We made the best sourdough blueberry muffins at one of the bakeries I worked at. Not overpowering or too sour, a little toothsome in the texture and studded with berries. I have been trying to recreate this muffin ever since. This recipe is great because it helps to use up any surplus starter you may want to get rid of (thanks, quarantine). You can even use the discard. Cool.

I think the recipe is as close as I will get it and here it is:

Muffins:

1/4 c butter

1/2 c brown sugar

1 egg

1 c all purpose flour

1/4 c whole wheat flour

2 T cornmeal

1 t baking soda

1/4 t cinnamon

pinch of salt

2/3 c sourdough starter (fresh or discard)

3 oz yogurt

2 T milk

1 1/2 cup frozen blueberries

Streusel:

1/4 c flour

1/4 c brown sugar

2 T granulated sugar

1/4 t cinnamon

2 T butter

Streusel: Add all streusel ingredients to a bowl and cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until the butter becomes the size of small peas.

Muffins: Cream butter and sugar in a mixer with paddle attachment until it forms a creamy and almost fluffy layer on bottom of bowl that warrants a scrape down. Scrape down aforementioned sugar and fat mixture. Add the egg and blend for a few seconds.

Alternate dry and wet ingredients being careful not to overmix. Fold in berries at very end by hand with a wooden spoon, of course.

Scoop out into prepared tins with or without liners. Distribute the streusel on top of all the lovelies. Bake at around 400 degrees for 20ish minutes until the streusel has gone golden and the muffins are firm to touch.

Some notes I have taken:

• All ovens are different…so you may need to go above or below 400

• If you have a convection option, it is best used in the last 5 minutes or so of baking these to really goldenize the streusel.

• If you really want to, coating the berries in flour before folding into mix will help them stay afloat and evenly distributed in the muffins. This really matters to some people. I get it. I am not that patient though.

• Really watch the mixing once you add the starter and whole wheat flour. Something about the gluten in WW flour that makes it prone to overmixing. Someone on the internet probably has done the science and you can nerd out with them.

• Seems overkill to fold in berries by hand…but it is worth it. It won’t dye the batter and remember what I said about overmixing in the above bullet point? Were you even paying attention?

I am still tinkering with the recipe and would love to know how they go for you. I have a rye sourdough starter and would love to know how they get on with a traditional sourdough starter. I have also wondered if they would even be better if the yogurt was subbed with sour cream. Seems like it would work…If you make them, post it on IG and tag it with #VHWWrecipes so we can keep track of the progress and edits.

This will be a place for dispatches from the dust. Hoping for a space to combine some of my worlds. It might be things I have discovered in the sawdust ridden shop or flour covered kitchen. One of the reasons I started to carve was because I spent a lot of time in the kitchen baking. It seemed reasonable that being a baker, I could use my hands to make things from wood that I could use back in the kitchen.

The first one will be a sharing of a favorite recipe. Carrot cake truffles. Not really true truffles because they are vegan and don’t actually have any chocolate. But they are still good ones.

1 c chopped or grated carrots
1 c almond flour
7-8 large pitted medjool dates 
1/4 c shredded or desiccated coconut plus more 🥥 for enrobing 
1 t cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1 healthy T honey
1 healthy T almond butter or peanut butter
Water to consistency
Handful of raisins 

Pulse all ingredients minus water and raisins in a food processor until a dough like consistency has been reached. Add water if dry. Toss in handful of raisins and blitz or stir by hand. Roll into balls and enrobe in coconut and or cinnamon sugar.

If you get around to making these, share them if you’d be so kind…both with people you like and online. Use #VHWWrecipes so we can keep track of all the good wood times.

cheers