Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins Made with Freshly Milled Grains
A delicious blend of spices are paired with the delightful tang of sourdough to create a perfectly moist pumpkin muffin that is the ultimate treat! This recipe utilizes freshly milled whole grains to pack a healthy punch making it a great breakfast, snack, or dessert option!
Pumpkin Treats are Not Just for The Fall
I LOVE pumpkin! Usually when I enjoy this flavorful fruit- yes I know, I will explain why- the temps have started to drop and the promise of Autumn is in the air. I love sweeping my porch, planting mums, and decorating for the upcoming season. Happiness just surrounds me this time of year and it is my absolute favorite season!
You do not have to wait until the fourth quarter of the year to enjoy pumpkin treats however. I rather enjoy indulging throughout the year. In fact, one bite of these delicious sourdough pumpkin muffins made with freshly milled grains gives me a little reminder of my favorite season and gives me a little endorphin boost in my day!
Pumpkin- The Versatile Fruit
Fruit vs Vegetable
When I think of pumpkins, I think of squash…which makes me automatically think of vegetables. So when I learned that pumpkins were technically a fruit, I was blown away! They are not usually what one thinks of when you think of fruits like apples, grapes, pineapples, and mangos. So why are they considered a fruit anyway?
Well, fruit in botanical terms, is the mature ovary of a flowering plant, containing seeds. So because pumpkins grow flowers before they become pumpkins and the fact they contain seeds, by definition indeed makes them qualify as a fruit.
Packed with Nutrition
Pumpkins have a wide variety of health benefits. They are really great for your skin due to the fact that they are rich in minerals, fiber, vitamin C, carotenoids, and essential oils. Another great benefit they have is they can help aid in preventing cancer caused by exposure to harmful sun rays due to the beta-carotene’s anti-inflammatory effects. Beta-carotene is also great for your eyesight. Antioxidants can help your immune system and its low calorie content makes it a better choice when you are trying to maintain and achieve a healthy weight.
It is Very Versatile for Your Flavor Palette
Pumpkin is wonderful in so many things! Not only are they perfect in muffins like in this recipe, they are great in soups, pastas, cookies, cakes, and breads.
Here are a few recipes worth trying:
Maple Roasted Pumpkin with Chili and Feta
Why Freshly Milled Grains?
In this recipe for Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins I am utilizing freshly milled whole grains. I have recently purchased my grain mill and have been ordering bulk wheat berries from Azure Standard. Whole grains are the best choice when you are trying to heal your gut, manage your weight, and improve your overall health.
Whole grains still have the entire grain kernel still intact. This contains the bran, germ, and endosperm. These three things are absent from refined and processed grains. They are important because they are rich in dietary fiber, protein, minerals, antioxidants, and healthy fats. This is the most important part of the grains themselves and by removing them, you are robbing yourself of the key health benefits of eating them.
After grains have been milled, even whole grains, they begin to lose their nutritional benefits pretty quickly. In fact, the whole grain flours you purchase at the grocery store are lacking a lot of the potent nutrition that you get when you first mill the grains. Once you have had freshly milled flour in foods, you will notice a huge difference in both the texture and depth of flavor that commercially processed flours are lacking.
Fortunately, milling your grains at home has never been easier! I personally love my NutriMill. It has opened up a whole new exciting world of milling and food preservation that I had never really experienced before. If you are into the whole “homesteading” thing, I believe this is something you would love to have in your baking arsenal!
Making Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins Made with Freshly Milled Grains
Gather Your Ingredients
For this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- Flour- I used Freshly milled soft white wheat
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt- I used Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
- Cinnamon
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Brown Sugar
- Eggs- The girls have laid SO many lately so I was excited to get more use out of them!
- Active Sourdough Starter
- Butter- Melted
- Milk
- Vanilla
- Pumpkin Puree
Mix Together Your Dry Ingredients
First, in a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
Mix Your Wet Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, active sourdough starter, melted butter, milk, vanilla and pumpkin puree and eggs. Mix until just combined. You do not want to over mix.
Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients
Pour your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and mix until just combined. After this step, you may choose to mix in any add-ins of your choosing. I chose Dark Chocolate Chips but some other great additives are pepitas, chopped walnuts or pecans, white chocolate chips, or even dried fruits like cranberries.
Bake
In a greased or lined muffin tin, fill each cup about 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool on a cooling rack for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!
For more delicious sourdough recipes, check out The Sourdough Chronicles.
Sourdough Muffins Made With Freshly Milled Grains
Ingredients
- 113 grams freshly milled flour Can use all-purpose
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 250 grams active sourdough starter
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
Instructions
- First, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl and set aside.
- Next, in a large mixing bowl, add in brown sugar, eggs, active sourdough starter, butter, milk, vanilla, and pumpkin puree. Mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Add your mix ins such as chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruits. This step is optional.
- Fill a greased or lined muffin tin about 3/4 full in each cup. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for several minutes before servings.
- You can store these in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days or you can freeze for longer storage. Enjoy!
