Sourdough Cornbread Muffins

Sourdough Cornbread Muffins are very easy to make with your sourdough starter. They don't take a lot of preparation and can be made in less than an hour, making it a great recipe to have in your collection.

These sourdough cornbread muffins are very versatile and can be served as a snack with a pat of butter or as a side dish to your favorite ground beef chili or tomato soup.

If you don't want to make muffins, you can of course make this sourdough cornbread recipe in a sheet pan that is cut into squares like a more traditional corn bread. You don't need to use a cast-iron skillet - unless of course you want to.

This sourdough recipe will give you moist cornbread muffins that you can enjoy any time of the day! They are sure to be your new favorite cornbread and are a great way to have a delicious, make ahead breakfast.

If you are looking for other sourdough muffin recipes, you might enjoy these sourdough pumpkin muffins or sourdough zucchini muffins. If sweeter muffins are more your style, why not try these sourdough chocolate chunk muffins. And for the ultimate comfort food, give these buttery sourdough biscuits a try! You'll also find 60+ sourdough discard recipes here.

Should I Use Active Starter or Discard?

The best thing about this sourdough corn muffins recipe is that it really doesn't matter too much. This recipe uses baking powder as the leavening agent, so whether you use sourdough discard or activated sourdough starter, it makes no real difference.

The only thing you need to think about is the flavor that your sourdough starter brings to this recipe. Using older discard will make the muffins more sour, where as using fresh, active sourdough starter will not add such sour undertones to the flavor profile of these sourdough cornbread muffins.

Whether you use sourdough discard or active sourdough starter, make sure your starter is at room temperature for best results.

How To Bake Sourdough Cornbread Muffins

These sourdough cornbread muffins are fast to mix and bake, making them a quick and easy recipe to make during the week when making sourdough bread might not be as timely.

This recipe is made using all purpose flour and cornmeal. I don't include any baking soda in this recipe, just baking powder.

You can use paper liners for your muffin tin, but I like to grease my muffin holes with a melted butter mixture so that the muffins get a lovely crunchy exterior and soft crumb.

You might also like to bake this sourdough skillet cornbread.

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F and grease a 12 hole muffin tin with butter.
   
2. Mix together all of the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk them together until they are well combined.
   
3. In a separate bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients.
   
4. Now pour the liquid ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients. Gently fold together until just mixed - don't over mix or the muffins will be tough.
   
5. Spoon mixture into greased muffin tin (you can use butter or cooking spray to grease the muffin cups). This recipe will fill a 12 cup muffin tin (each hole around ¾ full).
   
6. Bake at 180C/350F for approximately 20 minutes or until muffins are golden brown.

Recipe Variations for Sourdough Corn Muffins

These easy sourdough cornbread muffins are perfect just as they are, but there are always ways we can add a few extra ingredients to change the flavors. Here are a few different recipe variations for sourdough corn muffins that you might like to try:

• Add 100g of shredded cheddar cheese to the dry ingredients before mixing for a delicious cheesy sourdough cornbread.
  
• If you like things spicy, adding 40g of diced jalapeños and 100g of shredded cheddar will give you a jalapeño cheddar cornbread.
  
• For a dairy free version, use a plant based milk instead of buttermilk.
  
• You can swap out the vegetable oil for coconut oil if you'd prefer. I don't recommend using olive oil in this recipe.
  
• For added texture, add 100g of drained canned corn kernels. This also increases the moisture content of these muffins.

How To Serve Sourdough Cornbread Muffins

These muffins are really versatile. Moist and flavorful in their own right, you can serve them just as they are or you could choose to do any of the following:

• Serve them as a simple dessert topped with homemade butter and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.
  
• I love eating them spread with cultured butter!
  
• They pair perfectly with this whipped honey cinnamon butter or this spicy jalapeño honey butter.
  
• Serve them as a side dish to your favorite sourdough comfort food - think beef stew or chili with red beans, pork chops or your favorite winter soup. If you don't like a sweet cornbread, you can reduce the honey and/or sugar but I find that it works fine as a sweet or savory muffin either way.

How To Store + Freeze Sourdough Cornbread Muffins

These muffins are best eaten within a few days of baking. After that they may be a little dry (but see what you can do with those below).

Store them in an airtight container to keep them moist and delicious.

To freeze these muffins successfully, freeze them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper first and then pop them into a ziploc bag to make them easy to grab and go.

If you have any sourdough cornbread muffins leftover that have gone stale, use them for cornbread stuffing! You can even freeze them so that you have them on hand for next time you need to make a stuffing.

Frequently Asked Questions