Tender, tangy sourdough muffins studded with juicy strawberries and finished with a buttery crumble for a bright, lightly sweet bite. Quick to bake or optionally long-fermented for deeper sourdough nuance.
For the quick method: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners.
Make the crumble: In a bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Cut in the cold butter with a fork until crumbly. Refrigerate until needed.
Prepare strawberries: Chop strawberries, pat dry if needed, and toss with 1 tablespoon flour. Set aside.
Dry mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Wet mixture: In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, melted butter, eggs, sourdough discard, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
Combine: Add dry ingredients to wet and stir just until combined. Gently fold in the floured strawberries. Let batter rest 5–10 minutes.
Fill and top: Spoon batter into muffin cups. Sprinkle generously with the chilled crumble.
Bake: 22–25 minutes, until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the muffin (avoid the fruit) comes out clean. Cool 5–10 minutes in pan, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
For the long-fermented method (optional): The night before, mix sugar, melted butter, active sourdough starter (in place of discard), milk, and flour until combined. Cover and ferment at room temperature 8–24 hours.
Next day: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and prepare the muffin tin. Make the crumble as above and refrigerate.
Prepare strawberries: Chop, pat dry if needed, and toss with 1 tablespoon flour.
Finish batter: To the fermented mixture, add eggs, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well (batter will be thick).
Fold in strawberries, portion into the muffin cups, and top with crumble.
Bake 22–25 minutes, until golden with a clean toothpick. Cool 5–10 minutes in pan, then move to a rack.