Looking for the perfect brunch recipe to use up your sourdough starter discard? This blueberry sourdough coffee cake is perfectly sweet and crispy around the edges! It's made with sourdough starter discard and simple pantry ingredients. Make it in a cast-iron skillet or baking dish, whatever you have available!
My favorite thing about this recipe, and my original Sourdough Discard Coffee Cake recipe, is that it is a true discard recipe. There aren't a bunch of steps or added ingredients required to make this blueberry sourdough coffee cake taste delicious and use up extra sourdough starter discard.
Keep reading to learn what ingredients you need, how to make this coffee cake, delicious substitutions, how to store, and variations for this recipe!
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Ingredients for sourdough coffee cake
This recipe is super simple and is ready to eat in less than thirty minutes! Every ingredient in this discard recipe is something you probably already have in your pantry.
wet ingredients
SOURDOUGH STARTER || The fed/hungry status of the discard really won't make a difference in this recipe! I store the discard in a refrigerated mason jar. I'll use it in recipes for up to three weeks.
MELTED BUTTER || I use a fork to mix half of the butter in the coffee cake batter and use the other half to grease the cast iron skillet. Result? A crispy and crunchy crust!
dry ingredients
BAKING POWDER || Baking powder is the magic ingredient that turns a flat and sad sourdough starter into a fluffy and light cake-like batter. Air bubbles form as the baking powder mixes with the flour in the starter and the batter puffs up within seconds.
SUGAR || Feel free to swap out a natural sweetener like maple syrup or honey!
GROUND CINNAMON || Add this in with the dry ingredients.
SEA SALT || Just a pinch of sea salt will do! I also like Celtic salt, Himalayan salt, Kosher salt or Icelandic salt.
BLUEBERRIES || Fresh or frozen will work! If using frozen blueberries, put them in a bowl with about ⅓ cup of flour to coat.
crumble topping
BROWN SUGAR || The crumble topping is an important part of the flavor profile of this coffee cake. I wouldn't skip it!
ROLLED OATS || Quick oats, rolled oats, no problem! Whatever you have!
optional garnishes
MAPLE SYRUP || Optional, but delicious! A generous swirl on top sweetens it up real nice (read that with a Southern drawl, k?)
POWDERED SUGAR || Again, not necessary but a light dusting of powdered sugar right before serving really elevates this brunch favorite!
How to make blueberry sourdough coffee cake
- If the sourdough starter has been stored in the refrigerator, let it sit at room temperature for thirty minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet. Set the oven to medium and let the skillet slowly creep up to temperature. This allows the coffee cake to cook evenly and the pan to be nonstick.
- Grab a medium mixing bowl. Stir together the starter, baking powder, 2 tablespoons of butter, sugar, half of the cinnamon and sea salt. Fold in the blueberries.
- Add two tablespoons of butter to the skillet and swirl it around the bottom and sides of the pan. It will begin to turn bubbly and brown, just like the browned butter I use in my SNICKERDOODLES. Browned butter has definitely become a lasting obsession in my kitchen!
- Pour the batter into the skillet and gently spread it out. Sprinkle the top with the oats, brown sugar and remaining cinnamon. Watch as the coffee cake begins to lightly fry along the edges of the pan. After about two minutes, the edges will be slightly crisped and cooked. Place the skillet in the oven to finish cooking for about ten minutes. Think of this as being sort of like a jumbo pancake.
- After the coffee cake has cooled a bit, my boys like to dust their slice with powdered sugar. Drizzle with maple syrup and add a few extra blueberries before serving.
WHAT IS SOURDOUGH STARTER DISCARD?
The obsession of baking crusty and fluffy home made sourdough bread has one clear drawback: discarding a portion of the unfed starter. When I say "sourdough starter discard," I am talking about the step in the feeding process where a portion of the hungry sourdough starter is removed and replaced with flour and water. Adding the flour and water "feeds" the bacteria cultures and creates fermentation.
For my basic sourdough recipes, I have a feeding routine that is very simple and easy to follow. My starter, like any hungry little house pet, needs food, water and attention to survive. With a little planning, the discarded portion can be very minimal!
To feed my starter, I discard about half and add back in 1 scant cup flour and ½ cup of filtered water. I have a rubber band around the container to mark the starting height of the mixture. As it begins to bubble and grow from the fermentation process, the starter will grow past the rubber band and creep up the jar. If my starter is VERY active, for example on a day when I am baking multiple loaves and feeding it often, it will sometimes ferment itself right out of the jar!
HOW TO USE A SOURDOUGH STARTER DISCARD
A sourdough starter requires daily feeding if kept at room temperature. On days when I am not baking, it store mine in the refrigerator.
Feeling wasteful? Don't worry! I have plenty of recipes for your discarded portion!
When I don't feel like baking, I can feed my leftover sourdough starter discard to our chickens or pigs, put it in a jar and refrigerate it for later, compost it or simply throw it away. This is truly 'discarding.'
To be honest, my favorite way to make a discard disappear in the most delicious way possible is by baking with it! SOURDOUGH CRACKERS, SOURDOUGH CREPES, SOURDOUGH BANANA BREAD... there are so many tasty possibilities! I have even used a few tablespoons to thicken chicken and noodle soup or beef stew.
I also share my very favorite basic sourdough loaf recipe along with easy to follow tips in my post, HOW TO BAKE A PERFECT LOAF OF SOURDOUGH BREAD.
how to store sourdough coffee cake
An air tight container is your bff for storing this sourdough starter discard coffee cake! Choose a ziploc bag or glass storage container with a tight fitting lid. Keep the coffee cake on the counter for up to three days for peak freshness. I recommend popping it in the microwave for fifteen seconds to warm the slices before serving as a leftover.
This can also be made ahead and frozen for a quick grab-and-go breakfast. Cut the coffee cake into slices and freeze individually. Reheat in the toaster or microwave.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. For more delicious recipes from scratch and homesteading tips, follow me on instagram @NinnescahHomestead
Recipe
Sourdough Blueberry Coffee Cake
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 200 grams sourdough starter active or fed
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 tablespoon baking powder heaping
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoons oats quick or rolled
- 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- If the sourdough starter has been stored in the refrigerator, let it sit at room temperature for thirty minutes to loosen up a bit. Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet. I do this by placing it on the stovetop over medium heat for about two minutes until it is very hot but NOT smoking. If it begins to smoke, I remove it from the heat until it cools slightly.
- While the skillet is preheating, add the sourdough starter, baking powder, two tablespoons of butter sugar, half of the cinnamon, blueberries and the sea salt to a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add two tablespoons of butter to the skillet and swirl it around the bottom and sides of thespian. It will melt and turn bubbly brown.
- Pour the batter into then skillet with the melted butter. Gently spread it out, but DO NOT MIX IT WITH THE BUTTER. Sprinkle the top with oats, brown sugar and remaining cinnamon. Watch as the edges of the coffee cake begin to lightly fry and crisp up. After about two minutes, the edges will be almost fully cooked. Place the skillet in the oven to finish cooking for about ten minutes.
- To serve, dust with powdered sugar and drizzle with maple syrup. This crispy and soft coffee cake is best if eaten immediately, but can be stored at room temperature for about a day.
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