The Best Sourdough Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins from Scratch

The best sourdough orange chocolate chip muffins made totally from scratch with fresh milled flour and vibrant, fresh squeezed orange juice!

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Sourdough Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins with Fresh Milled Flour

These are the most “from scratch” orange chocolate chip muffins you are going to find! Made with active or discard sourdough starter and nourishing fresh milled whole wheat flour, these delicious muffins will satisfy the whole family.

Be sure to check out all my other original fresh milled flour recipes!

Why Fresh Milled Flour?

The health benefits of freshly milled flour are enormous! The eponymous Sue Becker introduced me to freshly milled flour recently and I am loving it, and so are my kids!! Freshly milled whole wheat flour maintains the entire nutritional profile of God’s gift of wheat to mankind.

Wheat has at least 45 essential nutrients for the human body, including magnesium, vitamin E, and iodine. When we buy conventional AP flour it is usually bleached with a chlorine derivative and is completely stripped of all these wonderful nutrients. Then the food companies put back in synthetic versions of just five of the nutrients lost, and call it “enriched.”

When we use whole wheat berries we preserve not only the vital nutrients for a thriving life we also maintain the fiber content of wheat. Are you dealing with constipation? Freshly milled whole wheat could fix that!

God is an amazing Creator who gave us every good thing. Why not just use the food God gave us as He intended it to be used? Freshly milled flour is the healthiest way to consume wheat.

Man can not live on bread alone but God loves bread!

Ingredients for Sourdough Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins from Scratch

Wet

• 1 cup sourdough starter (active or discard) 50% hydration
• 1 stick salted grass fed butter, melted
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• juice and zest of 1 large orange

Dry

• 2 cups fresh milled hard white wheat flour (sub 2 cups AP)
• 1 tbsp baking powder (aluminum free)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions for Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins from Scratch

Preparation

To make your sourdough orange chocolate chip muffins, begin by milling your flour. This recipe calls for hard white wheat flour. While the flour is milling, gather your ingredients.

Melt the butter on the stove top or in the microwave. (Keep an eye on your flour mill during this time.). In the meantime, juice and zest one orange. I have a manual stainless steel juicer that I love for making fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juice for my family. Since it’s only one orange, though, you can easily use a standard reemer.

Before mixing the wet ingredients, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Wet

First, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together your sourdough starter (this can be active or discard), buttermilk, and vanilla extract. I recommend using a dough whisk if you make a lot of bread products. It is a staple utensil in my kitchen.

Second, incorporate the melted butter. Be sure to whisk as you pour it in so the butter does not cool into large chunks in the batter. I recommend using grass fed butter for the added nutrients for your family and the extra depth of flavor. Good quality ingredients are THE secret to good cooking.

Third, mix in the sugar until incorporated.

Then, whisk in the eggs, being careful not to over mix.

Last, whisk in the orange juice and zest until everything is fully melded together.

Dry

In a separate, smaller mixing bowl, combine the fresh milled flour and baking powder.

Then, stir the flour mix into the wet mix using the dough whisk until fully combined.

And last but not least of course, fold in the chocolate chips. Yum!

Bake

Line a 12 cell muffin tin with non toxic parchment paper baking liners. Then use a cookie scoop to pour an equal amount of batter into each cell.

Finally, bake your sourdough orange chocolate chip muffins at 375 degrees F for 21-23 minutes. Use a toothpick to check if they are finished baking. Simply slide the toothpick down the center of a muffin. If, after you remove the toothpick, there is no batter left on it, the muffins are done baking. If there is better lef ton the toothpick, however, leave them in the oven for another minute or two.

Serve

Remove the muffins from the tin and allow to cool before serving. If you want to make them a little more sweet, mix a 1/4 cup of powdered sugar with a tbsp of fresh squeezed orange juice and drizzle on top of the muffins. Shave a bit of dark chocolate using your zester from a chocolate bar for a finishing touch.

Muffins will last on the countertop for three days but will lose their moisture afterward. You can also freeze and store them for up to three months.

Buttermilk Quick Tip

Buttermilk is used frequently in quick bread recipes because of its acidity. Quick breads use baking soda and/or baking powder rather than yeast to achieve their rise. To aid the baking soda/powder you need to use a liquid with an acid, such as buttermilk.

But what if you forgot to pick it up at the store a few days ago? What if you don’t want to buy an entire half gallon or buttermilk only to use one cup of liquid? There is an easy workout. Instead of using buttermilk to activate the baking soda/powder, you can make your own “buttermilk” at home.

Simply add about a teaspoon or two of lemon juice or white vinegar for each cup of regular milk. Mix it together and there you have it!: homemade “buttermilk.” It tastes and works just the same.

The Best Sourdough Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins from Scratch

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Comment

Let me know how you like these sourdough orange chocolate chip muffins made with fresh milled flour in the comments below and be sure to rate this recipe! Thank you!