Cooking Technique: Perfect Muffins (2024)

FAQs

What is the muffin method technique? ›

The purpose of this method is to limit the amount of gluten production during the mixing process, keeping quick breads light and tender. To achieve this, the dry ingredients are combined in one bowl, the wet ingredients are combined in a separate bowl, and then the two mixtures are combined together.

By chilling the batter, the starch in the flour is able to absorb more moisture, resulting in a more tender muffin. It also thickens the batter without drying it out, which helps encourage beautiful tall muffin tops without a crumbly or cakey texture.

The number one rule for successful muffins is: Don't over-mix the batter. Use a rubber spatula to quickly fold (gently stir) the liquid ingredients into the dry ones.

Muffin leavening is enabled by baking powder, or a combination of baking powder and baking soda, combined with liquid and heat. That said, make sure your baking powder is fresh and hasn't been sitting in the back of your cupboard for too long.

Muffins fall into the “quick bread” category and are essentially flavored pancake batter that's baked in muffin tins. The traditional ratio for muffins and quick bread is 2 parts flour, 2 parts liquid, 1 part egg, and 1 part butter. I'm not a fan of muffins baked this way because they are too soft and spongy.

Bake your muffins at 400°F for the first 5 minutes, then drop the temperature to the more standard 350°F for the remainder of the bake time. This method sparks the leavening agents (especially baking powder) in the batter to react quicker, creating that gorgeously risen top.

Overmixing the batter.

When you overmix the batter, it crushes the air bubbles and ruins the fluffy texture. → Follow this tip: To ensure a batch of light, fluffy muffins, mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just barely combined, and no more dry flour is visible.

You'll also know the muffins are finished baking when they have a golden color, the tops are rounded, and the edges of the muffins are firm.

If there isn't enough egg, your batter or dough may not be able to hold its structure or could end up overly dry or dense. On the other hand, if there is too much egg, your baked goods could lose their shape due to excess liquid, or have a rubbery (or even overly cakey) texture depending on the recipe.

Are muffins better with oil or butter? ›

It is possible to replace oil with butter in a muffin recipe as generally most muffin recipes are quite forgiving and you may find that butter gives a better flavour.

Ideal Muffin Cooking Temperature

That being said, the standard oven temperature for baking desserts like quick breads and muffins is commonly set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Setting your oven to this temperature will almost always produce a well-cooked muffin recipe.

The muffin is a very popular item among Hitman speedrunners due to a glitch in the way the particle physics in Hitman III work. The particles from when the muffin breaks after being thrown can allow Agent 47 to gain a bit of elevation and boost him on top of the level geometry in certain areas.

Characteristics of muffins include: Moist crumb. Chewy texture. Uneven crumb grain with holes or tunnels throughout.

Depending on what ingredients you're using, the batter will range from runny (like thin cake batter) to very thick (like drop-cookie dough). As a general rule, the thinner the batter, the lighter the muffins will be when baked. But don't be afraid to bake thick, gloppy batter.

Overmixing batter can lead to tough muffins

Overmixing batter can inhibit that, ending with dense muffins instead of fluffy. This happens when you mix for too long. It can destroy air bubbles that are necessary for a light and airy texture (via The Kitchn).

Unformatted text preview:The most frequent problem encountered with muffin-method products is overmixing. This causes toughness and may cause holes to form inside the baked product, a condition known as tunneling.

Muffin Method (most common)

Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients all at once. Using a wooden spoon, mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened, 15 to 20 light strokes. There should be some small lumps. Overmixing can cause quick breads to be tough, bake unevenly or cause elongated holes (or tunnels).

And as cakes are made from the “cake mixing method,” muffins are made using the “muffin mixing method” — a system of mixing dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately in their own bowls then delicately combining them.