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Much Ado About Muffins

I love the American muffin that has become increasingly popular over in the UK, and seems to be available everywhere and especially loved by coffee chains* everywhere. They are so easy to make at home and you will rapidly become addicted to making them.

*I am no fan of chains of coffee shops, with their boring, not so good and totally over priced coffee. I try to go to an independent shop, or better still work in places with a good coffee machine. At home I have my much loved Nespresso Machine that makes the perfect cup of coffee in a matter of seconds and for around 23p. However I digress; my dislike of generic coffee chains can wait, there is the more important matter of muffins to consider.

Muffins are made from a batter rather than a mix like a sponge cake, you simply weigh the wet ingredients into a jug, the dry ones into a bowl, whisk the wet ingredients up and roughly stir them together. Easy and no mixer to wash up, perfect to whizzing a quick batch up anywhere or great for children.

All recipes make 6 medium muffins, perfect for 2 that

enjoy their food (I hesitate to say greedy).

Basic Muffin Mix

Dry Ingredients

5oz plain flour
1.5oz
sugar
pinch salt
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder

(For savoury muffins use 6oz of flour and omit the sugar)

Mix well together. Some recipes will say sift, personally I simply do not bother as I find it makes no difference, and my cooking is about being fuss free.

Wet Ingredients
1 egg
2oz sunflower/rape seed oil
4oz milk / plain yogurt or a mixture


Whisk together. I have electronic scales that have a tare so I can just keep adding ingredients to the same bowl, they seemed terribly expensive when I bought them, but I now would not be without them, they weight to the nearest gram or 1/8oz and are indispensable in my kitchen.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold them in, it should take no more than 12 folds, the mixture should be lumpy and bumpy. Any extra mixing will cause the gluten to overdevelop in the batter and result in muffins with tunnels in them.

Using a spoon transfer batter into muffins cases or a lightly oiled silicon mould, I have this one from John Lewis and have never had anything stick. When buying silicone bakeware, fold and pinch it between finger and thumb, if it goes white then it is not 100% silicone and it will not be non stick. Silicone bakeware is amazing stuff, you can heat it, boil it, freeze it, chuck it in the dishwasher and it will never (or has never for me) misbehave. You will need to stand a silicone tray on something solid, I find a wire tray works best.

Bake at GM4 to 5/180-190C for around 20 to 25 minutes depending on your oven until the muffins are risen and golden and then let them stand for a few minutes, quickly run a knife round each one and turn out to cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy.

Sweet Muffins Recipes include; Berry Muffins, Okara, Lemon & Blueberry, Zingy Maple MangoSavoury Muffin Recipes include; Cornbread, Cheese and Pancetta Breakfast Muffins.

4 Responses to “Much Ado About Muffins”

  1. Anonymous says:

    Having eaten both the breakfast muffins and the cornbreads over the weekend, I can completely vouch for how easy they are to make and how yummy they are

    Sky xxx

  2. Hippolyra says:

    Thanks Sky,

    They really aee stupidly easy to make and you are only limited by your imagination as to flavourings.

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