Best Sourdough Oatmeal Bran Muffins

These Sourdough Oatmeal Bran Muffins check all the boxes. Good-for-you ingredients, tender, moist, and delicious! Plus, my kids love these and I feel good about giving it to them. A great grab-and-go snack or breakfast addition.

With over 3 grams of fiber per muffin and no refined sugars these muffins are nutritious and filled with clean ingredients. We love to make a batch of these to have on hand for a quick breakfast option or to have as a snack.

These muffins are so moist and have a silky, creamy interior. If you prefer you can even make this batter before bed, let it ferment overnight and then bake the next day. Another quick breakfast option to try is my Sourdough Breakfast Bars with Jam recipe.

If you love sourdough muffins be sure to check out my Sourdough Banana Muffins, Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins, Mixed Berry Sourdough Protein Muffins, and Sourdough Mini Muffins. Or browse through all of my sourdough quick bread recipes!

Sourdough Oatmeal Bran Muffin Ingredients

• Unsweetened Applesauce- I find applesauce is sweet enough without having extra sugar added.
• Milk- Whole milk is preferred but 2% should work.
• Sourdough Discard- This can be taken right from the fridge.
• Honey-  I typically buy local honey as it is said to help with allergies.
• Wheat or Oat Bran– You can typically find one of these near the oatmeal. If your grocery store does not carry either you can also use All-Bran Buds Cereal.
• Oats- I use old fashioned oats but if you only have instant oats on hand they should work.
• Whole Wheat Flour- You can swap this out for Unbleached All-Purpose Flour. Fore more whole grain recipes, try the Einkorn Sourdough Bread recipe and Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread recipe.
• Eggs– Act as a binder.
• Baking Powder- If you ferment the recipe overnight make sure to use double-acting baking powder.
• Salt- Any kind will work but I like to use Pink Himalayan Sea Salt.
• Cinnamon
• Mix-Ins (Optional)- Chocolate chunks, blueberries and raspberries are all go-to mix-ins for my family.

Mix-In Ideas

My kids and I love adding milk chocolate chunks to these muffins. You can either chop up a favorite chocolate bar or buy chocolate chunks. Chocolate chips work as well. I’ve also tried fresh blueberries and raspberries in these and both work great. Although I haven’t tried cranberries and nuts I do think they would also pair nicely.

What’s Sourdough Discard?

The secret ingredient in these muffins is sourdough discard. The two most common terms for sourdough starter in a recipe are active and discard. Active sourdough starter means the starter has recently been fed and is at “peak”, meaning bubbly and doubled or more in size. Discard refers to the starter once it has passed peak and begins to fall back down. At this point the starter is no longer able to leaven dough. If you are new to sourdough and don’t have a starter yet, I can help! Check out my beginner’s sourdough class!

Recipe Tips for Sourdough Oatmeal Bran Muffins

1. Do not overmix! This is the most important rule to follow to ensure tender muffins. It’s okay if the batter is a little lumpy, it does not need to be smooth. The more you mix the batter the more gluten development happens, which results in a tough muffin.
2. I actually prefer not to use muffin liners for this recipe as they tend to stick to the paper. If you do use liners, I would recommend lightly spraying them with oil before adding the batter.
3. If you add fresh fruit, I recommend tossing the fruit in a light coating of flour before adding them to the batter to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin.
4. Pull the muffins out of the pan very soon after getting them out of the oven. When they sit in the hot pan they begin to steam which makes the muffin tough.

Storing Sourdough Bran Muffins

Once completely cooled store these muffins in an airtight container to keep the moisture in. A Ziplock bag or Tupperware container both work great.