Sourdough Hot Cross Muffins

Delicious  Sourdough Hot Cross Muffins made with flavors of hot cross buns and with goodness of spices,  sourdough starter/ discard, and apples for the cross, which brings a healthy addition instead of sugary cross version.

These fruit-laden muffins smell exactly like  hot cross buns  with lesser time and effort. Hot cross muffins are a delightful twist on the classic hot cross buns, offering a convenient and portable version of this Easter treat

History of Hot Cross Buns

The history of hot cross buns may date back to the 12th century, when an English monk began marking his baked buns with a cross on Good Friday to honor the day. The custom became popular, and over time, fruits and spices were added to represent health and prosperity.

This sourdough hot cross muffins also contains dry fruits like raisins, cranberries, and  lime zest.  You can use candied citrus  peels also.

Other Easter recipes you can check here.

How to make this sourdough Hot Cross Muffins ?

You need following  ingredients to make this sourdough Hot cross muffins.

• All-purpose flour: I have used unbleached all-purpose flour. You can use bleached flour too.
• Sourdough starter/discard: Both fed and non-fed sourdough starter will work with this recipe. You don’t need to keep the dough fermented.
• Sugar: I have used granulated sugar here; you can use brown sugar also.
• Honey: Adds sweetness and moistness to the muffins.
• Eggs: Adds softness and lifts to the muffins.
• Leavening agents: Both baking soda and baking powder are used in this recipe.
• Salts: Adds flavor and taste to muffins
• Spices: Cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg are used in this recipe.
• Lime zest: You can use lemon zest too here.
• Dry fruits: Dark raisins and cranberries are used in this recipe. You can use currants instead of dark raisins.
• Milk: Adds moistness to the recipe .
• Canola oil: Adding oil to the muffins makes tender crumb .
• Green apple slices : This gives a healthy twist to muffins instead of sugary cross in regular Hot Cross muffins.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions to make this Sourdough Hot Cross Muffins?

In a large bowl add flour, spices, salt , baking powder and baking powder and set aside.

Dry ingredients with flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt

Oil, egg, milk,

Sourdough starter and lime zest

Flour mix, raisins and cranberries

In large bowl add egg, oil, milk, sourdough starter, buttermilk, lemon zest and mix everything.

To this add flour-spice mix and cranberries and raisins

Mix everything  and set aside.

Transfer the  muffin batter to muffin tin and top with green apple slice as cross.

Bake and enjoy.

Variations to this Sourdough Hot Cross Muffins ?

Here are some variations you can try to add a unique touch to your hot cross muffins:

1. Chocolate Chip Sourdough Hot Cross Muffins: Incorporate chocolate chips into the muffin batter for a decadent twist. You can use dark, milk, or white chocolate chips depending on your preference.
2. Apple Cinnamon Sourdough  Hot Cross Muffins: Mix diced apples and ground cinnamon into the muffin batter for a comforting and aromatic variation.
3. Nutty sourdough Hot Cross Muffins: Incorporate chopped nuts such as pecans, walnuts, or almonds into the muffin batter for added crunch and richness.
4. Chai Spice Sourdough Hot Cross Muffins: Infuse the muffin batter with chai spices such as cardamom, ginger, cloves, and black pepper for a fragrant and exotic twist.
5. Savory sourdough Hot Cross Muffins: Experiment with savory flavors by adding ingredients like cheese, bacon bits, sun-dried tomatoes, or herbs such as rosemary or thyme to the muffin batter. Serve these savory muffins as a side dish or snack.
6. Sticky Toffee sourdough Hot Cross Muffins: Incorporate chopped dates or dates paste into the muffin batter for a sweet and sticky variation reminiscent of sticky toffee pudding. Drizzle with a caramel glaze for extra indulgence.
7. Spiced Rum sourdough Hot Cross Muffins: Add a splash of rum to the muffin batter along with traditional spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for a boozy and aromatic twist. Soaking the dried fruit in rum beforehand will infuse the muffins with flavor.

Feel free to get creative and customize these variations to suit your taste preferences.

Storage of these sourdough hot cross muffins?

These sourdough hot cross muffins are very versatile .

You can store these muffins at room temperature for 2-3 days.

For short term storage  these muffins refrigerate them for 5-6 days.

Long term storage freezes them individually wrapped  up to 3 months.

FAQ

I have made these muffins as a part of Muffin Monday.

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Print Recipe

5 from 31 votes

Sourdough Hot Cross Muffins

Delicious  Sourdough Hot Cross Muffins made with flavorsof hot cross buns and with goodness of spices,  sourdough starter/ discard, and apples for thecross, which brings a healthy addition instead of sugary cross version.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Sourdough discard recipes, Sourdough Hot Cross Muffins,

Servings: 11 pieces

Calories: 171kcal

Equipment

• Pyrex bowl
• Muffin tin
• Cookie Scoop

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups 162.5 g all-purpose flour
• ½ cup 109g sourdough starter/ Discard ( 100% Hydration)
• 1 tsp. 5g baking powder
• ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. 2g baking soda
• ¼ tsp. ground allspice
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. ground cloves
• ¼ tsp. fine salt
• ½ cup 100 g granulated sugar.
• ⅓ cup milk
• ⅓ cup 59g vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp. 17 g honey
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ½ cups 58 g raisins
• ¼ cup 35 g dried cranberries
• 1 green apple cut it into thin slices
• For the glaze if you are not using the apple slice
• ½ cups 100 g icing sugar
• ¾ Tbsp. 11 ml water

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with regular paper liners.
• In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, milk, oil, eggs, honey, lemon zest and sourdough starter/discard together. Add all at once to the flour and whisk until well combined. Stir in the raisins and cranberries and mix everything together.
• Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Add the slices of green apples on the top of the muffins.
• Bake the muffins for 15 -20 minutes or until toothpick inserted will comes out clean . Cool the muffins in their tins on a rack for 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
• If you do not want to use green apples, make a glaze with powdered sugar. Whisk the icing sugar, water, if using, until smooth and the proper consistency for piping. Pipe a cross on the top of each muffin. Let the glaze set for an hour before serving.
• Enjoy

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 171kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 103mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

Swathi

This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread.  All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.