Lemon Poppy Seed Sourdough Muffins
Lemon poppy seed sourdough muffins are tangy, lightly sweetened, and full of bright lemon flavor! They are perfectly golden on the outside and tender and moist on the inside.
They are totally addictive, topped with a delicious lemon glaze, and a great use for sourdough discard!
Let's start spring off on the right foot with these amazing lemon poppy seed sourdough muffins! Just like our sourdough blueberry muffins or sourdough banana nut muffins and our double chocolate sourdough muffins, they are perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee or as a spring dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth.
The batter is made with your sourdough starter and can be baked right away or chilled in the fridge for a day to get as much benefit from sourdough fermentation as possible.
Ricotta cheese helps to keep the muffins soft and moist and the lemon glaze brings a fresh pop of lemon flavor that puts these muffins over the top!
Ingredients needed
The ingredients needed to make lemon poppy seed sourdough muffins are simple.
For the batter
- all-purpose flour
- sugar
- sourdough starter discard
- milk
- egg
- ricotta cheese
- vanilla extract
- salt
- baking powder
- baking soda
- poppy seeds
- fresh lemon zest
For the glaze
- fresh lemon juice
- melted butter
- powdered sugar
Recommended kitchen tool
- Microplane/zester: A microplane makes zesting lemons easy. We also use this kitchen tool to finely grate garlic, ginger, and hard cheeses.
Amy's tips
Don't overmix. When you combine the wet and dry ingredients, only mix until they are just combined. If you overwork the batter, gluten will develop, which can cause the muffins to be dense.
Allow the batter to rest. The muffins get the best rise if they are allowed to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. You can also let the batter chill in the fridge for up to 24 hours to allow more fermentation and still get a significant rise.
Baking time. Oven temperatures vary. Start checking the muffins around 22-23 minutes. If your batter was cold when you placed the muffins in the oven, you may have to bake them a few minutes longer. (Mine took 25 minutes.) A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean when the muffins are fully cooked.
Use fresh lemons. A fresh lemon with a firm peel is much easier to zest than an older lemon. We have not experimented with lemon extract.
How to make sourdough lemon poppy seed muffins
There's nothing complicated about this recipe, so let's dive straight into the details!
Step 1
Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and poppy seeds together in a bowl and set aside.
Step 2
Add the room-temperature butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and use an electric hand mixer to cream them together. Add the egg, sourdough discard, milk, ricotta cheese, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, and mix until smooth.
Step 3
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until just combined. The batter will be thick.
After mixing, either allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes before baking or place it in the fridge to ferment overnight. The batter will stiffen if it chills in the fridge.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Divide the batter evenly into the 12 liners.
Step 5
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before glazing.
Step 6
In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and melted butter until smooth. The butter will need extra time to incorporate.
Drizzle the glaze over the muffins or dip the top of each muffin into the glaze.
How to Store
Store the lemon poppy seed sourdough muffins in an airtight at room temperature for 3 days.
They can also be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
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Lemon Poppy Seed Sourdough Muffins
EQUIPMENT
- Muffin tin
- Mixing Bowls
- Spatula
INGREDIENTS
Wet Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (125 g) sourdough starter discard
- 1 cup (246 g) ricotta (or plain greek yogurt)
- zest of one large lemon (or two small lemons)
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 g) milk
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) fine sea salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) melted butter
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prepare: Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and line a 12 count muffin tin with paper liners, or lightly grease.
- Dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and poppy seeds together in a bowl and set aside.
- Wet ingredients: Add the room temperature butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and use an electric hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together. Add the egg, sourdough discard, milk, ricotta, lemon zest and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Combine: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with the spatula until just combined making sure not to over-mix. The batter will be thick. After mixing, either allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes before baking or, place the batter in the fridge to ferment overnight. (See notes.)
- Bake: Divide the batter evenly into the 12 liners. If the batter has been chilling in the fridge, it will be stiff. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and cool completely before glazing.
- Glaze: Mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice and butter in a small bowl until smooth. It will take a minute of stirring for the butter to incorporate. Drizzle over the muffins or dip the top of each muffin into the glaze.
NOTES
- Chilled batter will be stiff. There is no need to bring it to room temperature before baking. Check the muffins around the 22 minute mark and bake longer if needed. My muffins took 25 minutes to bake from a chilled batter.
- Store in an airtight at room temperature for 3 days. Muffins can also be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Have you ever made these with chia seeds instead?? I have everything out the poppy seeds!
Hi Aja, you can just leave them out! I think chia seeds will thicken the batter, so I wouldn’t recommend them as a substitute.
These were fantastic! Not a big sweets fan, so we skipped the glaze and they are still delicious and moist. Will make again
OMG!!!!! These are so good. They mix together quickly. Thank you so much for sharing such detailed recipes
Delicious! Made them for my fiancé and my son, 3x now, who both absolutely loved them! Simple recipe with a big taste payoff!
Easy and delicious
Fantastic! Made a simple lemon syrup to brush on the muffins when they came out of the oven instead of the icing - absolutely delicious!
Can I use no fat Greek yogurt instead of the ricotta?
Yes but they may not be as tender.
very good and easy. made more than 12. thanks
The recipe was easy and the muffins were perfect. I’m thinking of using the same recipe but adjusting just a little to use orange in place of the lemon.
Base on all the wonderful reviews I'm looking forward to making these muffins. I am wondering if this can this also be made as a loaf? (in loaf pan)
Hi Gloria, yes this can be made in a loaf pan. You will just need to add more time to the baking. I would add an extra 10 minutes and check with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean then it's ready to go! If it doesn't, add 5 minutes at a time until its done cooking.