Sourdough Pear Muffins

These little muffins were derived from my isolation baking, and my new obsession with all things sourdough! If you are into sourdough as well, and have some starter that needs using these muffins are perfect! Using sourdough starter results in the most light and fluffy muffins, however there are so many more benefits to using sourdough starter.

Similar to other fermented foods, sourdough starter is fermented by using lactobacillus cultures (a probiotic bacteria that benefits your gut). Unfortunately the cultures don’t survive the baking process but lactic acid is created. This lactic acid helps decrease the levels of phytic acid in the spelt (phytic acid interferes with the absorption of certain nutrients, which is a bad thing). This in turn, helps other nutrients become more readily available, digestible and absorbable.

These muffins are not gluten-free, but they do use spelt flour which is generally easier to digest than a whole-wheat flour and some people with gluten sensitivities (not wheat allergies or those with celiac disease) can handle some spelt, especially when paired with the sourdough starter, as the long fermentation process involved in making sourdough has shown to improve digestion of gluten-forming proteins.

If you don’t have any sourdough starter, you can also substitute for greek yoghurt. It won’t have the same nutritional benefits, but will still make a yummy muffin!