|
|
 |
Quick-Breads,
Muffins, Scones, Biscuits, & More ... |
|
|
|
 WHAT
DOES THE PERFECT QUICK-BREAD (MUFFINS INCLUDED) SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE ON THE
INSIDE?: The surface of the
muffin should be bumpy (or smooth if more cake-like) and the volume of the
batter should have doubled during baking. When
cut in half, muffins should have a moist crumb, laced with irregularly sized
and spaced air holes (smaller with more consistently sized air holes if
cake-like). |
Muffins are
smaller versions of quick-breads and are often the moister,
richer and sweeter cousins of
scones or
biscuits. Muffins are
so easy to make, that if you are a beginner, after
cookies, they should be the next
baked good to make.
Muffins are traditionally baked in muffin tins
from a batter prepared from a mixture of
all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder/soda, eggs, fat, and milk (buttermilk,
yogurt, sour cream), though recipes can vary.
Dried or fresh fruit,
nuts, chocolate, extracts, herbs and spices, cornmeal, bran, oats are some of
the flavorings that can be added. A streusel topping, a sprinkle of coarse
sugar or a drizzle of a glaze can be added for flavor and texture.
All muffins are good served warm or reheated.
|
DO NOT OVER MIX AND/OR OVER BAKE MUFFINS AND OTHER QUICK BREAD RECIPES.
When a muffin turns
out dense, dry and flavorless,
you have either over mixed the
batter and/or over baked it.
If you break open your muffins
and see tunnels, you've over mixed the batter! The excess of air bubbles
beaten into the batter, stretch the gluten while baking. To prevent, STOP
mixing when you have generally just combined the dry and wet ingredients.
To prevent over baking, the
muffin tin should come out of the oven just when the muffins have a tiny bit
of baking to go. |
There are two types of muffins:
bread-like
and
cake-like,
each mixed using a different
method and
containing different proportions of fat and sugar to flour.
Less sugar and fat makes a bread-like muffin
with a more coarse interior crumb than a cake-like muffin.
The fat used
is usually in liquid form, either an oil or melted butter.
Stirring must be kept to a minimum so the gluten is not overdeveloped.
The interior crumb
has small, and more irregular air holes.
A higher sugar and butter
content makes a cake-like muffin.
The
butter (room-temperature) and sugar are creamed together
and need more stirring to develop the desired structure.
The
interior crumb should have smaller air holes and tender, more like a cake.
|
NOTE:
Do not cool muffins in their
pans or they will get soggy bottoms. Instead, the muffin tin should sit on a
wire cake rack for 10 minutes before removing muffins to cool back on the
wire cake rack. Turn the pan over and tap lightly and the muffins should
fall right out. They are less apt to fall apart when removing if you give
them that 10 minute resting period.
If the muffins continue to
stick, carefully run a narrow flexible metal spatula or thin-bladed knife
around the sides of each muffin to loosen. |
MUFFIN
MIXING METHODS: The optimum proportion of
ingredients, mixing, and baking results in a the ideal
muffin which has a good volume, a slightly rounded, golden brown and pebbly top
mixed with the Muffin Mix Method or a smooth top when mixed with the Cake
Method.
To Mix With the Muffin
Method: is used to mix
most muffin batters.
Only two bowls are needed to make the
batter. One bowl is used to mix all the dry ingredients together. The
second bowl contains all the wet ingredients. For best results, the wet
ingredients are usually poured into the dry ones and mixed with a large spoon
until just combined.
It is done this way so the
gluten protein in flour is not
developed until
the last minute when wheat flour and moisture are mixed,
resulting in a tender and flavorful recipe.
Liquid fat
is less effective than solid fat from preventing gluten and this mixing method
helps to prevent excess from forming.
This is the opposite of
yeast breads that require kneading to
develop the gluten.
 | Combine dry ingredients in
one bowl, mixing well. If you didn’t mix them before combining with the
liquid ingredients, when baked, the muffins will likely get elongated
holes (tunnels) inside; |
|
| Combine wet ingredients in
another bowl, mixing well.
|
|
| Finally combine the dry
and wet, by hand with a wooden spoon, just enough to blend - DO NOT
OVERMIX.
Only 10 to 15 strokes are needed to
moisten the ingredients and the batter should be still lumpy
- don't try and smooth
it. The
lumps will disappear when the batter bakes. When
lifted with a spoon, the batter should break and separate easily.
|
|
| Form and bake immediately
in a well-preheated oven. DO NOT OVERBAKE.
|
|
To Mix With the Cake Method:
is prepared using the same method as mixing a butter cake batter where the
butter and sugar are creamed together. The
higher sugar and fat content in this type of muffin act as tenderizers by
minimizing gluten, thereby producing a richer cake-like muffin with a softer
crumb.
| The
butter (room-temperature) and sugar are creamed together.
|
|
| The eggs
are mixed in. |
|
| The wet
and dry ingredients are added alternately. |
|
| Batter will look smooth.
