These muffins are another great way to use your “throwaway starter”. I made these muffins twice to get the flavor and texture I wanted. The first recipe came from Genius Kitchen and I was not happy with it – too dry, not enough flavor and maybe they could rise more. The Genius Kitchen recipe peaked on one side versus having a nice rounded top with my second attempt.
Improvements: the muffins were not dry, had a slight bacon flavor, rose a little more and had rounded tops. Trust me, these are good muffins!
While researching this muffin I came across the original recipe from The Sourdough Cookbook by Rita Davenport originally published in 1977 – that is over 40 years ago! GK changed the recipe and not for the best in my opinion. This is quite a cookbook with over 75 recipes using your sourdough starter. I just had to order a copy…
I followed the 1977 recipe but used buttermilk instead of milk and also chose to use bacon grease for more of a bacon flavor.
These are a perfect muffin to serve alongside your eggs in the morning or later on with a salad or soup. Chili was on the menu that night and was a perfect dish to serve with these savory muffins.
Sourdough Bacon Cheddar Muffins, Adapted
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1-1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup good quality cheddar cheese, shredded (I used Tillamook Special Reserve Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese)
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2/3 cup milk (I used whole buttermilk)
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter, fed or unfed – perfect way to use “throwaway” starter
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil or bacon grease (I used the grease from 12 slices of bacon)
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease 12 wells in a regular sized muffin pan or you could line with cupcake papers. Cook the bacon, reserve the drippings, drain, crumble and set the bacon aside.
Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; stir in the cheese and distribute it well throughout the flour mixture.
In a small bowl, combine the egg, buttermilk, sourdough starter and oil, or bacon grease. Add this to the dry mixture. Stir just until moistened; then fold in the bacon pieces.
Fill each muffin well 2/3 full and bake for 20-25 minutes. These muffins were moist and lightly flavored with bacon and the pieces of bacon added a nice little crunch. Very good savory muffin to enjoy any time of the day!
http://cookingwithauntjuju.com/2018/03/05/sourdough-bacon-muffins/
Frying bacon and my starter is bubbly and ready for a recipe.
Rosebud (yes, you should name your starter), daughter of Selma’s Twinkle has contributed to many sourdough recipes including a chocolate cake and cinnamon rolls. Just search “sourdough” for more recipes.
The 1/2 cup of “throwaway” starter is thick and bubbly and ready to be combined with the rest of the ingredients.
I served these tender muffins with bowls of homemade Michigan chili…
Oh how lovely they look Judi. If at first you don’t succeed, then try again eh? Just great too that you have Selma’s starter (Twinkle). I’m just amazed at how it keeps going and giving. I know Elaine swears by sourdough too. I have yet to try it, Selma had asked if I wanted some and I declined at the time. Your muffins look great with that chilli.
Thanks Loretta – sometimes it’s best to stick with an original recipe and maybe only make minor changes. I’ve made a number of different recipes with Rosebud and every time I use it I think of Selma and her kindness… you do need to feed it and use it 🙂
I love how Selma connected us all xx
Great recipe! I HATE throwing away the starter. I just feel like there must be a use for it. I typically make pancakes or waffles. This is a keeper. Thanks!
Thank you – just search “sourdough” if you want more ideas for using your “throwaway”. Pancakes are always a good choice but it’s fun to use the starter in other recipes.
Thank you for that suggestion. I’m getting ready to make some bread this week. I’ll definitely do that. 😊
mmmm I’m drooling over the photos here, the muffins look so good!
A shame I never have the patience to deal with starters… 🙂
Thanks Ronit – there are recipes I don’t have the patience to make either. I obviously enjoy using the sourdough – maybe because it came from such a nice blogging friend 🙂
Mmm, sourdough and bacon. You can’t go wrong with that!
You forgot the cheese Kathryn 🙂
Ah yes!!
Nice recipe
Thank you!
That’s a great use for sourdough starter. I always feel bad throwing it away!
Thanks Angie – I think so too… Who doesn’t like a good, savory muffin!
These look great, Judy! I’ve never made sourdough anything but I’m willing to try.
Thanks Mary – I enjoy making recipes with my sourdough starter. It’s not limited to just bread but I make a delicious apple French toast, chocolate cake and lots of other goodies with it 🙂
So far all I’ve had is discards, so I’m certainly happy to have another use for them. One of these days, my starter will actually start & I can bake some bread! Til then, thanks for the ideas!
Thanks Julie – I wonder how you’re feeding it and why it isn’t ready to bake bread. I use my starter all kinds of different ways – pancakes and waffles get old after awhile 🙂
Well, this time it’s just because I messed up, haha. Before that, I was on the phone with the nice folks at King Arthur, who assured me I was doing everything right & should give it more time. So I’ve been enjoying lots of crackers!
I’m glad you’re dealing with KAF – I have been a loyal customer of theirs for over 30 years. They have lots of good info to follow about sourdough on their site. I refer to their article “Maintaining Your Sourdough Starter: Food, Water and Time” plus others… when I need to. Good luck!
Thanks!
Great use of leftover starter!!!
Thanks Elaine – the second batch turned out great. The original recipe (along with a minor change of buttermilk instead of milk) beat out GK’s version 🙂
😄😄😄😄😄
I love a good muffin, and these sound better than good 🙂
Me too Lynne – you could add an herb or two, use a different cheese and even leave out the bacon. Muffins are so versatile 🙂
Yumm those look good!
Thanks – they were!
I always remember Selma when I hear the word ‘sourdough’. These muffins don’t look dry, indeed. They look amazing and these are perfect to make ahead and grab-n-go the next day. Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday party, Aunt Juju.
Thanks Jhuls – the first batch of muffins was dry so I made them again and they turned out perfect! Selma’s Twinkle lives in my Rosebud – I’ve kept my starter going for a long time. Happy FF!
These look amazing!
On my second try I was happy and then did not take any pictures of the new batch. kingarthurflour.com is a great source for sourdough recipes – check out their site where they sell all kinds of ingredients in addition to providing many delicious recipes that usually turn out perfectly 🙂