Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Donuts (Printable Version)

Bright lemon and fresh blueberries blend with sourdough in soft, naturally leavened baked donuts.

# Ingredient List:

→ 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

# Directions:

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 - Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix to maintain tender texture.
05 - Gently fold blueberries into batter. Lightly dust berries with flour if desired to prevent excessive sinking.
06 - Spoon or pipe batter into prepared donut pans, filling each cavity approximately three-quarters 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 until smooth and pourable.
10 - Dip cooled donuts into lemon glaze and return to wire rack. Allow glaze to set completely before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Your sourdough discard finally has a purpose beyond guilt and compost bins.
  • These bake soft and tender in fifteen minutes with zero yeast drama or overnight rising.
  • The combination of tangy starter and bright lemon tastes like the donuts know a secret you do.
02 -
  • Don't use bubbly, actively fermenting sourdough starter; it needs to be calm or the donuts will taste vinegary and bake unevenly.
  • Frozen blueberries work but may tint your batter slightly purple-blue, which is charming and totally fine.
  • These taste infinitely better the day they're made; they'll keep airtight for two days but lose that fresh, tender quality.
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients mix more evenly and create a smoother batter—pull your eggs and buttermilk out of the fridge twenty minutes before you start.
  • Use a small cookie scoop or piping bag to fill your donut pans evenly; it's less messy and gives consistent results.
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