|
Have you seen the muffin man? Don't go looking - make your own instead
These days when we think of muffins, we tend to think of the American version, usually blueberry, bran or any number of sugar and fruit combinations. They seem to be everywhere – the supermarket, the coffee house, the corner shop. And with good reason. These quirky little cakes are the perfect quick breakfast, ‘elevenses’ treat or four o’clock teatime snack. Add a green salad or soup to a savoury muffin and you have a light lunch or starter.
The term muffin is thought to have come from an old French word ‘moufflet’, meaning ‘soft’ when referring to bread. There are references to English muffins as early as 1747 when the first recipes appeared in print, but they enjoyed most of their popularity during the nineteenth century. In the Victorian era, muffin men would carry trays of muffins balanced on their heads through the streets at teatime, ringing a handbell to draw attention to their wares.
The modern English muffin is made from a yeast dough containing milk and butter. It is cooked on a griddle or hotplate, which gives it a flat top and bottom. They are usually quite plain and rely on fresh butter and jam for flavour. Not so their brash American cousins.
The American Muffin
No one is exactly sure when the muffin migrated across the Atlantic, but there is no doubt it went through its share of changes in doing so. Most of the American-style muffins are a type of ‘quick bread’, which means their main raising agent is baking powder or bicarbonate of soda, and they are cooked in the oven instead of on a griddle. They’re really more like small cakes, but usually not as sweet. Muffin tins come in a variety of sizes, but the standard size has 6 or 12 cup-shaped depressions, each about 6cm/2 ½ in diameter and about the same in depth. Smaller muffin tins, sometimes called ‘gem pans’ make smaller, bite-size muffins which work well as accompaniments to soup or in place of bread rolls.
Commercially available muffins are usually sweet and contain fruit, nuts, even chocolate, but if you’re making some at home, try a savoury version instead. You don’t have to stick to plain white flour – wholemeal, buckwheat, besan (or gram) flour, bran and cornmeal (or polenta) can all be used for baking muffins. What you add next will give the muffin its character – grated or crumbled cheese, bacon or bits of sausage, finely diced or grated vegetables like courgettes, carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, sweetcorn, olives, herbs and spices – the possibilities are endless.
Next page:
Spicy Tex-Mex Muffins
Pumpkin and Cranberry Muffins
Spicy Tex-Mex Muffins
These are best eaten in 2 days and can be frozen for later.
Makes 12 standard-size muffins
100g cornmeal (polenta)
75g plain flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
75g butter, melted
150g soured cream, crème fraîche or Greek yoghurt
100g sweetcorn (fresh, frozen or canned)
100g goat’s cheese, crumbled
2 red or green chillies, deseeded and chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5.
- Lightly grease the muffin tin or line with paper cases.
- Sieve the cornmeal, flour, salt, cayenne and baking powder into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, melted butter and soured cream, crème fraîche or yoghurt. Add this to the flour mixture and stir quickly to just combine.
- Add the sweetcorn, goat’s cheese, chillies and coriander and gently fold through. Spoon into the muffin tin and bake for 15-20 minutes until risen and golden.
Pumpkin and Cranberry Muffins
These will keep for several days in an airtight container and can also be frozen.
Makes 12 standard-size muffins
225g plain flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs
175g dark brown sugar
100ml sunflower or vegetable oil
300g pumpkin purée (fresh or canned)
75g cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
- Grease a muffin tin or line with paper cases.
- Sift together the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and bicarbonate of soda. In a separate bowl combine the eggs, brown sugar, oil and pumpkin purée until well blended.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stir quickly to combine, then fold in the cranberries.
- Spoon into the muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes or until well risen and an inserted cocktail stick comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the tin.
Other muffin recipes
Black Muffins With Pecan Nuts
Blueberry Muffins
|