Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Delight (Printable)

Tangy lemon and juicy blueberries combine with sourdough for irresistibly soft baked treats perfect any time.

# What You Need:

→ Wet Ingredients

01 - 1/2 cup active sourdough starter, unfed or discard
02 - 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
03 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
04 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
06 - Zest of 1 lemon
07 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

→ Dry Ingredients

08 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
09 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
10 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
11 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

→ Mix-Ins

13 - 1 cup fresh blueberries, or frozen unthawed

→ Lemon Glaze

14 - 1 cup powdered sugar
15 - 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
16 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two nonstick donut pans with cooking spray or butter.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sourdough starter, buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice until thoroughly combined.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt.
04 - Pour dry ingredients into wet mixture and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix to maintain tender texture.
05 - Gently fold blueberries into batter, lightly dusting them with flour if desired to prevent sinking during baking.
06 - Spoon or pipe batter into prepared donut pans, filling each cavity approximately 3/4 full.
07 - Bake for 13 to 15 minutes until donuts spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
08 - Allow donuts to cool in pans for 5 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
09 - In a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest together until smooth and pourable consistency is reached.
10 - Dip cooled donuts into lemon glaze, coating evenly. Place glazed donuts on a wire rack and allow glaze to set before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • These donuts are naturally leavened with sourdough starter, so they stay impossibly soft for days instead of going stale by afternoon.
  • The combination of bright lemon juice and zest with pops of blueberry tastes like spring decided to become breakfast.
  • You can use discard starter, which means you're actually using something that would have been thrown away anyway.
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter is the number one reason donuts turn out tough—once the dry flour disappears, you're done; every extra stir makes them denser.
  • Room temperature ingredients blend more smoothly, which means a better texture; take eggs and buttermilk out of the fridge 15 minutes before you start.
  • Frozen blueberries work just fine and sometimes taste even better because they burst differently during baking, but don't thaw them first or they'll bleed color everywhere.
03 -
  • Don't skip the step of dusting blueberries with flour before folding them in—it genuinely prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the donut where they can't be enjoyed.
  • If your sourdough starter is very young or weak, your donuts might not have quite the same lift; use an active, bubbly starter for best results.
Go Back