Bursting with bright orange flavor with a sprinkle of tart cranberry, these sourdough discard cranberry orange muffins are simply delicious!

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Why I Love Sourdough Discard Cranberry Orange Muffins

For some folks, cranberry orange may be reminiscent of the holidays, but I think it’s a wonderful flavor combo any time of year! In fact, it’s much more versatile than the classic pumpkin or apple.

It’s February, and even though spring is right around the corner, the dreary days seem never-ending. But it’s citrus season, and the sweet orange flavor in these muffins feels like sunshine on a rainy day. The cranberries add a wonderful pop of color and an even more wonderful pop of tartness.

If that’s not enough to cheer up your kitchen on a dreary day, I don’t know what is!

In all seriousness though, these muffins are a special treat. They are incredibly moist and buttery, with just a hint of sourdough tang. They might just be my new favorite muffin recipe! Here’s how I made them.

Ingredients – Sourdough Discard Cranberry Orange Muffins

Butter – softened

Granulated sugar

Brown sugar

Egg

Vanilla extract

Orange zest

All-purpose flour

Baking soda

Baking powder

Salt

Orange juice – freshly squeezed

Milk

Sourdough discard

Cranberries – fresh or frozen. I buy a big bag of cranberries when they’re available in the fall and freeze them for later.

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Tools for Sourdough Discard Cranberry Orange Muffins

Stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment – you can also use a bowl and handheld mixer

Measuring cups and spoons

Zester or fine grater

Manual citrus juicer – you can also juice by hand and then strain the juice

Muffin tin – 1 dozen size

Making Sourdough Discard Cranberry Orange Muffins

First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease your muffin tin or line with cupcake liners.

In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla extract and orange zest; mix well. Scrape down sides of bowl to incorporate as necessary.

In a separate bowl, stir together dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture, mixing well after each addition. Add orange juice and milk; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.

Add sourdough discard and mix until just combined. Fold in cranberries.

Spoon batter into greased muffin tins. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Recipe Notes

Make sure to use freshly squeezed orange juice! There’s just something extra special about fresh-squeezed juice. It adds all that orange-y flavor and sweetness to this recipe!

You can use fresh or frozen cranberries. I struggle to find cranberries in the grocery store year-round, so I usually buy a big bag in the fall and freeze them. If you’re using frozen berries, add them to the batter while still frozen – no need to thaw!

I’ve found that my sourdough discard performs best in discard recipes when it’s very inactive. In my experience, the less active the discard is, the more moist the discard recipe turns out. It also has more of that sourdough tang that we all love!

With the method I use to feed my starter, I’ve noticed that my discard is more active for a longer period of time. If I have fresh discard, I like to leave it out an extra day before refrigerating it. This helps the discard break down and take on a more watery consistency, which I actually prefer for discard recipes. Fresh discard isn’t the end of the world, but when I use fresh discard for muffins or quick breads, the result is usually a more cakey and less moist consistency.

I haven’t experimented with long-fermentation in this recipe, but I can’t wait to try it! To long-ferment, I would just mix the batter, leaving the cranberries out. Refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours, then pull out of the fridge about an hour before baking. Fold in the cranberries right before baking. Once I try this method, I’ll report back!

About Sourdough Discard

If you’ve just stumbled in to the sourdough world (or maybe this is your first introduction!), you may be wondering just what the heck “sourdough discard” is. In a nutshell, sourdough discard is just a fancy term for sourdough starter that is past its prime. It is no longer suitable to make leavened bread, like my favorite classic sourdough boule.

However, sourdough discard doesn’t actually have to be discarded! It can be used in many different sourdough discard recipes. The key with discard recipes is that they either have another leavening agent, such as baking powder or baking soda; or they don’t need a leavening agent. Think crackers, tortillas or flatbread.

Most discard recipes don’t come with the health benefits of sourdough bread, unless they are long-fermented. Still, I love the unique sourdough tang that the discard brings to an otherwise ordinary recipe! If you’re going to keep a sourdough starter, it just makes sense to incorporate discard recipes into your kitchen. That way no discard goes to waste, and trust me, your family will love the discard goods probably just as much as the bread!