt
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Pumpkin pie spice
For the Streusel Topping:
- All-purpose flour
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Melted butter
- Cinnamon
- Pumpkin pie spice
How to make Potato Flake Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins
Preparing the Bulk Ferment
To start, combine the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, raw organic sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Next, add the yogurt, melted coconut oil, pumpkin puree, and potato flake sourdough discard or active starter, mixing until well combined.
Once the wet ingredients are mixed, gradually stir in the flour using a rubber spatula until you have a thick batter.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 8-12 hours to allow fermentation. If your kitchen is warm, the dough will ferment more quickly. Be aware that you do not want to have your bowl too full because the batter will rise up. This long fermentation time enhances the flavor, increases easy digestion and creates light and fluffy muffins.
Preheat the Oven and Prepare the Muffin Pan
Once the bulk fermentation is complete, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line your muffin pan with parchment paper liners or cupcake liners to ensure the muffins won’t stick.
Make the Streusel Topping
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. This can be done using a pastry cutter, fork, your hands, or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Set aside until you’re ready to top the muffins.
Tip: You can make the streusel ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. It keeps well for up to two weeks. When ready to use remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to using so that it can soften up before topping the muffins.
Add the Dry Ingredients
After your batter has fermented, it’s time to add the dry ingredients and spices. Stir in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
You’ll notice that the batter is full of air bubbles, do not be afraid of mixing the bubbles away, it will rise enough in the oven and you want to be sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to get everything combined evenly.
Fill the Muffin Tins
Spoon the batter into your prepared muffin tins. Using a ¼ cup measuring cup or a ¼ cup portion scoop will give you consistent muffins every time.
Add the Streusel Topping
Generously sprinkle the crumb topping over each muffin. The streusel will form a beautiful, crunchy layer as the muffins bake.
Bake and Cool
Place your muffin pan in the preheated oven and turn the temperature down to bake at 375°F for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The muffins should be golden brown on top with a fluffy texture inside.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This cooling time is crucial to let the muffins set and prevent them from sticking to the liners or falling apart.
Storing Your Muffins
Store your muffins in an airtight container for up to three days at room temperature. Store in the fridge for up to one week. Heat them in the microwave for about 10 seconds to warm them up before eating.
For longer storage, they can be frozen. Simply wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag. They will keep for up to three months. When ready to eat, just thaw them at room temperature or pop them in a preheated oven to warm through.
Tips for Success
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your egg, yogurt, and sourdough discard are at room temperature. This helps everything incorporate smoothly into the batter and ensures an even rise. If using cold ingredients it will harden the coconut oil and will cause it to not incorporate evenly.
- Muffin Size: You can also make mini muffins by using a mini muffin pan. Reduce the baking time to 10-12 minutes.
- Add-ins: For an extra burst of flavor, try mixing in some chocolate chips, chopped pecans, or dried cranberries into the batter before baking.
Dairy free options:
If you want to make these muffins dairy free try using vegan sour cream in place of the yogurt and a vegan butter (like Earth Balance) in the streusel topping.
Is pumpkin your favorite flavor?
If you love ALL things pumpkin, you might also enjoy checking out these other potato flake sourdough recipes:
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with cream cheese icing
Pumpkin Bread
These potato flake sourdough pumpkin muffins with a streusel topping are truly a great way to celebrate fall. Not only are they a delicious way to use up extra potato flake sourdough discard, but they’re also versatile enough to enjoy with morning coffee, as a snack, or even as dessert.
The combination of the unique sourdough flavor with the sweet pumpkin spice and crumbly topping puts these muffins at the top of my favorites list. Plus, they’re simple enough to make that new bakers and experienced bakers alike can easily whip up these delicious muffins.
Give these bad boys a try next time you’re looking for the perfect treat for fall!
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Potato Flake Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins With a Streusel Topping
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Rubber Spatula
- measuring cups and spoons
- Muffin tin
- Muffin liners (These parchment liners are my favorite!)
- 1/4 measuring cup or 1/4 cup cookie scoop to scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tin
Ingredients
Bulk ferment:
- 2 cups all purpose
- ½ cup raw organic sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- ½ cup potato flake discard
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cups plain yogurt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
After Bulk ferment:
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Crumb Topping:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- To start, combine the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, raw organic sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Next, add the yogurt, melted coconut oil, pumpkin puree, and potato flake sourdough discard or active starter, mixing until well combined.
- Once the wet ingredients are mixed, gradually stir in the flour using a rubber spatula until you have a thick batter.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 8-12 hours to allow fermentation. If your kitchen is warm, the dough will ferment more quickly. Be aware that you do not want to have your bowl too full because the batter will rise up.
- Once the bulk fermentation is complete, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line your muffin pan with parchment paper liners or cupcake liners to ensure the muffins won’t stick.
- Prepare the streusel topping. In a small bowl, mix together ,flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. This can be done using a pastry cutter, fork, your hands, or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Set aside until you’re ready to top the muffins.
- After your batter has fermented, it’s time to add the final dry ingredients and spices. Stir in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
- You’ll notice that the batter is full of air bubbles, do not be afraid of mixing the bubbles away, it will rise enough in the oven and you want to be sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to get everything combined evenly.
- Spoon the batter into your prepared muffin tins. Using a ¼ cup measuring cup or a ¼ cup portion scoop will give you consistent muffins every time.
- Generously sprinkle the crumb topping over each muffin. The streusel will form a beautiful, crunchy layer as the muffins bake.
- Place your muffin pan in the preheated oven and turn the temperature down to bake at 375°F for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The muffins should be golden brown on top with a fluffy texture inside.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This cooling time is crucial to let the muffins set and prevent them from sticking to the liners or falling apart.
- Store your muffins in an airtight container for up to three days at room temperature. Store in the fridge for up to one week. Heat them in the microwave for about 10 seconds to warm them up before eating.
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