DO NOT OVERMIX. |
|
| Form and bake immediately
in a well-preheated oven. DO NOT OVERBAKE.
|
|
If any muffin batter is over-mixed, it will not easily rise in
the early part of the baking.
This results in a lighter slick crust with a
duller appearance, a top which is not rounded but has peaks, and tunnels or
holes through the center of the muffin.
|
MUFFIN CUP SIZES: |
HOW MUCH?+ |
|
Muffin Size |
Muffin Cup Size |
+ NOTE: For extra-large and
higher domed muffins, fill each cup to almost or completely full. Otherwise,
fill... |
|
Mini |
1 3/4 x 1 inch (small) |
each cup about 3/4 full (about 1
tablespoon each). |
|
Standard (can make
extra-large) |
2 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches (medium) |
each cup 1/2 full. |
|
Jumbo |
3 1/2 x 1 3/4 inches (large) |
each cup 1/2 full. |
Muffin
Pans: For better baking, use shiny muffin pans for golden and tender
muffin crusts.
For easy baking and easy cleanup, use greased
paper baking cups preferably when the batter is cake-like (thinner batters).
|
If you don't use all of the
muffin cups when filling the muffin tin, fill the empty ones 1/2 full with
water. This way they won't smoke in the oven. |
Non-stick
surfaces for muffin pans are available which enables easy removal of the
muffins. Each pan can have 6-, 12- or 24- cup-shaped depressions and range from
mini- to jumbo in size. Mini muffin pans usually have12 or 24 cup-shaped
depressions.
Batter can be spooned or poured into the pan
and be careful not to stir while putting it in. However, take the guesswork out
of filling muffin cups by using a spring-handled ice-cream scoop! Scoops marked
with a No. 20 or 24 get most muffin cups about 3/4 full -- the amount you need
for the rounded tops you want.
 HIGHER
DOMED MUFFINS:
QUESTION: No matter what
recipe I use, I always end up with flat muffins. How do I get jumbo domed
ones like you see in the bakeries? Should I add more baking powder or
baking soda?
ANSWER: First of all, DO
NOT add more leaveners to your recipe, otherwise when it bakes, you'll
find batter oozing from your muffin tin all over your oven! (That happened
to me once and what a big mess; you'll never forget the experience if you
do!)
Here are some tips:
1. Jumbo muffins are
made in large, jumbo muffin pans, but you can use your regular muffin tins
to make large, domed muffins.
The recipe that you are
using MUST have a thick batter, such as my
Cinnamon Bran Muffin Recipe or the
Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffin Recipe.
Thin batters usually bake flatter muffins no matter what you do because
they don't provide a strong foundation from which a muffin can puff in the
oven.
2.
Fill the muffin tins almost or to the top of the rim, instead of 1/2 or
2/3rds full, suggested by most recipes. You'll
get fewer muffins from the batch, ie: 9 muffins out of a dozen mixture, so
fill the empty muffin tins half full with water so they won't smoke during
baking. Do this after you place the filled muffin tins on the oven shelf.
I use a small cream pitcher with a spout.
3. To cause a batter to
dome, you have to preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, even though the
recipe may say to use 350 or 375 degrees F. As soon as you put the muffin
batter in the oven, reduce the heat to what the recipe says. The initial
high heat of 425 degrees F causes the batter to have greater oven spring
or the rapid rise during the first few minutes of baking. This
results in a high domed muffin. |
Baking and Cooling: Bake
muffins in a well-preheated oven. The best test to determine a muffin’s doneness
is to insert a wooden pick into the center of one of the center muffins (they
bake slower than the outer ones) before removing the pan from
the oven. If
the toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs (not clean) clinging to it, the
muffins are done;
if underbaked, they can fall flat when cooling.
Remove
muffin tin from the oven and let it sit on a wire cake rack to cool for about 5
- 10 minutes. Then remove to finish cooling on the rack; do not let the muffins
cool in their tins. Serve muffins while
they're good and hot!
 When
baking muffin (or any
recipe),
hang an
oven thermometer
on the middle shelf in your oven. Baking muffins at too high temperatures
can cause a hard crust to form. Too low a temperature can cause flat
muffins.
