Mixed Berry Sourdough Focaccia Muffins

Focaccia is one of my favorite things to bake with sourdough and these Berry Sourdough Focaccia Muffins are such a fun sweet treat! Soft and fluffy sourdough focaccia, shaped into muffin tins, topped with mixed berry filling and vanilla glaze.

If you haven’t dove into the world of focaccia bread with your sourdough, I encourage you to do so! The flavor options are endless, it is incredibly easy to do and has that soft fluffy texture everyone loves.

I love to try all sorts of sweet and savoury variations of focaccia and this mixed berry version is the perfect sweet bread. These muffins starts with a classic sourdough focaccia bread dough. You then cut that into twelve and place the dough in muffin tins. Let it rise, then whip up a simple berry filling to spoon over top of each muffin. Bake them until puffy and lightly golden then top with a simple vanilla glaze.

These muffins are a fun change from regular muffins because they are lighter, lower in sugar, and give you light beautiful light and fluffy bread texture. You can make these with any combination of berries you like and I promise the whole family will love them. They make a perfect afternoon treat, a sweet side to breakfast or even dessert!

Tips For Making Perfect Berry Sourdough Focaccia Muffins

1. Use a nice active and strong sourdough starter that has been fed about 8-10 hours prior to making the dough. This will help you get that beautiful light and fluffy texture.
2. Focaccia is much more forgiving if it is over proofed than a classic sourdough loaf. Because of this, I always recommend proofing on the longer side if you are unsure. You want the dough to get nice and jiggly and bubbly.
3. Once you have divided the dough into the muffin tins, you want to give it a good couple hours to warm up and rise. This second rise brings air back into the dough, making the muffins so fluffy.

Mixed Berry Sourdough Focaccia Muffin Ingredients

Flour- Unbleached all purpose or bread flour work.

Sourdough Starter– As mentioned above you want to use a nice strong and active fed sourdough starter.

Oil– This can be any neutral oil or melted butter. I personally like to use melted butter or avocado oil.

Salt– Any fine salt will work.

Frozen Berries– This can be already mixed berries or you can do a combination of any berries you like.

Maple Syrup– Adds a touch of sweetness to the berries. Can sub with granulated sugar if you prefer.

Cornstarch– Just a touch, helps thicken the fruit filling.

Powdered Sugar– If yours seems lumpy, I recommend sifting it.

Milk– Just a touch to help create that smooth glaze.

Vanilla Extract– Optional, but adds a nice bit of extra flavor to the glaze.

The Steps

Make the Dough

1. Start by mixing together the water, sourdough starter and oil in a large bowl with a dough whisk or wooden spoon. Mix until milky.
2. Then, add in the flour and the salt and mix until you get a thick shaggy dough.
3. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let rest for 45 minutes.
4. Next, perform a set of stretch and folds or coil folds. Cover the bowl back up and let it rest for 30 minutes.
5. Repeat this process two more times for a total of 3 rounds of stretch and folds.
6. Once you have finished all of the folds, cover the dough back up with a damp tea towel and let rest on the counter for 7-8 hours or until doubled in size with a few bubbles on the surface. Then, remove the tea towel, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 8 hours or up to 36 hours.
7. A few hours before you want to bake the muffins, remove the dough from the fridge.

She the Muffins

1. Dump it onto the counter and cut it into 12 pieces. You can eyeball or they will be roughly 115-120g each.
2. Take a 12 count muffin tin and drizzle some oil or melted butter into the bottom of each one so that the dough won’t stick.
3. Then place each piece of dough into a muffin cup. The dough does not have to be smoothed or shaped!
4. Cover the muffin tin loosely with a tea towel or a baking dish, and let rise at room temp for about 3 hours.
5. While they rise, add the frozen berries and maple syrup to a pot. Heat over medium heat until melted and saucey.
6. Then, stir the cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water and pour it into the berries. Stir and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes until it begins to thicken.
7. Place in the fridge or at room temp to cool slightly and preheat your oven to 425F.
8. Finally, take the puffy muffins, lightly wet your fingers, and dimple each one.
9. Take a spoonful of the berries and place it on top of each muffin, then lightly dimple again with your fingers to press the berries into the dough.

Bake

1. Bake the muffins for about 20-25 minutes or until set in the middle and lightly golden on th edges.
2. Allow the muffins for cool for 10 minutes. Stir together the powdered sugar with a splash of milk and vanilla, and drizzle over top of each muffin. Enjoy!

If you give this recipe a try, leave a comment or a recipe review below!

Looking for more sourdough sweet treats to bake?

https://cmbarndominium.com/soft-cinnamon-swirl-banana-sourdough-coffee-cake/

https://cmbarndominium.com/how-to-make-the-softest-sourdough-cinnamon-buns/

https://cmbarndominium.com/the-best-brown-butter-sourdough-banana-bread/