If you find that some of your
muffins were peaked while others were not and the oven temperature is
correct, the oven may be heating unevenly, with “hot spots.” So, rotate
(turn) the muffin pans from front to back halfway through the baking time
for even baking.
|
Storage: After cooling completely, place
muffins in an airtight container and store at room temperature. (If they contain
perishable items, refrigerate where the muffins will last for about 5 days to a
week).
Muffins and other quick
breads freeze wonderfully for up to 1-2 months.
After cooling, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then put them in an airtight
freezer bag. They should keep for several months. They can be thawed in their
wrappings on a kitchen counter. Or, unwrap, place in loosely in foil and then
place in a preheated 225 degree F oven.
Freshen day-old muffins
by heating them in a microwave oven
for 1 to
several minutes at 50% power until they are warm.
Or wrap in
foil and place in a preheated 325 degree F oven. Muffins
will harden if overheated, so watch them carefully.
SOME MORE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:
QUESTION: Why do I always get tunnels in my
muffins made with cornmeal or whole wheat flour? Explain.
|
Muffins tend to stick to their liners after baking; they will stick more if
the muffin is still warm. So, cool thoroughly before removing. |
ANSWER: Cornmeal does not
contain gluten forming proteins so products made with only corn meal will not
develop tunnels. Gluten will be developed as a result of the addition of wheat
flour to a corn meal product, but the incidence of tunnels will be low due
nature of the corn meal and its capacity for interference with gluten
development. Whole wheat flour does contain gluten, but the presence of bran, an
interfering agent, greatly reduces the incidence of tunnels.
|
QUESTION:
Is it really necessary to line muffin
tins with ruffled paper cups? ANSWER:
Cook's Illustrated found the answer: they baked blueberry muffins with and
without paper liners. While the muffins baked in liners did have a more
rounded, filled out look, they did not rise as high as those baked right in
the cup. They also found that the papers hindered the browning of the sides
of the muffins, and that a good portion of each muffin was lost when peeling
off the paper. All in all, we prefer to grease muffin tins and bake your
muffins right in the cup, though cleanup is admittedly easier with muffin
papers. Thoroughly grease or spray the muffin tin cavities. -- It makes
sense because muffins need a hot oven and pan in which to puff up in the
oven! -- Sarah |
QUESTION: How does the technique of making
baking powder biscuits differ from the
technique of making muffins?
ANSWER: The formulation
for muffins differs from biscuits in the ratio of flour to liquid. Muffin batter
has a flour to liquid ratio of 2:1 whereas biscuits have a ratio of 3:1. The
method of mixing the ingredients is also different.
|
To prevent muffins from sticking
to their pan, before filling spray the muffin tin cups with vegetable oil or
grease with shortening or butter. Then, put in the muffin liners and spray
or grease, again. |
|
If the muffin tin you are using
has a dark, nonstick surface, reduce the oven's temperature by 25 degrees F. |
a) With muffins, the dry ingredients are mixed together in one
bowl and the liquid ingredients, including the fat, are mixed in another. The
liquid ingredients are then added to the dry. With biscuits, the plastic fat
(stick butter, stick margarine or shortening) is cut into the dry ingredients
first, and then the liquid ingredients are added.
b) Muffins require very little manipulation of the batter. The
liquid ingredients are stirred into the dry only enough to moisten the dry
ingredients. Biscuits require thorough mixing of the dry and wet ingredients and
much more manipulation of the dough to adequately moisten the dry ingredients.
QUESTION:
Explain the result of the absence of various
ingredients on the quality of muffins.
ANSWER:
| No baking powder:
The muffins have poor volume and texture and are tough. The absence of CO2
gas for leavening has produced a structure that was not raised.
|
|
| No egg:
The muffins are tough and have a large crumb. The egg yolk is necessary to
emulsify the fat so that it is evenly dispersed throughout the batter to
give a tender product. The egg protein acts as a structural component,
necessary to to get a thin wall around the air cells. The egg yolk also
adds flavor and color to the crumb. |
|
| No fat or sugar:
The muffin is less tender, less moist and has poor surface color. Fat
tenderizes by coating the flour particles and forming masses that
physically separate the developing strands of gluten and prevent them from
coming together. With no fat, the gluten can become overdeveloped and
result in a tough muffin. Sugar tenderizes by competing for moisture, thus
retarding protein hydration and gluten development, and then by elevating
the coagulation temperature of the structural proteins so that there is
more time for the cell walls to stretch and the volume increase before
coagulation occurs to define the final volume of the product. |
|
| Extra fat and
sugar: The muffin is very tender and cakelike due to the
interference with gluten development by the fat and sugar. Crust browning
in the oven is enhanced due to the Maillard reaction and in part to
caramelization. |
|
|
| |
